By DANIEL RACICOT
Updated 3 hours ago
One of the greatest joys of being old is the realization that life keeps on unfolding. It's like a path along a river, through a forest, up a hill and along a ridge -- and you can't see what's beyond, but you know something interesting is there, and you want to be a part of it. Anactive part.
As I child, I looked upon the elders in my family in the conventional mindset of the day, and saw the conventional seniors they had become. And because death was inevitable for them, it appeared that being a senior meant waiting for death. In those days, not much importance was attached to being old. There was talk about 'wisdom of years' and all that, but this was only lip service to a value that was not truly cherished.Today, I see many people my age affirming their grip on their own importance -- to society, and to life itself. Times are always changing; the growing number of old people who don't want to be consigned to a seniors' home is an indicator of the fact that being old doesn't mean 'old and useless.'
Sometimes my tendency to be lured into winter hibernation shows me how dreadful it is to feel useless. Close encounters with that state of mind always jolt me into a reenergized state in which I can formulate a new challenge for myself. That, in fact, is one of the secrets of aging with dignity: challenging oneself, resisting the demons of habit and convention.
A spiritual teacher of mine wrote on her marriage blessing to my wife and me: "Beware the Thief of Consciousness." Over the years, I have learned that it is the Thief of Consciousness who would steal my life from me, and that it takes a persistent effort not to be his victim.
The ability to maintain one's grip on one's own life is both a gift and the result of personal effort. With age, energy seems harder to summon; with age, one drops one's guard without noticing it; with age, the expectation of rest and comfort increases. It becomes easy to avoid new challenges. They tend to drift into the realm of unimportance, along with many lifelong interests, external demands and all the details in a day that used to fill one's life with variety and vibrancy.
Last September I made myself a bucket list. There were six things on it, and at the top, an unfulfilled dream of mine that began way back in childhood. Yeah. At the moment I wrote it down, a thrill of fear went through me. Would I actually be able to do that? Would I be able to take that on, and fulfill it now, so late in life?
Not long after, I confided in a friend of mine and he wisely said, "Set a date for it. If you don't, you will never do it; it will remain a dream." So, I set a date for it, and that date is coming up pretty fast. Over the past few months, I have seen incredible things, met incredible people and overcome incredible obstacles. In many respects it is the biggest challenge I've ever set myself. But as I said at the start, one of the greatest joys of being old is the discovery that life continues to unfold. I've taken a lot of risks in my retirement, and so far, not one has proven disastrous. They have all been risks related to self-confrontation and self-discovery. And if there were to be a message in this for other seniors, it would be about that. For if I can safeguard against the Thief of Consciousness, I am the better able to live my life to the fullest.
Dan Racicot retired from teaching in Toronto in 1997 and moved back to Sudbury to begin a second career in creative learning styles. In 2003, he opened Mountaintop Enterprises, which focuses on freelance photography, writing and publishing, and the promotion of men's studies. More information at www.mountaintop.ca.
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