“Teach me old woods to wither glad.”–Danish hymn by Adam Oehlenschläger, 1813
Years ago while on sabbatical in Mexico, my family and I befriended an expatriate Swedish author. Though she was getting on in years and bedridden, Toni de Gerez was a spirited soul. She would regale us with stories of her amazing life as we sat enthralled by her bedside.
One of her lasting gifts to me was this one pearl of wisdom:
“Teach me old woods to wither glad.”
Her message is a beautiful reminder of nature’s grace in the face of impermanence. If we’re all going to grow old, why not have it be a class act? And why not let Nature, our best teacher, show us how?
How spacious can you be around growing older? What are some of the ways that Nature can support you in aging gracefully? What is something you can do today to honor and embrace the life experience and wisdom that you have cultivated over the years?
Sit with these questions today with as much compassionate awareness as you can.
And if you could use an inspiring lift on what it means to age with grace, the video below with actress Jane Fonda offers a compelling reason for us to hopeful and excited for the years ahead.
Happy clearing, everyone!
Can’t see the video? Click “For Better Viewing” link at the top of this email.
Photo credit: pdphoto.org
Fabulous! Thank you Stephanie.
Stephanie, Loved your post and the video. I really related to both!!! I read Viktor Frankel’s book about 20 or so years ago and it greatly impacted my life. I’ve been thinking for the past year (I’m 70 now) along the same path that Jane Fonda describes. The third chapter is an interesting time when we can be who we really are and could care less what other people think about us. This is a joyous freedom and gift to those of us in our third act 🙂 Thank you for this post.
WOW just beautiful. I so agree with Fonda, that’s how I feel, I’m in my third act and growing more “up the staircase” every day. Thank you Stephanie <3