Forget Aging, It's All About Eldering

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Just as I began to roll up my sleeves to see what my part in the coming four years would be, I decided to take a walk with Deborah Anapol, Ph. D., author of The Seven Natural Laws of Love
(sevenlawsoflove) and relationship coach to discuss the growing concern shared among women about the way women have been relating to each other – and where do we go from here as we build community and grow in virtues of sustainability?

I am a 30-something and Deborah is a 50-something.  In fact, she had changed a great deal in her physical appearance in the year and a half since I had seen her, and is now embodying her gentle presence with a decidedly more Elder flavor. In indigenous cultures the world over and through out time, the Elders have provided a level of support to the culture through years of seeing human nature reveal itself as well as by taking part in Mother Nature’s cycles. They have experienced love’s coming and going and by tuning into what creates harmonious relationships among groups of people who are invariably deeply interdependent on each other, have gained wisdom. Modern life has given us the airplane, car, jogging shoes and fast track to escape many group dynamics if we so choose. In the coming years, our ability to create unity is going to be our greatest natural resource.

Deborah spoke of her own journey to claim herself as an Elder with wisdom to share. The talk from other women in their late forties and beyond is the same. They are speaking of the confusion of nearing 50 and finding themselves considering if they are at the crossroads of youth, needing to enjoy the fruits of single life or graduate into life as an elder.

Creating a healthy and sustainable planet involves knowing what you are here to share and how, not to mention the role women play with each other as they address the increase in longevity, longer and longer cycles of youth and vitality, greater opportunity in careers, sexual freedom in part due to fewer people being in long term marriages and many more women choosing to not have children. How will the West adopt the Elder woman in larger numbers to the social circle so her beauty, vitality and wisdom are viable and not based on false glamours or harsh cosmetic approaches? And how will the Elder woman make what she has available, not just to herself but to serve the sustainable collective?  How will younger women embrace Eldering women in the West? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Image: Powderruns