I have a birthday coming up, but I don’t like the word “aging.” It seems so…old. I prefer the word “transcending.” Yeah, that’s much better. 

Aging screams decrease in vitality, regrets, wrinkles.
Transcending screams freedom, smiling at the future, delighting in the wrinkles.

Okay, that last part might be taking it a bit far. How about “accepting” the wrinkles?

The Pandemic is winding down. For me, it’s been a year of soul-searching. I can no longer find meaning as a “human doing.” There’s just not been enough to “do” with all the restrictions. Being is the operative word.

So transcending has been on my mind. Rising above and going beyond. Finding the “more” of life…those invisibles like gratitude, humility, patience, integrity, faith, forgiveness and contentment. “More” can mean awakening to a life-altering insight…or just walking away from that second donut. It all counts.

During some seasons of my life, all I could do was exist. Hang on by my fingernails with no energy for anything like transcending. And that was enough. But during this season, I’m open to more, which I’m choosing to call transcendence.

John Milton had this take on transcendence. “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”

Doesn’t that sound like a lot more fun than aging?