Ageing and the body’s final demise is inevitable! It is nature’s very beautiful way of recycling and regeneration! Ageing cannot be reversed. It cannot be wished away. When you are young and bubbling with aspirations and boundless energy, the world is your oyster and ageing seems to be as improbable a possibility as your neighbourhood puppy growing a pair of delicate wings. It initially dawns on you in your early 40s with the first signs of a receding hairline and unrelenting puffiness under your eyes. It brightens up in the horizon in your mid-40s with an incorrigibly expanding waistline, with your facial vegetation showing its first signs of unmistakable greying. It stares tenaciously into your eyes as you start pushing your 50s, with you suddenly waking up, wide-eyed, to the idea of the inevitability, making spirituality a very real alternative to exuberance and flamboyance. As you painstakingly wade towards your 60s, you finally reconcile to the fact that you indeed have aged and that it was always a one-way street!
So what do you do with it – about something that is inevitable and that no human ever had any influence over, whatsoever? Well, the answer is simple – learn to enjoy the process! You are not the first one. Trust me, you will certainly not be the last one! So, why fret over whatever is left in you and what’s gone? So, go out and enjoy your moments under the sun. Make hay while it shines. Take care of your body, mind and soul. Start ageing gracefully!
I have tried to adopt a simple 7-pronged approach during this cycle of ageing and ultimate regeneration. Let me share the same with all of you, though I am convinced that everyone is incredibly unique and will have to design their own very personalised approach.
1. Exercise at least 3-4 days a week – walk, jog, run, swim, practice yoga, hit the gym, pump iron, enroll in marshal art classes, learn the latest dance form – pick up any activity of your choice.
2. Make right choices of food. Eat in moderation. Cheat occasionally. Share your food.
3. Inculcate a hobby – reading, writing, painting, music, gardening, traveling – any hobby.
4. Form new friendships. Go beyond the surface and connect with people and nature at a deeper level. Spread love.
5. Start contributing back to the society in whichever way you can. Help! Help! Help!
6. Pamper yourself – take an occasional facial treatment or a relaxing massage. Reward yourself for even the most inconspicuous achievements. Try not to be too harsh on yourself for all your goof-ups. Loosen up a bit.
7. LAUGH more often! It takes nothing, yet it’s incredibly rewarding for you and everyone around you. Initially it may need a bit of an effort, with time it will become an inseparable and lingering part of your persona.
Be kind, forgiving, respectful, graceful and of course, grateful. Protect nature. Let go your regrets. Live your life as it is offered to you, to its fullest!
Live | Love | Share !! ... ... Happy Ageing !!
