Post 3: Stock Cars and Sunsets

How old is “old”? No two individuals experience exactly the same changes at the same stage of their lives. Those who live to old age know the levels of brokenness that aging brings, as well as the blessings of a long life of becoming.

Many variables affect the way people age, such as mental and physical health, a support system, a positive spirit, and gratitude.

Wonder is the prelude to gratitude, an essential element in aging well. We all need to cultivate a capacity of wonder, as wonder is the beginning of all knowledge.

We are surrounded by the wonders of God’s creation if we have eyes to see them. Do you know that there are weeds that are shaped like miniature orchids? Have you looked at the heart of any flower? One of my favorite springtime activities when I still lived in France was walking in the hills and meadows above our home and collecting a bouquet of as many different wildflowers as I could find. You'd be surprised at the variety of beauty that grows around you.

The instinct to look for beauty came into clear focus several years ago, when I'd accompanied my husband and nephews to a stock cars race. Cars roared around the small speedway track like a swarm of giant flies. The fans, mouths full of hot dogs and popcorn, screamed for their favorite driver, gasping as cars spun out of control, secretly hoping to see an exciting accident.

The cacophony melted into a wall of sound that claustrophobically closed me in. But it faded into the background when I slowly lifted my head and watched the evolution of a most amazing spectacle. God was silently painting the evening sky with giant brush strokes of gold and crimson and ivory that kaleidoscoped into one another to create a glorious, ever-changing masterpiece.

Looking around, I was disconcerted to see that no one else seemed to be aware of what was playing out above their heads.

It is essential that we cultivate a capacity of wonder, that we look for beauty above and beyond our circumstances. Deepening our understanding of these dimensions of the spiritual life can immeasurably enrich our experience of aging. Consciously developing the heart of a child exploring the world for the first time is foundational to our "becoming," even at an age when society tells us we have nothing left to learn

Begin each day by thanking God for all the "wonder-ful" good things He has given you, naming them specifically, and experience how that can subtly change your outlook.

This quote by Abraham Heschel says it all: “I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder, and You gave it to me." Beauty is everywhere. It is the image of its creator—in whose image you and I are made too.

Quote for the day:

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting "a wayside sacrament."
Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson —