Monday, August 18, 2008

What's In A Number?

Just a few days ago I celebrated my birthday and turned 38. 38! Wow. Birthdays are a big deal for me. They are the time of year when I take stock of my life, my past year, and set new goals for myself.

In general, I'm feeling really comfortable with this new age, myself, and where I am in my life. I also feel a growing sense of excitement and a strong energy from within as I head into this new year-like I've been quietly heading towards something great, and I'm on the verge of putting into action some of the dreams I've had, but have yet to manifest.

This new age, and the larger context of being closer to 40 than 20, has afforded me a fresher perspective on the reality that time passes quickly. Not a mid-life crisis perspective, but rather a gentle and keen awareness that life, does not, in fact, go on and on and on. I've been really coming to accept this over the past few years, and often include these thoughts into my meditation time. These days though, I realize that, although I feel like I'm about 27, I'm not! It's great that I feel young, and healthy and strong; these are the things that, in part, yoga helps cultivate and support. And the fact that I'm not, chronologically, 27 anymore, is truly okay with me. However, feeling 27 can sometimes fool me into thinking that 'I'm so young I have plenty of time to get to that later.' This perception of time, I know, is an illusion. So this year I'm all about changing my motto to: 'Later is now!'

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