Eternal
Spirit
“Age
has no reality except in the physical world. The essence of a human
being is resistant to the passage of time. Our inner lives are
eternal, which is to say that our spirits remain as youthful and
vigorous as when we were in full bloom. Think of love as a state of
grace, not the means to anything, but the alpha and omega. An end in
itself.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Love in the Time of Cholera)
I
remember an old man, head of the counseling program at UAB, when I
applied to graduate school—Dr. Fain Guthrie. He was then the age I
am now, and close to retirement, and I was in “full bloom” at
thirty-three. I have to be honest, I don't remember the class he
taught, though I know I took it, but I do remember well the statement
he made that day as he interviewed me for the program. He said, “On
the outside, I know I am an old man, but inside, I am still the
person I was at twenty-one. I haven't changed at all.” I remember
thinking, why is he telling me this? And yet that is the one thing
that has stuck with me, as though he had planted a seed that day that
would take thirty-four years to sprout.
Aging
is an interesting thing, and one of the strongest reasons I believe
in the eternal nature of spirit. Our bodies do change, there's no
doubt about that, but as the body changes, the spirit grows ever more
muscular. Love goes from being love of self, as a youth, to love of
others, to love of life itself. Every spring, every summer, the
greens are greener, the sky more beautiful, and we appreciate more
the little moments of grace. This richness of spirit more than makes
up for the creaking bones and aching joints. In fact, when one ages
well, those ailments are victory signs that one has lived an active,
boisterous life.
I
don't mind where I am now. I am grateful for life. I can look back at
the young me and smile at her intensity and her passion, but I don't
need to be her again. I wonder if you feel this way. If you are
young now, don't be afraid of aging. Live your life full throttle and
look forward to the time when all your living will bring a smile to
your face. You'll think, I'm still that person on the inside, and
that's enough.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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