Fly Like an Eagle. If only I still could!
Steve Miller, from the eponymous band, wrote these resonant words some 50 years ago: “Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future.” Rarely has a song lyric rang so true!
There are varying definitions of middle age. But if you consider those years to be roughly from age 40 to 65, that’s a grand total of 1300 weeks.
In my particular case, and leap years aside, that’s 1299 down, one to go!
I am writing this blog post from a beautifully appointed, highly popular wellness resort in the mountains of southern Arizona, called Miraval. I am here engaged as a “thought leader,” (their words, not mine!) providing gratitude-themed presentations and workshops for their discriminating clientele and hardworking staff.
One of the perks of being engaged at a place like this is having the run of the property; meals, spa services, activities, etc.
One hour from now, as I write this in the predawn darkness, I am joining a small group of enthusiasts on what the resort advertises as an “advanced“ mountain bike ride. (I take that with a grain of salt, as their beginner and intermediate rides never seem to get out of the hotel parking lot!) Not bad,(assuming I survive) considering I am creeping to the very edge of the diving board, reluctantly ready to belly flop into the 65-year-old pool!
However, any self satisfaction I feel at being able to indulge in and enjoy this desert ride is tempered by the fact that, on a relatively simple four mile hike yesterday, with little elevation change, my lower back was keening over the last mile, impeding my ability to put one foot in front of the next. (Thankfully biking doesn’t irritate in the same manner.)
The main point: Enjoy what you can, don’t regret what you can’t. My activities focus on this trip has concentrated mostly on yoga, stretching, meditation, and breath work. It’s looking like my days in fitness classes called booty boot camp, cardio catastrophe and abs annihilator are now (either regrettably or mercifully, I can’t decide) behind me. And that’s OK also.
I’m glad (and grateful!) I can do what I can still do— which is first and foremost, spreading my message of proactive, expressive gratitude to audiences that feel they can benefit from such an enriching practice.
