What If Today Was Your 95th Birthday?

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Happy Birthday to my Grandpa – he turns 95 today.

I was out for a walk today basking in the spring like weather that has blessed Ontario lately and got thinking to myself, “what if today was MY 95th birthday?” and then I got to thinking, “what if today was YOUR 95th birthday?”

How would you like to FEEL in your body and mind?

Would you like to have your teeth?

Would you like to be able to bend over and pick something up?

And when you reflect on your life….

Did you work hard and play hard throughout your life?

Did you lift your spirits and the spirits of others with your sense of humour and BIG OL’ LAUGH?

Did you create space and time for your PASSIONS?

Were you generous with your time…resources…energy….spirit?

Did you combine acts of responsibility with BEING A SPARK OF LIGHT?

Did you stand in your power while being a gentle soul?

As much as I sing the praises of focusing our attention on the present moment, I think we can benefit from seeing our lives from a different angle…so right now, it’s not today, it’s your 95th birthday.

How do you want to feel today?

95 is old so my realism is not inspiring images of rock climbing or snow boarding, but what I want for myself is to be reasonably healthy (no big diseasy stuff going on) with a good amount of energy. I want to still be having fun – whatever that means 60 years from now. I want to have lived a life that fills my heart with peace and causes me to spontaneously smile when the memories play out in my mind.

The vision I have of my 95th birthday is probably a bit like or a lot like yours.

If that’s the vision we have for ourselves, let’s do what we can control to have it be our reality when we get there! This life is ALL about choices so what habits are you going to choose to increase your chances of feeling good and having fun at 95?

Here are 7 habits I think will help get us there…(there are lots more, but this is a blog post, not an e-book)

1. Eat WHOLE foods regularly – meals sans barcodes and unattainable from a drive thru window…whole foods are a natural pharmacy for our bodies and minds…my grandparents’ generation was the last whole food generation…but let’s eat crap sometimes…hey, we might not make it to 95!
2. EXERCISE often – my grandpa’s lifestyle was naturally physically active…it’s up to us to make the conscious choice to move our bodies regularly in some way that makes our heart rate soar and gets our body all sweaty (focus now…i know what you’re thinking…)
3. Drink lots of WATER – it’s a HUGE source of energy and if you’re not hydrated, your body is going to have one hell of a time trying to absorb all those great nutrients from eating broccoli until you look like it
4. Lighten UP – 99% of all illnesses are connected to stress so the opposite mindset (aka humour) is a major health strategy
5. PLAY – create space and time to take part in stuff that totally floats your boat – people who are passionate about things outside of their careers live between 1.7 to 8 years longer than their stressed-out workaholic counterparts
6. HAVE FAITH – my grandpa went to church every Sunday, but that might not be your bag – from some belief system, do you have a feeling that all is well, that you are guided, and that despite the imperfections that come with your humanity, you are PERFECT and LOVED?
7. GIVE – in his day, my grandpa was involved with all kinds of recreational associations and senior’s organizations – active volunteering may not be your “thing”, but ANY act of generosity releases good feeling chemicals into your body that are normally very expensive and highly illegal – these endorphins protect your immune system and strengthen your mental health! The other day, I gave some woman in the LCBO parking lot a pot of tulips that I had received at my speaking engagement and I felt the “high” instantaneously!

Those are 7 habits that can and will help us to create the 95th birthday we want for ourselves.

So, what if today was your 95th birthday? How would you like to feel?

Create habits that match that desire!

Big Love,

susan

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Let The Games Continue!

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

“I believe Canadians tonight are stronger, more united, more in love with our country and more connected with each other than ever before…these Olympic games have lifted us up…Canadians, you joined each other and our colourful international visitors in common celebration – radiant, jubilant, spontaneous, peaceful “- John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the  Vancouver Organizing Committee

Amen, Mr. Furlong. It was much more than just a bunch of athletes competing for medals…much, much more.

I was truly bittersweet to watch the closing ceremonies and it had nothing to do with the floating moose or giant beavers wheeling around BC Place. I was still feeling the high of the hockey team reaching gold medal #14, but saddened to see our  shared experience come to an end. I was sad to see an event come to a close that filled our hearts full of joy as each day’s triumphs unfolded and the unity of Canadians grew to a higher level one pair of red mittens at a time.

This was a remarkable Olympic Games on many levels, but what leaves an impression on me the most is the high level of positive energy that so easily manifests when we humans view ourselves as being connected rather than being separate….like 35 million tiny islands. We cheered together as Alexandre Bilodeau finally brought us gold on home turf, we exhaled together as Sidney Crosby delivered the ending we were longing for, and when Joannie Rochette won the bronze, we cried together and collectively wanted to wrap our arms around her and give her a hug that spanned from coast to coast.

Ask yourself why these Olympic Games felt so damn good. Ask yourself why you secretly belted out “I Believe” at the top of your lungs in the privacy of your home at least once. Ask yourself why you watched those quirky closing ceremonies and forgave everything because You. Are. Canadian.

I feel that the connectedness and hence, the positive energy that this Olympic Games inspired is truly why these past 2 weeks have left a mark on us and why we’re sad that the flame has gone out. For 2 weeks, we were ONE nation.

This was a time in our lives brimming with hope, compassion, and glee (yes, I’m using that last word with no regrets) and now that the Olympic flame has gone out, will the light give way to the darkness that comes with perceiving separation? Will we consciously decide to keep seeing ourselves as ONE? Will we still wish success for each other? Will we still care if someone’s heart is breaking? Will we still cheer when someone else wins? Will the LIGHT keep shining?

VANOC didn’t tell us to get excited about the games, nor did the Government, but we did. We were excited and hopeful  because we are kind of looking for permission to be a constant source of love. We’re looking for a reason to live out what our souls are yearning to experience, but what our ego-minds lead us to resist and fear. You see, it was easy to express all that love to “strangers” because that is why we’re truly here having this human experience and if felt so good to be aligned with our higher purpose. There is a collective awakening going on about our greater purpose and that is why we saw it come alive in THESE games.

Can we stay awake?

Thanks to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, our typical feelings of being separated from each other (and all the fear and cynicism that often accompanies it) faded away and was replaced with overwhelming levels of love, optimism and positive energy. For 2 weeks, we were all sparks of light that helped a nation to glow. Now, let the games continue!

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