Becoming More Elderly

SAT., JULY. 22, 2000, 6:40 AM
FARM, STUDY

Yes, o son, this teaching is about many in your culture whose aging now makes them elderly… and this includes you, of course. Two of your five sons have died, one in an accident and the other from a premature heart attack. Thus you have outlived two of the “next generation”. You have 14 grandchildren and now one great grandchild… which makes you a great grandfather. Yes, by these “calculations” you are among the elderly.

(And you see the picture of your third son holding his young son, standing up in his one hand, and you realize that this “father of a young one” is also now a grandfather.)

Not every human makes it to elderly status, as I have just noted. You are now at about the average age that men “move on” in your culture… but, of course, your parents lived much longer… so… just be pleased that you are here on earth, among the elderly, still functioning reasonably well. (But you did start off with the wrong pen, as an elderly mystic is apt to do!)

The important “task” for you now is to make the most of the earth life you still have, spiritually. That is, be more and more aware of the spiritual “content” of life, as you are living it. You still are not very good at contemplation, so I continue to encourage you to invest some of your elderly time in this simple “act”… which is still difficult for you because of your life of action. (And you hope that you won’t lose your sight, that would “force” you to more contemplation.)

You do appreciate the beauty of this home place, and you did, recently, re-create in your “mind’s eye” the other places you have lived, as Bob Russell. You “saw” some variety of homes and neighborhoods, but all within the “American middle class”. All were pleasant, as you remembered them, but this place is clearly the culmination. You don’t anticipate an institutional “setting” as you become more elderly, but you realize that this could mean opting for an earlier death, even a sudden one. Just remember, as you consider such, that you shall live as long as I want you to live, in this body. You just can’t know how long this will be.

I urge you to stay physically and mentally active for these years ahead. Pay as little attention to aches and pains, as you have for the many years of your life. This translates to – live your life fully and joyfully, with little concern about just prolonging it. And, of course, your spirit becomes the key dimension to your health and well-being. Appreciate your losses, but focus on what still functions well, even if less well than in earlier years.

Your spirit is vital to this aging process, for it is natural to feel sorry for losses, with temptations to try to regain or compensate for what has been lost. Your spirit should help you to live with joy and purpose, even with losses. Spirit is your best guide to what you should try to retain and what you should just “give up”.

Let spirit be the “decider” in relation to the gathering in Durango. You realize that your participation there could be a “sign” of how elderly you are becoming. You hope that you’re not “edging” too rapidly toward the condition of your brother-in-law, Bob, and you consider that this gathering could make this more evident. So, what is best?… continuing to interact, even as it is harder?… or… let your memory (in others) be one of rather full functioning?

I won’t tell you what to do… at least not now. Just consider, as honestly as possible, the consequences of your going or not going. And then… “to thine own self be true”… but with concern for the others, as well.