New Normal

 

“When we age our abilities certainly begin to change, but our desires begin to change also.” Joyce Meyers

I recently finished reading How to Age Without Getting Old by Joyce Meyers. One of the points she made in her book had to do with establishing a new normal during different seasons of our life. 

This is especially true as we age. It’s easy to cling to what we’ve always known and done, but in the process we might find that we can’t quite keep up. 

It’s easy to be down on ourselves, and even beat ourselves up as we begin to experience a new normal which doesn’t seem so normal or familiar anymore. 

One of the other things I’ve noticed is that things I once enjoyed doing no longer seem to hold their allure anymore. Some of this might be due to actual physical or cognitive reasons, but regardless I just don’t seem drawn to them anymore. 

However, I keep find myself returning to them mainly out of habit, when perhaps I might need to focus more on the things I really do enjoy. Some of them are no different from twenty years ago, and some are completely new desires and interests. 

I remember reading a book by choreographer, Twyla Tharp, who pointed out that often times as we age our world becomes smaller. This may be due to an innate sense of self-protection knowing that our bodies aren’t quite what they once were.

However, Tharp was insistent that we should push ourselves to live the bigger life instead. What I’ve come to understand is that that bigger life might look completely different than it used to, and that’s okay. 

So today I’m not going to beat myself up for not quite being so on top of everything, and for having different interests from years past. Being hard on yourself really is counterproductive. 

As I reflect on my new normal I must admit that it’s actually quite good, and with the right frame of mind I intend to enjoy this season, and face the next one when it comes.