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Some time ago I saw a movie (I can’t remember its name) in which a young woman was providing physical therapy to a group of seniors in a home. She said that we need to move our arms out in huge sweeping motions because, as we get older, we tend to shrink everything inwards. We curl over, get shorter, won’t stretch very far, stay home, forget things, lose relationships, etcetera.
It struck me as true! Like a warning…
Don’t get smaller! DO NOT SHRINK!!!!!!!
But that is the tendency. As I get older, I see it now in other people my age and older. Their reach and their worlds are getting smaller. They’re bending over. They don’t take risks anymore and adventures don’t entice or excite them like they used to. It’s more comfortable and safe to stay in the shelter of their homes.
I’m reading about longevity. It seems to me that the key to longevity, when you boil it all down, is to expose ourselves… our bodies, minds, and spirits… to intentional adversity. Push your body. Expand your mind. Enlarge your spirit! Stretch everything about you every single day as far as you can and even beyond!
But this has always been our challenge. Hasn’t it? To be our best selves? To get out there and change the world? To grow? To be our most authentic selves in spite of the opposition and fear?
I guess we may always be tempted to shrink back, but as we get older it’s easier to do so… because our bodies, minds, and spirits say so and because the world out there expects us to get smaller now.
I’ve determined… well… Lisa and I have together determined… that we aren’t going to shrink. We’ll keep pushing ourselves, challenging ourselves, stretching ourselves, and growing ourselves. It’s a personal challenge that’s become a kind of game. Fun and serious at the same time.
Do you tend to shrink?
Are you up for the challenge not to?
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