Aging seems gradual and inevitable, a biological process afflicting all of humanity equally. The truth is not only more complex, but radically other.
We watch our children gradually grow until they a fully mature, until the day comes and they leave home. After mid-life, we expect the same process to happens to us, only in reverse. We gradually age and deteriorate, until the day comes when we leave this body. But, it ain’t so. Look instead to the caterpillar/butterfly. There are a couple of radical life transitions; egg gives way to a larval form, this caterpillar spins a cocoon and becomes a radically different creature. Aging is a physical and psychological tango, with a constantly changing tempo, and periods of transition when the dancers change direction and attitude. Transitional periods force us to re-assess our physical abilities and life expectancy. We reframe our sense of identity. Make decisions that were inconceivable a few years before. Hopefully, become reacquainted with our soul. The vikings in my picture, retire and become different people. Just as we all age, we all go through seasons initiated by trauma, followed by wilderness periods, then hopefully, spiritual growth as we head towards the new normal. Something is lost and something gained by each time we cycle through a period of transition.