Welcome,
Friends.
As we enter the next phase of our lives,
From our late 50s into our early 70s,
We may find ourselves experiencing a very different sense of identity.
Whereas for years,
Decades,
We may have been defining ourselves by who we were in the world and what we did for a living,
The name that accompanied our title,
We may find ourselves now distancing from that identity.
What emerges may be comforting for some,
Challenging for others,
Terrifying for yet others.
What we may come to realize is that for much of our lives,
We thought we were building permanence,
A fortress of certainty in an uncertain world,
This career,
This home,
This family,
This wealth.
And while some of those things remain,
We may realize they were just as uncertain about who and what we are in the world as ever,
That the things we thought might bring us certainty became merely things,
Not really much different from all the things that we left behind,
The places we thought were home,
The places we traveled and thought we'd return to,
The friends we had and have lost touch with.
This is a short poem about accepting that sense of the ephemeral in the wake of having striven so hard to build something permanent.
In that acceptance for us now,
In this phase of our life,
We might feel gratitude rather than despair or fear.
Ah,
We might say,
It is the path itself that is permanent,
None of the markers along the way.
As you listen,
I hope it will allow the words to suffuse you with a sense of acceptance and peace.
After,
I'll offer a short reflection for us to meditate upon.
The poem is titled A Path Through the Woods.
On this new day may I be grateful for all I have,
Even as I am saddened by all I have lost.
A path beckons through the woods,
A smooth path through the trees bathed in sunlight,
Glistening after rain.
I shall walk that path later today and be present in all the beauty,
And yet take with me the reminder that this too shall pass,
And so be grateful for all I have.
In youth,
I did not know that what I'd been given could not be kept,
That what I was gaining was only of the moment,
Friends,
Loves,
And lovers,
Places to be and places to go.
All would fall away and never come again.
Did not know then that the things of this life are ephemeral,
That what we leave behind we leave behind forever,
Moments we do not accumulate.
We go through this way but once,
And at each bend of the path we lay down precious things,
This childhood,
This friend,
This precious hope.
We leave them abandoned to be remembered only long after,
Startled by the sudden awareness of their absence.
I shall walk that forest path today in certain knowledge that I shall not pass this way again,
That I am here now only once,
And that only once is certain.
I do not have many of these days left.
On the dawn of this new day,
Then,
I give thanks for all I have,
And at this late date give thanks for all I had but have lost,
And all I had that I did not know that I would lose,
And be grateful.
Let's take a moment now and consider the impulse of this poem,
Which asks us to take a broader view of our journey through life,
Away from the mindset of accumulation toward a mindset of acceptance and gratitude.
Let's take a few moments now to reflect upon whatever images,
Voices,
Or feelings arise.
I hope you have found this experience helpful as you move into the next phase of your life.
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
I'll try to reply to all.
Be well,
My friends.
