Overall, a lesson I’ve learned from knowing many, many elder humans is that age alone doesn’t guarantee happiness, contentment, or the (outward suggestion of) wisdom. We have to cultivate that and make it a habit. Otherwise, we can easily end up with a lifetime of inertia of habits of other mind patterns which bring a lot less happiness. My one surviving grandparent, my maternal grandmother, is a wonderful example of someone who has cultivated joy, acceptance, love, and gratitude and so now in her 90’s she truly radiates that. I see her as an example of how I’d like to be at that age, but I know that isn’t a given… I need to practice it now!
These come to mind:
To take care of everything; be kind and be true; to be present; to let go of or to transform unhealthy habits; to change perspective into a “glass half full”; to respond instead of react; deeply grateful for the manifold offered support to those concerned and to all of you who share here.
I have learnt that an empty vessel makes a lot of noise, thus i should listen more and Talk less. I should appreciate everything and be grateful to everyone
1. The lazy person works twice as hard.
2. If you want to be happier despite the challenges in life, learn to reframe your thoughts about those challenges.
3. If a person comes to you with a minor challenge in a pastoral care situation, listen to them, ask them what they feel their options are, and don’t try to tell them what to do. If they come to you with a crisis, then advice-giving may be warranted.
4. If you try to be forgiving of others, they will generally reciprocate and be lenient when you make a mistake.
5. Even if you believe in a soul, that is not a good reason to devalue the body, especially when ideologies that devalue the body have been used to commit all kinds of atrocities against marginalized people.
My maternal grandmother lived with us and helped raise me. Without words, my sweet little Italian “nana” taught me more about unconditional love than anyone in my life. My brother is 3 years younger than me, but I consider him an elder…indeed he is an elder in his church. He taught me to “stay in my own lane” and to “let Go and let God”…..both of these setiments have been a source of healing for me. And then there are the elders in my life who I have never met. Too many to name but one stands out. Henri Nouwen taught me that I am the Beloved. And that knowing has made all the difference.
Have a blessed day everyone ♥
It’s a long game. Pace yourself.
On the other hand, especially from the dying. Don’t waste time on the trivial problems, the small hurts, love is what matters most.
“It doesn’t matter how the Jack Ass got in the ditch. You just have to find a way to get him out.”
“Tears are not always sadness. Many times they are anger.”
“April showers bring May flowers.”
“A penny for your thoughts.”
“The opposite of fear isn’t courage. It’s love.”
“Keep it simple, Stupid!”
“You can’t live on What Ifs”
“What is IS.”
“Don’t turn a situation into a problem.”
“Go with the flow.”
“There is a part of you that has never been afraid. Call it forth.”
“Be the Peace you seek.”
“What do you know for sure, anyway?”
Thank you, Carol – ‘jackass’ pulled me in! My mother was fond of Keep it simple, Stupid, but I thought she should omit the Stupid part, because she suffered so from negative feelings already! Fear – love = another great one 🙂 and Situation – problem 🙂 and, the final one reminds us that we can’t foretell the future. Warm wishes to you –
a difficult one– greet harm, cruelty, theft, etc with forgiveness
welcome everyone into your home
be thoughtful of the well being of others
be wary of institutionalisation
help when you can
I heard, “This too shall pass,” frequently from my mom whenever I railed about difficult circumstances.
I also like, “The best things in life aren’t things.” Saw that on a wise and elder bumper sticker several years ago. 😉
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Overall, a lesson I’ve learned from knowing many, many elder humans is that age alone doesn’t guarantee happiness, contentment, or the (outward suggestion of) wisdom. We have to cultivate that and make it a habit. Otherwise, we can easily end up with a lifetime of inertia of habits of other mind patterns which bring a lot less happiness. My one surviving grandparent, my maternal grandmother, is a wonderful example of someone who has cultivated joy, acceptance, love, and gratitude and so now in her 90’s she truly radiates that. I see her as an example of how I’d like to be at that age, but I know that isn’t a given… I need to practice it now!
Play the long game. Put effort in over time to get results – not always looking for immediate gratification
These come to mind:
To take care of everything; be kind and be true; to be present; to let go of or to transform unhealthy habits; to change perspective into a “glass half full”; to respond instead of react; deeply grateful for the manifold offered support to those concerned and to all of you who share here.
I have learnt that an empty vessel makes a lot of noise, thus i should listen more and Talk less. I should appreciate everything and be grateful to everyone
Still – nothing inside;
empty forms chiming soundless
Easter bells – welcome!
1. The lazy person works twice as hard.
2. If you want to be happier despite the challenges in life, learn to reframe your thoughts about those challenges.
3. If a person comes to you with a minor challenge in a pastoral care situation, listen to them, ask them what they feel their options are, and don’t try to tell them what to do. If they come to you with a crisis, then advice-giving may be warranted.
4. If you try to be forgiving of others, they will generally reciprocate and be lenient when you make a mistake.
5. Even if you believe in a soul, that is not a good reason to devalue the body, especially when ideologies that devalue the body have been used to commit all kinds of atrocities against marginalized people.
Be kind.
I have learned that everything happens for a reason and to just enjoy everything life has to offer! Be grateful and happy.
stay calm and peaceful. We will see what happens. Take your time
My maternal grandmother lived with us and helped raise me. Without words, my sweet little Italian “nana” taught me more about unconditional love than anyone in my life. My brother is 3 years younger than me, but I consider him an elder…indeed he is an elder in his church. He taught me to “stay in my own lane” and to “let Go and let God”…..both of these setiments have been a source of healing for me. And then there are the elders in my life who I have never met. Too many to name but one stands out. Henri Nouwen taught me that I am the Beloved. And that knowing has made all the difference.
Have a blessed day everyone ♥
Kindness is the solution to many challenges, very few material goods are needed to be happy and time is precious, use it wisely.
I don’t know what’s in their hearts and minds. I know that I want to stay curious, appreciative and having experiences of pure gratitude.
It’s a long game. Pace yourself.
On the other hand, especially from the dying. Don’t waste time on the trivial problems, the small hurts, love is what matters most.
“It doesn’t matter how the Jack Ass got in the ditch. You just have to find a way to get him out.”
“Tears are not always sadness. Many times they are anger.”
“April showers bring May flowers.”
“A penny for your thoughts.”
“The opposite of fear isn’t courage. It’s love.”
“Keep it simple, Stupid!”
“You can’t live on What Ifs”
“What is IS.”
“Don’t turn a situation into a problem.”
“Go with the flow.”
“There is a part of you that has never been afraid. Call it forth.”
“Be the Peace you seek.”
“What do you know for sure, anyway?”
Carol, thank you for all this wisdom. Love them All. Have a joy filled day.❤️🌼🌸
Thank you, Carol – ‘jackass’ pulled me in! My mother was fond of Keep it simple, Stupid, but I thought she should omit the Stupid part, because she suffered so from negative feelings already! Fear – love = another great one 🙂 and Situation – problem 🙂 and, the final one reminds us that we can’t foretell the future. Warm wishes to you –
a difficult one– greet harm, cruelty, theft, etc with forgiveness
welcome everyone into your home
be thoughtful of the well being of others
be wary of institutionalisation
help when you can
I heard, “This too shall pass,” frequently from my mom whenever I railed about difficult circumstances.
I also like, “The best things in life aren’t things.” Saw that on a wise and elder bumper sticker several years ago. 😉