Today is my birthday. I’m 47.
I definitely don’t feel as though I’m grown up enough for an age like 47, though my greying hair tells me the number is probably correct.
A lot has changed in the 40s so far, and I imagine more will change before I hit 50. And then more will change after that too. I don’t have too many negative feelings about age in general, but there’s no denying that things get creakier, and years roll by more speedily.
A few years ago, when I was a mere 42 years of age, (such a child!), I decided to stop drifting along assuming my health would always be ‘fine’, and start recreating my capacity to engage in more of the physical activities I had previously enjoyed. I started going to the gym.
I did not consider myself a gym person, and still don’t really, but I went then and I’m going again now, because it’s by far the most efficient way to keep my body in shape for all the other things I want to do: hiking, kayaking, getting out of low chairs.
Plus, I realized I actually enjoyed being strong. Not just fit, but strong. I discovered I did, in fact, have triceps (who knew?!)
But physical fitness is not the only part of what I consider ‘wellbeing’. It’s now time to recommit to the full package, especially given the last couple of years of living the pandemic-lifestyle, when it has been easier to brush off the impact of couches and potato chips.
So what is the full wellbeing package?
For me, it means two things:
Nourishment - of the body and the soul and the mind
Capacity - to do the things that matter to me.
I have no interest in hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, or running a marathon, so my physical capacity needs are more modest than that. But I do want to be able to go for a few days of backpacking without worrying too much about whether I will make it. In other words, I want my physical capacity to be ‘fit for purpose’. I don’t want to have to turn down something I’d enjoy because I can’t do it physically.
I think my financial capacity is similarly moderate. I don’t want to buy a Fortune 500 company, but I do want to travel more and not worry too much about home repair-related emergencies.
And the other part of the equation - nourishment - is measured in far more ways than calories.
For me, nourishment is just as much about an evening around the fire pit with friends and cheese and wine, or a day reading a book, as it is about fresh, clean, delicious, light daily meals. In fact, one of my first decisions as I looked ahead to this year of wellbeing, was to book myself into a campsite for a few days, alone, in a couple of weeks. A little solitude and some outdoors and whatever I else I decide to do with myself for a day or three. That’s nourishment too. So is seeing more live music, and finding a couple of hours to go to a coffee shop with a new book, and taking an early morning birding jaunt. All things I have tended to ‘put off’.
I also recently deleted all the social media apps off my phone. I still have accounts, and I’ll still check in occasionally, but scrolling through the feeds wasn’t really enriching my day. Whereas for example, if I want to catch up with an old friend, I could….(wait for it)….call them! That would be good for my soul and hopefully theirs.
So I have some tangible ideas and commitments, but I think the main goal this year is to pay more attention to what really, truly feeds me and makes me feel really good, and to try things out without judgement. Yes, I could lose a few pounds, but that will come when everything is working in alignment with a focus on broader wellbeing.
Life is short, for sure, but it’s also long, and I want to be invested in the rest of mine with both truths in mind. So that’s my birthday gift to myself this year.
Oh, and I could also use some new socks.
Happy Saturday y’all.
Wise words. Thanks Anne and happy (belated) birthday!
You do!