Hallo. This is my first blog post for Great Guidelines for Later Life.
I hope to write occasionally on subjects and topics that all generations find challenging on some level – whether that is a conversation or subject you have been pondering in your own head, or with a younger or older member of your family, or someone you have just met!
It is amazing what these conversations can lead to – new thoughts, ideas, solutions and ways of being can open up quite suddenly! These “Ah-ha!” moments can create immense shifts in perception in a trice. The light-bulb moment of realisation.
Today, I wanted to talk about Freedom at the End of Life.
 When you hear this – what do you HEAR?Â
Do you hear FREEDOM (and what may that look like for you?)
Do you hear YOU – that is – it may be relevant to you!
Do you hear END OF – so something stops
or do you hear LIFE?
Which do you hear?! (Put a comment in the box below). This is an illustration of how we hear things individually, and it can be different in separate circumstances too!
Maybe you hear something that might happen out there in the future, and of no interest or relevance to you right now?
Maybe you hear a possible answer or salvation for you right now.
So, if you have older family or friends this simple statement could be related to them. Clearly.
But, you may not instantly relate this to YOU – even if you could be considered by others to be a senior or getting towards the end of your life or the like.
It is an interesting trick of the human brain – because, unlike our bodies which give us clear signs and symptoms that they might be wearing out – e.g. pain and stiffness; our brains don’t feel as though they are getting older to most! Forgetfulness can be forgotten (!); mental agility and accuracy decreases in a way that is imperceptible and can be viewed as “normal”.
But, what we ARE aware of as we get older (and this is NOT a conversation for only the 60+ group, it is just as pertinent to the 30+’s…) is that we spend more TIME THINKING ABOUT getting older, and even the end of life.
Don’t worry – this is normal and common and healthy.
What is unusual is how little ACTION we then take!
We do spend an increasing amount of time worrying about the future though.
So Freedom at the End of Life can seem – a long way off and a bit vague / ethereal / distant and unreal.
One of my mottoes is “Health is NOT an Accident“.
I should add to this – neither is getting older or dying an accident!
They will happen all on their own though.
The “magic trick” is being able to create your life so that you have all the riches and pleasures and desires that you choose without the masses of time that can be wasted spent “thinking about” the future but with no plans and structure to follow and to have your wishes come true!
Help is on hand!
Whilst trying to help my Mum and patients I had a Eureka moment. The challenge for most was there was no structure to follow!
Worse – I couldn’t find one that worked across most areas of life either!
So I created the structure – and it has turned into a course – well several courses actually. But let’s stick with the initial Freedom at the End of Life theme shall we?
From all my research – even if people don’t want to think about it, or their future mortality scares them; they 1. DO still spend time thinking about it all; and 2. do not know what to do now..
If this is YOU – please read more about this unique and extraordinary course – which may just “save your bacon”.
NB – This is for ANYONE who is ANY age! No age categories here!
© Great Guidelines for Later Life. Gayle Palmer. All Rights Reserved.