Some time ago I saw a movie (I canβt remember its name) in which a young woman was providing physical therapy to a group of seniors in a home. She said that we need to move our arms out in huge sweeping motions because, as we get older, we tend to shrink everything inwards. We curl over, get shorter, wonβt stretch very far, stay home, forget things, lose relationships, etcetera. It struck me as true! Like a warningβ¦ Donβt get smaller! DO NOT SHRINK!!!!!!! But that is the tendency. As I get older, I see it now in other people my age and older. Their reach and their worlds are getting smaller. Theyβre bending over. They donβt take risks anymore and adventures donβt entice or excite them like they used to. Itβs more comfortable and safe to stay in the shelter of their homes. Iβm reading about longevity. It seems to me that the key to longevity, when you boil it all down, is to expose ourselvesβ¦ our bodies, minds, and spiritsβ¦ to intentional adversity. Push your body. Expand your mind. Enlarge your spirit! Stretch everything about you every single day as far as you can and even beyond! But this has always been our challenge. Hasnβt it? To be our best selves? To get out there and change the world? To grow? To be our most authentic selves in spite of the opposition and fear? I guess we may always be tempted to shrink back, but as we get older itβs easier to do soβ¦ because our bodies, minds, and spirits say so and because the world out there expects us to get smaller now. Iβve determinedβ¦ wellβ¦ Lisa and I have together determinedβ¦ that we arenβt going to shrink. Weβll keep pushing ourselves, challenging ourselves, stretching ourselves, and growing ourselves. Itβs a personal challenge thatβs become a kind of game. Fun and serious at the same time. Do you tend to shrink? Are you up for the challenge not to? |