Love the age you are – Holistic Bliss

Living with animals and working with dogs has taught me so much about how I reflect on my life.

Every day I am alive is a day I must live to the highest potential, as tomorrow is a new day and yesterday is gone for ever!

My age is just a number and it should never define who I am or how I feel but aging has definitely made me more aware of the things I have unwittingly taken for granted during my younger years. As I age, I am aware I must take care of my health and I am no longer able to do the things I used to. Sleep and nutrition are far more important than I used to realise and with age comes maturity, at least I would hope I have matured – just a little!

Do animals see age as we do?

For animals, survival and reproduction are of most importance. To them much of what happened yesterday, and what may happen next week or next month is unimportant. Living in the ‘now’ is imperative to survival. With age comes wisdom and experience but unlike us, an animal’s ego never gets in the way.

Recently my little dog Snookums turned 14 years of age. It seemed like only yesterday he came into my life, just 8 weeks old. I began to think about the past 14 years and how much we had grown individually and together. One of the most fulfilling things for me is the knowledge that throughout those 14 years Snookums has been provided for in every way important to his survival. That care will continue until it is time for him to pass over.

Snookums has now entered the final phase in his life. He’s a little greyer around the face, his little legs don’t move as fast and games don’t last as long, his tolerance to the younger members of the canine family is not as high, he doesn’t eat as much and he enjoys the comfort of his soft, snug bed. Even though Snookums is now a senior dog, he doesn’t look at his reflection in the water bowl, or feel concerned about how much he has aged, nor does he lament about his younger days. His life is about living today!

Snookums loves the age he is, and he is healthy, happy and protected.

Loving the age I am is about understanding my body, staying connected to the earth, sharing it with all living things, and not getting caught up in numbers.

Jenny Golsby