somewhere, inside of each of us, there is a magpie.
we are attracted to the new, the shiny, the sparkly, the brilliant. we move toward that which emanates light. in the light we can see the familiar, the comfortable, the non-threatening.decline and decay may be new as we age. pain, illness, discomfort may be new as the years pass. a surprise diagnosis, or one we might have suspected but denied, can be new. the death, and grief, of someone we love can be new.is it possible to respond to these life events like a magpie? are we willing to move toward them with the same attention we give to joyful events? how do we hold our own ageing process, whatever it might bring?these questions arise, magpie or not, regardless of how well we have eaten, how little we have smoked or drunk or drugged or how much we have exercised or meditated. we are all faced with this inevitable movement of life. in fact, we have been dealing with it since our first breath.there seems to be a qualitative difference, however, in the changes from infant to child to adolescent to adult and the changes to elder. on one side of the line the changes seem to be about growth, expansion, exploration and achievement.
on the other side the changes seem to be about deterioration, impairment, atrophy and failure.
in the earlier stages of life most of us had minds which were curious and open, to a greater or lesser degree. in the later stages of life many minds shut down, declare defeat and simply wait for the inevitable.while we cannot deny the changes in older bodies and minds, we can hold close a sense of curiosity and acceptance in the heart. it is here in the heart that the qualitative difference can become less clear, less sharp.holding that curiosity and openness as we move through the later decades allows us the same excitement, growth and transformation that were possible earlier. what is it actually like to be curious about pain? about illness? about death? how can each of us explore the fears and hopes we carry in our hearts as we age?
it is the willingness to stay open, to turn toward, to adventure through this part of our lives that allows us to become even more alive to the present moment. it is the willingness to stay open, to turn toward that which is painful, that which is frightening that allows us to love ourselves and those around us with authentic passion. and it is the willingness to stay open that will finally see us through this new stage of our lives…and to welcome the magpie within.