From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, my body is slowly dehydrating. "Drying up" is what most people call it. I have entered what I affectionately call, "The Raisin Years."
Age is beginning to have its way with me. Body parts that once were thin are now thickening (think waistline) and I now know why many "women of a certain age" wear their hair extremely short. Now more salt than pepper in color, the few thin wisps that have managed to remain in the vicinity of my head are but a distant echo of days gone by when I sported a long, lush pony tail, a thick French roll, and even a 70's style Afro. Brook Shild eyebrows that once required weekly attendance are a thing of the past. I haven't plucked an errant eyebrow hair since 1984.
While normal hair growth has largely disappeared from the terrain one usually expects to find it; errant hairs have sprouted up in strange and unexpected places, like weeds making their way through cracks in a playground basketball court. I'm often shocked to discover one or more long, wild hairs stealthily growing out of my chin or the top of my forearms.
Disappearing hair is not the only victim of the aging process. Nails that once were smooth and strong now sport deep ridges and look, feel, and crumble like potato chips. I recently read that hand lifts are now the new frontier for cosmetic surgery.
It's tempting to contemplate the benefits of having renewed hands, but on second thought, I prefer to stick with the ones inherited from generations of ancestors who worked the land, peeled potatoes, darned socks, knitted caps and tended babies. I see my mother's earthy hands and gnarly fingers making an encore through the aging of my own. Perhaps I should take up knitting, just to see if I've inherited any of her talents in that department. Having grown up to the sound of knitting needles clicking through long winter nights, I've never felt called to take up the craft. But why else are my fingers beginning to twist and turn if not to be built-in hooks for yarn just waiting to be knitted and pearled into something functional, and perhaps even aesthetically pleasing?
George Bernard Shaw once said, "its a pity that youth is wasted on the young." It does seem unjust that we're not equipped to fully appreciate the gifts endowed by our youth until we've gained the perspective that only aging affords. As I gradually surrender to the inevitability of my body becoming more prune-like, I become aware of a deeper source of juice to sustain me going forward.
Now that I've reached my autumn years, I've begun to sense the presence of new gifts waiting to be harvested. I see that the use of sheer will power can still produce results, and I can draw upon it when needed. But more and more, I feel the call to cultivate a more graceful approach. Learning to surrender to the flow of the river instead of struggling to swim upstream seems to make more sense these days. Call it economy of effort, or call it learning to hear the voice of a deeper wisdom, I am developing an appreciation for what is possible when I allow life to unfold on its own terms.
Cultivating a posture of surrender is not for the feint of heart. It is by no means a passive stance, but rather, requires a heightened awareness of the impermanence of life, the ability to be present, to show up for each moment and consciously choose who and how I want to be in this fleeting now.
I'm learning to accept that at the core of this warrior woman I've been all my life, lies a tender, vulnerable heart that has waited patiently for its turn to lead me into the mystery of what lies ahead. Like a grape that lingers on the vine gently being transformed by the sun's drying rays, I trust that in these "Raisin Years," I too am being distilled into the sweetest, richest essence of who I am.
This, I believe then, is the work of our elder years; to deepen the chalice of our Being by transforming the pain of loss and disappointment into the sweet wine of Wisdom and to drink heartily from the cup of Gratitude. Harvesting the gifts of the "Raisin Years" can be the blessing of a lifetime.
Follow Dr. Judith Rich on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dr_judithrich
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1. Drink half you body weight (lbs.) in ounces of clean filtered or spring water every day (helps relieve asthma symptoms too!).
2. Make and drink plenty of fresh veggie juices (go easy on the carrots, abundant on the greens) daily.
3. Don't eat anything that comes from animals. Salads are better.
4. Walk every day in the outdoors. Even on a rainy day.
5. Pray/Medit
6. Hang out with people who share your positive outlook.
7. Be of service in the world.
8. Live, Laugh, Love.
At 44 years old I'm very excited about the anti-aging agents I put into my body by simply drinking a little juice everyday. Acai (worlds number 1 superfood according to Dr. Perricone) is the main fruit (30%) and is blended with 18 other all natural, wild, exotic and in some cases organic fruits from all over the world. Then the "active blend (which is what we drink) has added Glucosamin
I would love to hear what Dr. Judith has to say about Mona Vie. We buy ours at www.thefac
Check it out for yourself. Look at it this way it's all natural and just fruit with amazing antioxidan
Thanks for your comment.
Hi, Judith,
Your words have been with me all week. For many, many years, one of my pet peeves has been that the news we receive as readers is so one-sided. I've been longing for some publisher brave enough to publish what inspires, uplifts, transforms
I want you to know how happy I am to see your wisdom in print. What you have written not only inspires and touches me, but strikes me as a golden invitation to all of us in 'reader-la
For me, one of the best aspects of this harvest in our sixties, is, the sentiment ''what can they do to me?' We have pretty much free reign to say what we've come here to say. We are free to speak our own truth. On that note, I look forward eagerly to your next column!
Here's to a juicy continuati
Cara Barker
I am 65 years old and almost every weekend in the spring and summer, I photograph rodeos. I am in the arena where the bucking stock buck out. I can still run and jump when I have to. :-)
1. I don't eat meat.
2. Watch very little television
3. Spend as much time as I can outside and wear "gimme" hats and sunskin.
4. My parents lived to be in their early 90s.
5. I work on word puzzles and others every day to keep my mind sharp.
6. I teach in a prison and never has an offender guessed my true age.
7. I've also invested myself in caring for others and leading with an open heart.
8. Two mottos..On
doing something for another is a complete washout.
Good article.
65 and still kicking it! You're the girl! (To me, "girl" is a term of endearment and form of acknowledg
With that realizatio
I'll be writing more about this. Please tune in again. Thanks!
Judith
Thank goodness, as an older person, at least I can still use my brain. I have lived a very rich life. Not as rich and varied as I would have liked, by any means, but full of treasured experience
An observatio
Thank goodness for Huffpo. I enjoy reading and posting here, and sometimes I feel like I have something worthwhile to contribute
I love the name! Great comment and great insights. Thank you!
I liked what you said about choosing the rivers, however, it gets a bit tricky if we get too attached to avoiding certain rivers, etc. Of course, you're going to steer away from things you absolutely know are not aligned with where you want to take your life. The whole point of "surrender
It's when the water gets turbulent and we're in it, like it or not, that I'm suggesting
Thanks again,
Judith
I'm sorry for the loss of your husband. Allow me to go out on a limb here: What I heard in your story is that because your life was painful, you found ways to avoid and distract yourself from really feeling that pain. Napping, shopping etc. And now, looking back, you see that you missed important moments that cannot be retrieved. And you have regrets about that.
A couple of thoughts: Really.... good for you for creating a way to be connected in the world and make a difference with others. And I think you're absolutely right that the best way to get over our own loss is to transform the energy of sorrow into contributi
Here's the good news: you woke up! Maybe it took a major loss in your life to get your attention, but you shifted from being asleep at the wheel to being awake. The trick now is to continue waking up again and again. It's not a one shot deal.
Thanks much for sharing your story. It put a smile on MY face!
Thank you for your very kind, and spot on assessment of the situation. I do have regrets, yes, but I guess everyone who experience
What an inspiring, humorous, thoughtful article. I, too, am a Raisonette
How true it is but I keep hoping for a magic cure. Methusala (sp) managed an extraordin
You already have the "secret" to staying alive and juicy.... do what you LOVE! So keep on skiing and feeding your body AND soul. It's the fire in the soul that keeps the body going. Didn't someone say "Happiness is an inside job?" I think it's true!
Baby boomer perspectiv
Baby boomer art: http://www
This stuff works! And you won't feel so dehydrated and OLD.
I plan to share your column with my parents (two California Raisins) along with my fellow harp therapists
The following especially resonated with me, because Harp Therapy requires checking one's ego at the door -- in order to be fully present for patients, honor their humanity, and attend to their needs:
"Cultivati
Graceful living indeed, in actions, in spirit, in heart.
~Kristine
Thanks for your comment! I, too, am a harpist of sorts (one who doesn't play much but I have a beautiful, Celtic lap harp) and even contemplat
Terrific article. I agree that the raisin years are inevitable
Good for you! I'm on totally on board with staying fit and eating right. If 60 is the new 40, then you and I have a long way to go and we'd best keep making deposits in the "Taking Care of Self" account. Thanks for the encouragem
I am a man, and am still a "young," 54, but the signs of aging are beginning to make themselves known. The ear hair that won't budge for long, the mid-sectio
Thanks much for your comment. I must confess however, that in the past, I've tried a few of those cosmetic "tricks" myself so I'm not being a hypocrite and condemning anyone who does. But I've found that in the end, it doesn't matter. Time and gravity will still have their way with us. The body will eventually unravel, but it's the spirit of aliveness inside the human being that can not only endure, but deepen with time. Wisdom cannot be injected or found on a surgeon's scalpel. Enjoy these Raisin Years and use them to deepen your capacity to appreciate both the joys and sorrows they bring. Loss and sorrow deepen the chalice and allow room for more joy.