Finding Your Meaning 2/16/22

People of a "certain" age have experienced life in so many ways. We have felt pure joy, grief, success, and failures. We have weathered life. Now it may seem we are in the autumn of our lives, and it may feel less than warming to consider the future. What happens to us as we age?

After so many life experiences, what is next? The question may be: What is your meaning? That is a very personal reflection, and it means something different and unique to every individual. For some people, like me, the meaning of their life has changed by the phases of life.

I am not spiritually lost. I am sound in my beliefs. It's just another phase of life, but this one is more difficult for me to maneuver. After having two cases of Covid, pneumonia, and gaining forty pounds in the process I have felt like a stranger in my own body. The good news is "I am alive" and beginning to feel like my "old" self.

Something I recently read Man's Search For Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl. The importance of having a meaning unique to you, is shown continuously throughout this book. Meaning gives us the ability to navigate life in a mentally healthier manner.

I wish I could say I have figured out my meaning of this phase of my life, but I haven't yet. What has happened to me by reading this book, is a feeling of permission to reflect, contemplate, question, and move forward towards a "new" meaning. I have a sense of pride for my accomplishments and failures. I have something all people my age have...experience and experiences. I have value, you have value.

So, if you are at a crossroads in your life, feeling like you don't have anything to contribute, or the wherewithal to deal with the next phases of your life...stop...think again...reassess. You may benefit by reading Man's Search For Meaning.

#seniorliving#manssearchformeaning#love