Coming of Age

Last weekend was one of contrasts. On Friday evening my husband and I went out to supper with my little brother (I guess he’s not so little any more at 25!). I ordered my usual glass of Zin (the red, not the white) and was practically knocked off my chair when the bartender, who barely looked 21 herself, asked to see my ID. Upon seeing my real age she gave me a wink and said, “Good for you.” The rest of the evening I felt “youthful”.

Saturday came and I attended a local women’s expo. One of the vendors was a medi-spa and they were offering each attendee a complimentary skin analysis. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I should have read the fine print, “…displays a 3D image of your skin’s condition in incredible detail!” Trust me, nobody should see their skin’s condition in “incredible detail”! This should be reserved for professionally trained personnel only! If you are in denial at all about wrinkles, pores, or skin spots of any kind, the resulting scan photos will bring you back to sobering reality fast! The rest of the day I felt “old”.

Before you rebuke me for being shallow and superficial, and lecture me about embracing my wrinkles and enjoying the aging process, let me just say it wasn’t all about the appearance of my skin. The compliment of Friday evening didn’t just make me feel good about how I looked. It was more of a feeling in my soul; an energized feeling, like there wasn’t anything I couldn’t tackle! I could hear myself saying, “Yah, I still got it!” It’s the feeling you have as you come into adulthood, where your whole life is before you and the possibilities are endless.

Saturday’s experience was the opposite. It was a sharp reminder that life is short and there is no time to waste when it comes to fulfilling your dreams and following your passions. Of course I already know this and share this message with women every chance I get. I didn’t really need the wake-up call but I got the message anyway; loud and clear!

So, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way…

THE EASY WAY: You can listen when I tell you that while it’s never too late to chase a dream, live out a passion, or start out toward a goal, the time is now; and let’s face it, none of us is getting any younger!

THE HARD WAY: You can ignore my verbal warning and go get yourself a digital skin analysis, see for yourself how you’re a ticking time-bomb of unfulfilled dreams, passions and goals unless you get your rear in gear and start living your best life.

There, it’s been said. It wasn’t pretty but it’s true, and the choice is yours.

Kim,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“I don't believe one grows older. I think that what happens early on in life is that at a certain age one stands still and stagnates.” ~T.S. Eliot

Get Reacquainted With Your Imagination

My four year old just entered an expressive new stage; imaginary friends. Seems as though she is very popular with these friends of the invisible sort, as she’s introduced me to about ten of them over the last week. A couple days ago I had to do everything in my power to keep from laughing as I watched her making “friends” with the knots in our dining room table. I had to be grateful though; they were very polite knots. As one knot said to the other, “Hello, my name is Evan, it’s very nice to meet you.”

At first I was a little worried thinking about how this might be a precursor to schizophrenia. As my mind wandered into the future I saw visions of critics blaming me, as the parent, for my daughter’s mental illness. But as I took a step back I realized what a special gift my four year old, and most I’m assuming, have at this age; the gift of imagination.

Children have the ability to turn a puddle into a vast ocean that takes days to cross. Or they can take the living room couch and turn it into a car, complete with front seat, back seat, and trunk. And give them a cardboard box and the possibilities are truly endless to what they can create and discover. But what happens to that imagination?

As we grow older and are faced with adult responsibilities, harsh lessons, and become more aware of reality, we lose the same kind of imagination that we all once possessed. As children, we’d fall asleep imagining all the fun things we can do the next day with the big sticks in the backyard and the old bucket in the basement. Then we’d wake up the very next day and make it happen. There was nothing holding us back. Now as adults, we daydream while stuck in traffic about our future, but just as quick as those visions come to us they are snatched away by our assumptions of what is possible.

Dr. Wayne Dyer teaches that imagination is the most important resource we have in achieving our dreams. How is it possible for us to attain something if we can’t first imagine it? Not very. We must first expand our imagination by letting our minds run wild. And then when we tap into what we really imagine for our futures, we need to believe that it is possible; question every corrupting thought you have.

And if your “imaginator” is still broke…seek out the help of a 4 year old!

Becky,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” ~ Gloria Steinman