Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis
So much is written today about discovering your purpose and living passionately every day of your life. It takes introspection to discover what really “brings you joy.” Many people are so busy making a living, taking care of homes and children that they never stop to ask themselves if they are passionate about their lives. Some suggest that many people live a life of quiet despair. Magazines are full of articles about looking within for your personal destiny. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren has been a best seller for several years. The book’s success is a testimony to the universal interest in finding meaning in life. These questions seem to be targeted to young adults and perhaps those in a mid-life crisis, but what does it mean to live life passionately in your senior years?
The truth is that in the later years of life, there is more time to live life passionately! With age comes wisdom, which should allow us to chose to live life with a clear direction. Seniors can be freed from the tedious business of everyday life. Instead of thinking of our senior years as the end of a meaningful life, we could think of it as the time to be completely focused on our passions. There is no time to waste on trivial pursuits. Are you passionate about; family, friends, flowers, good food, music, poetry, books, prayer, meditation, history, teaching, exercise, religion, gardening, et al..? What are your hot buttons? Watching TV all day does not lead to a passionate life. We have to get up and pursue an active and engaged life. We will always have a purpose to fulfill, and we must always be searching for the fulfillment of that purpose. Billy Graham says, “Old age may have its limitations and challenges, but in spite of them, our latter years can be some of the most rewarding and fulfilling of our lives.”