Am I ever to OLD to DREAM?… A Guest Post
Change is never easy. Especially if you are not prepared for it, it can feel like a push. In Penny’s story below we can learn what happens with acceptance and when we actively engage and be open to what inspires us. We can leave behind what we thought defines us and there is always more.
Penny’s Story:
Several years ago I turned 57. In those 57 years, I have experienced a lot of life that I am proud of and some that I am not so proud of. The one consistency is that it has not been boring.
Changes occurred as various stages of my life presented itself – interestingly similar to others’ changes at certain age brackets.
But then a significant change happened in my life a few years ago…Like many women who developed careers, my career of 30 years was over in an “instant”. My career had defined who I was as what I did…so now what? At 53 years old, how was I to start over? I pretended not to feel fear but the gnawing in my gut proved it was my constant companion.
The first year was really hard…
I was a driven person who had much to accomplish. So what was I to do? I cleaned out the closets and organized the pantry. I was so busy being busy that it took me a year to realize that this lack of a job was a gift of time and space. This time and space was here to allow me to get to know myself. Who am I now? Who am I without the title and the job? How do I redefine myself?
Of course, I joined the gym and boot camp. To stretch after boot camp I would attend Yoga classes. Who knew that I would find myself in my breath?
Then I sought the assistance of an energy worker who encouraged me to stretch further into my soul, learning tools to forgive myself and others for past transgressions…
And I dug deeper into the earth– both with landscaping and organic vegetable gardening.
Literally, I am finding my roots: my attachment to my breath, my body, my soul and the earth. This is where I found “ME”, accepted me, and allowed Me to be Me.
So now I am a Yoga instructor at 57. I garden and cook organically. I’ve become a vegetarian. I breathe – deep, cleansing breath. My relationship of 14 years is better than ever.
What now? Do I dream? Of course I do.
I’m not giving up on my dream to have a large tract of land where I can build a lodge to hold yoga retreats. What I know for certain is that I never see myself going back into the stress of the corporate world again…I can’t even conceive of it!
(Guest Post by Penny Dashiell, an American living in the southern part of the United States. )
