Five Thursdays on Zoom: March 21, March 28, April 4, April 11, April 18, 2024

Women Together CIRCLES: Aging Gratefully

It is so stunningly humbling and awe-inspiring to be alive every day that I cannot help but think that having the opportunity to age and grow older is a privilege worth celebrating.

In our youth-obsessed society – with what defines youthful getting younger by the year – it’s hard not to feel like getting older somehow relegates us to the margins. Yet, if we are lucky, we will get to spend many, many more years as “elders” than we will spend fitting into youth’s narrow confines. Growing older offers us the chance to actually grow.

Quarreling with getting older reduces our ability to be present and actively engaged in the precious, unpromised, passing moments that we are actually alive. The chorus of complaints that accompanies aging is understandable; we hear it around us and are often its source. But while begrudging our losses is natural, doing so exclusively keeps us from the sense of aliveness that comes from noticing and celebrating all the wonders of our lives as they are.

Let’s age more gratefully. How could we befriend getting older to notice the opportunities available to us in life, exactly as it is? How can we celebrate what is true, possible, and even enhanced as we grow older every day? How might we cultivate perspective and practices to help us treat the miracle of our aging selves with the unwavering appreciation and respect we so often crave from others? How can we feel more at peace as we age, even — and especially — in the face of all that is, and will always be, unknown?

Join us for a spirited yet practical exploration of aging that will help you engage with life more fully and gratefully. The course will make use of short meditations, poetry, reflective writing exercises, dialogue in break-outs, and a variety of in-session and at-home practices to deepen our online learning journey. The course also offers a community space to post reflections, questions, and comments,

Together, let’s learn to experience aging as the opportunity and privilege that it is.