Thursday, November 7, 2013

Aging is not about appearances

Are you becoming more comfortable in your own skin? Feeling more authentic each day? Finding your own voice?

One of the joys of aging is knowing who we are and accepting that. When we're younger, we try on different personas and sometimes copy others whom we admire. As we age, we're so done with that. It becomes more and more important to be exactly who we were created to be. Doing so is an ongoing process—and it can be a delightful journey as we come to enjoy who we are, what we have and what we're doing.

Yesterday I wrote about a book I really enjoy: Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women by Jean Shinoda Bolen. The author, also a psychiatrist, proposes reverting to the original meaning of the word "crone," which was a wise woman, an elder. Bolen proposes that we make becoming a crone "a crowning inner achievement of the third phase of life."

I like her description of a crone: "To be a crone is about inner development, not outer appearance. A crone is a woman who has wisdom, compassion, humor, courage, and vitality. She has a sense of truly being herself, can express what she knows and feels, and take action when need be. She does not avert her eyes or numb her mind from reality. She can see the flaws and imperfections in herself and others, but the light in which she sees is not harsh and judgmental. She has learned to trust herself to know what she knows."

All right. Sign me up. I'm enjoying this stage of life and truly like the increasing comfort of knowing and accepting who I am, flaws and all. What about you? Are you there? Would you like to be there? Why not take a step toward "crone-dom" today!







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