By Shae Hadden | Bio
Friends
and family have been stressing the importance of taking vacations with
me for years. I have somewhat deliberately avoided the conversation as
much as possible until now. End result: a lifetime of little travel,
lots of work and limited 'fun'. All work and no play makes for a dull
life. I've been beginning to wonder if perhaps I am afraid of taking
vacations...for every time I think about it, my concerns about all the
things that are remaining 'undone' while I'm away 'at play' loom larger
and larger. Yet I watch people around me taking time off throughout the
year (anywhere from a few days to several weeks to months at a time) to
go on pilgrimages, to make sandcastles at the beach, to idle away time
doing nothing in particular, and they don't seem to be suffering at
all. In fact, they seem to prosper for taking time off to rejuvenate.
So
I'm going to break my mule-like habit of grinding on through the summer
and take next week off. That means idle time away with no work-oriented
mindset. I've scheduled a couple of posts to go live on this blog
during the week...and will return in September. My intention: to follow
all that good advice and rejuvenate myself before summer disappears. © 2009 Shae Hadden. All rights reserved. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
health
travel
vacation
By Shae Hadden | Bio
I
was talking with a friend recently about our parents, about what we're
observing in their health as they grow older and what we think is
possible for them in terms of living arrangements. I think a lot of
Boomers are in this same conversation these days. A few things we
discussed got me wondering about how 'true' any of our thinking about
health issues in later life really is for our parents. I began
to ask myself whether we are fully present and mindful about this.. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
aging_parents
health
living_arrangements
By Shae Hadden | Bio
The
algae bloom on the lagoon where I’m housesitting seems symbolic of the
state I’m in these days. Long-forgotten, half-hidden ideas seem to be
coming to the forefront of my thinking and showing the richness of
their colors and their impact on my life. Like my belief that “fear is
toxic”. A belief that has been stored for years in my body and which
I’m now choosing to let go of. It’s true that fear[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
fear
growth
health
relationship
toxicity
toxin
 By Shae Hadden | Bio
In
2008, the theme of the World Health Day was on protecting health from
the adverse affects of climate change. For me, the year was about
protecting my health from the adverse affects of stress, chronic
illness and my workaholic tendencies. Being ill has been the most
complete learning experience I could have asked for—a life-changing
blessing in disguise. Not only have I discovered (and removed) the
source of a chronic infection, but I have also created my relationship
to life anew. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
chronic_illness
exercise
health
stress
workaholic
 By Shae Hadden | Bio
How often do we relate to our health as we
grow older as something ‘less than’ what it was in the past? I am
reminded of a dear friend in her 20s who has lived with polio all her
life. For her, the baseline of health is so very different than mine,
and yet, as she grows older, she too is caught up in the ‘less than’
comparison. Over the past few months, I have been discovering another
way of relating to my health—both present and future. I have been
discovering that I am not my health or any story I may have about what
was possible in the past or what’s possible in the future for my body.
I am learning how to be a patient patient, a middle-aged woman
committed to my healing process.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
balance
commitment
health
patience
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Several
years ago, a wise 93-year-old man named Hayden shared with me his
principles for living life “at the growing edge”. He had printed them
on cards, in the shape of a bookmark, and distributed them to everyone
who engaged in meaningful conversation with him. Today, as I’m
recovering from the first major surgery I’ve ever had, I was drawn to
reflect on a couple of them again. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I
shared them with you now:[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
choice
compassion
growing
health
letting_go
responsibility
By Shae Hadden | Bio
The
official arrival of fall always surprises me. It’s never the change in
weather so much as the passage of time that draws me up short—what
happened to the last few months of my life? This year I feel as if I’ve
been lost in a time warp while the rest of the world runs ahead at its
crazy pace…and as if I’m only just beginning to rejoin the rest of the
human race. And no, I didn’t go on an extended vacation or take a leave
of absence. All I did was connect to my purpose…and then my body seemed
to fall apart. Strange, but I’ve come to realize a distinction between
purpose and meaning through being ‘sidelined’ with health issues. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
health
intention
interpretation
meaning
purpose
By Shae Hadden | Bio
There
are times when losing one’s ‘zip’ could spell disaster—at the end of a
race or the beginning of a romantic evening, for instance. And there
are other times when losing it could be advantageous—as when one has
pushed too far for too long and when a much-needed rest is in order.
For me, the latter is the case.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
health
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