As readers of this column might know, due to an unexpected housing situation, much of my time this past month has been spent sifting through dozens of plastic bins stored in the basement.
They’re bins that literally contain the effects of a lifetime. It clearly was a task that I’d been putting off for quite some time, not really wanting to ‘go there’ until it was necessary.
There’s a wonderful phrase from Pema Chödrön, the world-renowned Buddhist teacher and author, which I’ve always loved. It states: “To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To always be in no-man’s land, to completely experience each moment as completely new and fresh.”
Rather ambitiously, I set a self-imposed goal of ‘bins to be purged’ at a lofty 75 percent. Since last month’s piece, many folks have been asking how successful was I in reaching that target. Drumroll please — I’m happy to report that, as of this writing, mission accomplished!
Who knows, with an upcoming yard sale, I might even exceed that total by a few percentage points. But let’s not get too cocky.
Throughout the culling process, I thought that I might get caught up in wanting to continue holding onto items that carry some significant sentimental value. Rather surprisingly, that rarely occurred. In many ways, I came to view this operation as a growth opportunity by not only serving as a release of the physical, but also letting go of the emotional remnants attached to anything that no longer served a purpose.
Personally, I’ve made some great strides over the past decade with regards to living in the present moment. It has changed me in ways I never thought possible, yet I’d be remiss if I didn’t share: what I still wrestle with from time to time, is thinking about aging, and how it will affect my ability to fulfill the ways in which I want to give back before my time is up.
On multiple occasions, I’ve shared with readers my adherence to a daily routine that incorporates primarily Eastern traditions. Much of my sense of Being centers around these teachings and its approach to existing in the ‘natural flow of life.’ That being said, there’s more work to be done by settling the egoic mind, especially when it wants to jump ahead.
There’s a passage from an online site that I came across recently that declares: “It’s important to understand that worry is usually not about what is happening now; it’s about what might happen later, but the future is just a mental movie.”
Indeed it is, and I’m always looking to write the script.
Notwithstanding some ‘close calls’ I’ve experienced over the years, I’m now at an age when it’s typical for various muscles to not respond the way they used to; for injuries to take quite a bit longer to heal, and for one’s memory to not fire on all cylinders.
All of that may be ‘normal’ aging, but I also attribute some of this overall condition to no longer being a preschool educator, which, as you can imagine, kept me quite active both mentally and physically throughout the day. I truly believe there is something to be said for surrounding oneself with younger, more active generations as we get older.
Slowly but surely, I’m finding ways to increase the mindfulness throughout my day and just allow it to unfold. When I’ve succeeded, this shift in perspective seems to change everything. As it relates to aging, I often need to remind myself that the body is indeed a temporary vessel, and that its impermanence is not something to be feared.
Dave Davis is a retired preschool educator for the Head Start program based at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton, NY. He is also a frequent contributor to the popular educational podcast for elementary school-aged children called “Who Smarted?” He can be reached at ddavis@eastendbeacon.com
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