Rocking The Crone: The Experience Of Ageing, Just For Today

This track is an affirmative reflection of what it means to be certain ages. We are always more than the sum of our parts, and our experience of who we are can shift with the perspectives that we take. We can always make some choice about how we create that experience. You are invited to notice what resonates most with you, and what choices are open for you to make today.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this brief affirmative practice to begin our days,

To end our days,

To be part of our day.

We always have a choice,

Although it doesn't always feel like it.

I am neither old nor young.

I feel proud to think of myself as young,

When I constitute good energy,

Feel openness and optimism.

I feel proud to call myself old,

Because that's what I am in years in comparison to many,

And I'm here to tell the tale.

For many years I felt young,

Because I am the youngest in my family of origin.

I feel old,

Because I am the last remaining member of my family of origin,

And I carry them with me and I wear their faces.

I feel old,

Because I look in the mirror and see the wrinkles,

Marking the life I have lived.

I am proud of the life I have lived.

I am younger than I will be,

Because I look at my face in the mirror,

And wonder how many more wrinkles I might accumulate as I live my life,

How many more people or experiences might touch me.

I feel old,

Because I sometimes forget things,

A piece of information,

A detail of a memory.

I feel proud to have so many things to be able to remember or forget,

That I have more to learn and more to remember and more to forget ahead.

I can feel old when there is a twinge of pain or stiffness that I haven't had before.

I feel blessed when I understand that some people live their whole lives with pain,

With limited mobility,

Limited abilities,

And I give thanks for my life of relative wellness.

I am neither old nor young,

They are only partial descriptions.

I feel young and I feel old,

And I am proud to be able to feel,

And to feel either of those two states.

I am a tiny dot in the landscape of living,

My life is impermanent.

I can choose to call it a privilege to be here,

Whatever my age is,

And I am grateful,

And within each day I find a blessing.

May you find your blessing within each day.

Thank you for sharing this reflection with me,

Jan Russell.

May you go well.

Reviews

OMG! THANK YOU SO MUCH for this!
Lately I’ve been feeling so depressed about getting older. I just turned 61, and have had a mild TBI since I was 19 in 1984, and it was just becoming known at the time.
Having a mild brain injury is the most difficult kind to live with, because you are aware of how much you’ve lost.
I’ve always been able to look at it in two ways: proud to be old because of all the wisdom I’ve gained, but sad to be old because of physically how much I have lost and how “behind” I feel in a world that is changing faster than the speed of light!
This meditation will help me be able to concentrate more on living in the present with the proud part, without worrying so much about the past that I can do nothing to change.

More to remember, more to forget- that really resonates with me 🙏✨💛☺️💫

Just what my young mind, old body needed. I too have been feeling proud of how I’ve lived my life. Nice to hear you say it out loud.

I absolutely love this. At 65 I am still blessed with good health. I need to lose a few pounds and the grands can wear me out but I feel exactly as you say, young at times, old at times. But thankfully that is only the partial story of who I am. Lovely reflection. Thank you, 🙏

Easily relatable.
Old age pain and knowledge .
Not afraid of others opinions so much anymore.
Looking forward to the future.
Thank you for this I look forward to following you,

Thank you so much for touching my heart with your insight.

Wow! So much in such a short meditation. I needed that so badly. It was a great reminder that I need to be more grateful for the wonderful things about being old and being young. . I’m so thankful I saw it on Insight Timer’s opening page today. It’s going on my special playlist so I can listen to it often. Thank you 🙏🙏🙏❣️❣️❣️

As someone in their middle age, I appreciated this meditation on the balance of feeling young and old, and how valuable it all is. Thank you!

This really helped me re-evaluate my age and gratitude for me . Thank you

This touched my core this morning. In my mind the space of growing older was dark this morning, but I’ve been reminded that we are both young and aging. It is what we do with that time.

I love this! Thank you Jan for putting into words some of my deepest wishes, aspirations. Your offerings are much appreciated.

Thank you very much. A wonderful way to start the day - with gratitude.

Thank you, for reflecting back to me exactly what I needed right now. Appreciate you, Jan… 🙏🏽❤️

Beautiful 💖
A lovely bit of meditation poetry- ‘not old - not young’ - but here 🙏🏼🥰

Thank you Jan for capturing so well how we feel both young and old. Savouring my blessings and sending blessings to you. 🙏

Thank you, thank you for this beautiful prayer-anthem-reminder. I feel all the feelings and observations you mentioned. This has reminded me that I am not a single thing, i.e. old. Rather I feel old, young, grateful, in pain, joyful, and anxious all at once. Isn't it wonderful?!?! Thank you 🙏