Tag: aging

The age-of-grace~

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in Life Journey

As the age-of-grace settles in and our hearts soften, we begin to see life through the warmth of our authentic selves, and see life for how she is supposed to be;

~gentle 

~compassionate

~loving

and 

~simple

We begin to remember the loving little souls we were, before the outside world got its messy hands on us and pushed us off our path.

This latter stage of life, when the wisdom and experience we’ve acquired over decades is firmly planted, might be the most beautiful stage of life as we begin to see things as they really are. We shine brighter, letting go of the regrets, the fears, the behaviours, and material possessions that have weighed us down. 

And, although our physical beauty may begin to fade, there’s a new beauty that blossoms, one that whispers a loving caution to those who follow, urging them to let go and live with lighter hearts and tender souls.

But like “us”, the ones who follow, must live their learning, and, if they’re lucky, they too will reach this gentle point in life when they look back and realize they made life too hard, too complicated, perhaps too angry, too chaotic and too cluttered, and, they’ll realize, it didn’t have to be this way.

On any day, in any moment, we can decide to live gently, compassionately, simply and shine brighter than we ever have. Because one day we all reach an age-of- grace where we look back and wish we had.

Toni O’Keeffe🔆

Growing well~

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in Life Journey

Growing well is a gift we give ourselves. It’s the license we’re born with to put our physical, mental and spiritual well-being first, and make decisions without the voices of judgement, criticism, pressure or burden of other peoples expectations upon us.

Growing well is not about growing old. It’s about growing happy, peacefully, growing authentically by listening to the voice within and becoming who we’re meant to be.

We can start growing “better” by letting go of the beliefs, behaviours, attitudes and guilt placed upon us by friends, family, society and ourselves to be, act, look, live or think a certain way and, accept ourselves and the wisdom we possess thats always guiding us to be our perfectly-imperfect-best selves.

If you’re struggling to grow into a better version of yourself, try spending time exercising your curiosity and creativity by going on adventures, seeking out new information, expanding your mind by learning new things, building or creating art, a garden, poetry, stories, music, crafts or something else. Be aware of how you feel when you’re doing these things. Your feelings are messages pointing you towards who you’re meant to be. Practicing mindfulness and meditation can also help you become more aware and grounded in your quest to grow well.

Rekindle the spark with the child in you by stepping into the world of magic, playfulness and the great outdoors. When you’re being playful, listen to the messages and sensations that show up.

Continue to ponder and explore the wonder that exists around you. Find the ones who sing, dance or speak the language of your soul.

Stay active to the degree you’re able and stay connected to those who lift you up and good bye to those who don’t.

You have the right, the freedom, and the power to grow well, despite your life circumstances, and arrive at a place where you’re living your best authentic life; a life that’s calm, brings you joy, settles your soul and where you find beauty, pleasure and inspiration in the smallest, oddest and sometimes most unlikely places and people; a life where you no longer feel the need to be more of this or less of that, all you have to do is show up to life and be you.

Live long, but don’t grow old my friends.
Grow well, listening to the gentle whispers from within, fully embracing the skin and the spirit you’re in.

Love Toni🔆

Unleash the power of “happy” into your life

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in authentic, be you, growth, happiness, healing, hippie, life challenges, Life Journey, Reflection, seek less, dreams, simple life,, self acceptance, self discovery, Spiritual

Our entire lives we’re on a quest to feel whole and happy.

As we wait for happiness to arrive, some of us fill the empty spaces in our lives with distractions, temporary highs, busyness, unfulfilling relationships, toxic substances, material possessions and the debt that often comes with them, but still, the emptiness remains.

As children we knew how to laugh, how to play and what made us happy. It was being close to the ones we loved, exercising our curiosity, exploring our environment, creating adventures, making art, splashing in puddles, running barefoot in the rain, playing in a forest or a pond, taking risks and trusting we’d be okay, even if we fell; these are the things that filled us up.

Then, as we grew, life became cluttered with distractions, busyness, possessions, stress, too much information, self doubt and responsibility. Many of us parked our creativity, abandoned our curious nature, spent less time with those we loved and we stopped doing those wonderful things that made us happy when we we’re children.

It’s time to invite the child who lives in each of us to come out and play, to remember the happiness we felt when we set ourselves free from the clutter and distractions that bog us down.

Even amidst the frenzied noise and turmoil in the world, we can still CHOOSE to be happy.

Today is a good day;
~ To look up and see the world through the curious eyes of the child in you and reclaim your sense of wonder.
~ To seek out a new adventure and bask in the beauty around you.
~ To flip over a few rocks along the shoreline and see what scurries out.
~ To pull out a colouring book, make a kite, play in the sand, go to a park and get on a swing, hang off a monkey bar, make a mud pie or do some happy finger painting on your guest room wall.
~ To giggle, to play and melt back into your authentic happy little self.

Today’s a good day to be happy.
To let go and jump, skip, slide, soar, surf, run, ride, sail, paddle or swim, right past anything blocking your path to happiness.

You came into this world knowing where happiness resides, it’s still there waiting for you to unleash its power over your life.

Fixating on what you want, might cost you what you need.

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in blessing, gratitude, growth, healing, life challenges, Love and relationships, peace, personal growth,, Reflection, self acceptance, self discovery, Spiritual, Uncategorized

My life looks nothing like I thought it would when I started making plans and cultivating my big dreams decades ago. How could it?

When we’re young, there’s no way to fully anticipate the changes we will go and grow through. Changes in the world, changes in our priorities, our attitudes and beliefs, or, how our life experiences and learning will shape us.

I shouldn’t be the person my 20-year-old self thought I would become. There is no way 20-year-old me could comprehend the needs and priorities of 60-year-old me, especially when every decade I seem to emerge as something different than I was.

Yet, I always seem to land where I need to be. Over the years, I’ve learned to surrender control over what I thought I wanted, to make space for what I needed when it arrived, to remain focused on outcomes such as good health, happiness, wisdom, wealth, and love, and not get tangled up in which path I should take towards these things, but instead take the path that presents itself.

When we fixate on what we think we want or where we should be, we might fail to see what we need when it shows up.

Continue to cultivate your big dreams, recognizing the route to those dreams, may NOT be down the roads you expected.

We all get to where we’re supposed to be. How we get there, is not as important as how we live, learn and grow along the way.

Toni O’Keeffe ~🌹❤️

The Mirror

by The Whimsey Angel, posted in gratitude, growth, life challenges, love, Love and relationships, peace, petsonal growth, Reflection, self acceptance, self discovery, Uncategorized

Toni O’Keeffe

My whimsey heart and childlike spirit are oh so playful, inquisitive, excited about life, full of energy, hope and believe anything is possible.

But the lady that looks back at me from the mirror tells another story. She possesses the calm and wisdom of her age, a sense of gratitude for making it this far, a few regrets and a curiosity for what might come next. She knows time is passing, so she embraces the gifts that arrive with each day.

The gray in her hair, folds in her skin and lines on her face are the well-worn roadmap pointing to the places she’s been. Her scars are the badges that honour her life and the lives she has brought into the world.

There is still much she wants to do, to see, to create and love.

As she continues on her path, she will allow her inner child to remain playful, believing she can still be more than she is. Her heart will continue to love and believe in the goodness that resides in everyone. She will remain curious and her gypsy soul will continue to dance. And, her body, well, I will love her as she is.

I hope you live your days, being fully present, grateful and in a state of awe for the adventure that is your life.

TO’K ~ 🌹❤️