Old Souls Study Guide 4: Battle or Accept?

Monthly Post for Personal Reflection and Group Leaders

Welcome to the fourth post in Carol Orsborn’s Old Souls Study Guide 9 part series. Each post stands on its own so if you are new, you can join in here or start with Post One: The Paradox of Age.  Find link to part 5 at bottom of post.

Note: Spiritual Aging Support Groups are springing up around the globe, using my books and this study guide to inspire the conversation.

This Week’s Excerpt

“Increasingly, I encounter others my age and older who along with physical diminishment emanate the aura of self-acceptance. We may not run marathons any more, but we do what we can.  And when we do, we radiate.  I am humbled in the presence of this numinous beauty—not the prettiness of the young, but expressive of something the young cannot duplicate. It is as if time has the potential to erode us into something wondrous. This is a transformation that cannot be forced, only allowed.”

            Older, Wiser, Fiercer, “Catching the Breeze” and “The Second Mile” pp. 16-19

Questions for Journaling or Discussion

·       Do you know someone who is at peace with as many or more physical issues than you? What do you think accounts for this?

·        When you are faced with a physical diminishment or challenge, are you ever confused about whether to fight through versus accept your condition? What is your criteria for deciding?

·       What have you accepted about aging? What are you resisting?

·       What is one thing you can change to feel whole and grounded, regardless of what you are facing at this moment in time?

Carol’s  Commentary

I live by Richard Niebuhr’s profound words we have come to know as “The Serenity Prayer.” “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” For me, the kicker is in the third part—knowing which is which.  I am getting pretty good at figuring out which conditions to live with and which to attempt to conquer…from breast cancer 30 years ago while still in my 40’s through much more recent surgeries for multiple body parts as well as a couple chronic conditions.

I find that sometimes my gut is screaming at me when and how to take action but more often, discernment often takes time—weeks, months, years even. Meanwhile, especially when there is not a particular crisis at hand, I use my “down time” to strengthen my faith and my relationship with my higher power so when the time presses upon me for the difficult decisions, I will already be practiced in knowing how to listen.

A Spiritual Aging Exercise

To find the cutting edge of your own growth, and to assist in your discernment, try this exercise.

1.) Write a letter to someone whose relationship to a life challenge you admire. Consider sharing it with them.

2.) Meanwhile, rewrite the letter putting your name in place of theirs. Tuck it away to give yourself if and when an occasion arises.

Next Post

In Post Five of the Spiritual Aging Study Guide we turn our attention to what it means to endure the challenges of aging.  If you would like to read ahead, we will be reflecting upon  Older, Wiser, Fiercer, “On Enduring” and “Milestone Birthday” pp. 20-25

Let’s Chat

Are you in a situation where you have been faced with whether to keep pushing through or to let go and let God? What resources are you calling upon for clarity?

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LINK TO POST 5