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While we are young, healthy, and able, we tend to deny the frailty of our physical selves. Contemplating and accepting the prospect of loss and death is painful. However, coming to terms with these realities and releasing ourselves from our fears can help soften, if not transform, the aging process. An honest appreciation of life’s limits and losses can inspire insight and compassion. Some changes in the way memory works are a normal part of aging,” writes Dr. Bruce Robinson of Sarasota Memorial Hospital, on the Web site Infoaging.org. |
| List some of the people, relationships, hopes, ideals, or beliefs that you have lost or let go of during your life. |
| How have these losses made room for new and productive aspects of your life? For example, a painfully ended relationship may have enabled you to meet your “true love.” A job lost in an economic downturn may have helped you pursue a more fulfilling career path. |
| Accepting the prospect of loss and the limit of our lives can awaken us to our deeper passions, our true priorities. Have you or has someone you love confronted serious illness or even imminent death? |
| How did this experience change your outlook? |
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How might you re-incorporate this “eyes-wide-open” perspective into your life now?
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