July 28 - Noa - Marina di Massa Hospital

"Growing old is inevitable. Identifying with the idea of being 'finished' is a cultural choice, not a law of nature."

These days I am hospitalized.

Besides taking care of myself, I'm observing something that deeply affects me.

I see so many women my age, around seventy, who seem to completely surrender to the idea of being “old” now.

As if the number written on the ID card had become a diagnosis.😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫

I also notice how often this message is reinforced, perhaps without bad intentions, by doctors, friends and relatives (who are afraid of time) with phrases, jokes or comments that take it for granted that, at a “certain age,” (?) it is “normal” to lose strength, health, enthusiasm and confidence.

It strikes me to see how deeply we have internalized the idea that, once we pass a certain age, (?) it is almost obligatory to scale back.

As if vitality, like yogurt, had an expiration date.

I really don't buy this idea.

Not because I want to defy time or prove something, but because I don't want to hand over my identity to a number.

There's just no room for this idea inside me. 🌈

Not because I think I'm invincible.

I'm right in the hospital too. I'm dealing with pneumonia and I'm listening carefully to what the doctors are telling me.

But at the same time, I take on a responsibility that I consider fundamental: to observe, in the meantime, where my mind goes.😎

There's another dimension to life: the frequency with which we choose to live, the quality of our presence, the vitality we cultivate every day. It's an energy that isn't measured by years, but by the ability to remain curious, open, and engaged in life.

Fear is contagious.

Panic is contagious.

And above all, beliefs are.

And mechanical programs, like: how old are you?

For this reason, every day I choose not to identify myself with a number, a diagnosis, or an imagined scenario. I choose to stay present, to listen to my body without letting "fear" define who I am.

Age tells how long we have lived.

It doesn't tell you how much life there is still inside us.

Perhaps one of the most revolutionary acts we can do, especially when we are fragile, is NOT to give our energy to resignation and victimhood 😉

Taking care of our health means above all protecting our internal state.

Because the way we approach an illness can make a huge difference in how we experience life as a whole.

Vitality doesn't depend on where you are.

It depends on how you choose to be there 🙌

Contemplating the beauty!

Pat Gavoni 🌟🌹

Ps:

Beware of drafts and air conditioning 🥸