GRAND Magazine - January/February 2017 - 30

grand living

Learning to live an AWEsome life
BY DR. BOB WRIGHT

hen was the last time you felt true "awe"-that
sense of wonder, that feeling of discovery, a sense of
excitement and amazement touching your very soul?
As a grandparent, you probably think of awe as something
you see reflected in your grandchildren. We've all seen our
grandkids express awe. Whether they're learning something new,
getting excited, or engaged in an activity-kids are often in a
state of awe and exploration.
Rediscovering our own sense of awe may sound childlike, but in
truth, there's nothing childish about it. Not only does it feel, well,
awesome, to be in this transcendent state, but research shows awe
can boost your immune system and contribute to better health.

Awe brings us to a calm and focused state of mind, lowering stress
levels, easing impatience, and increasing overall satisfaction and
happiness in life. So we can all benefit from regaining our sense of
wonder and our ability to revel in the moment.
As we get older, many of us feel as though everything is "old
hat." Things become mundane, routine, and business-as-usual.
We lose our spark and our zest. We may even find ourselves
asking that old question, "Is this all there is?"
As soon as we lose touch with our sense of awe, we start to
decline, and age. We've all heard the expression "you're only as
old as you feel"-and it's true! The way to keep feeling young is
to keep growing, reaching and exploring life.
So much of living a GRAND life is continuing to work toward
things we want and finding new ways to spark our creativity, connections with nature, and interactions with the world around us.
It's about being fully engaged and fully present.
Keeping ourselves psychologically fit means not living through
our children and grandchildren, but being inspired by them to
seek and discover our own sense of wonder and joy-even when
the grandkids aren't present.

Yearning and Growing

The first step to rediscovering your own sense of awe
is to take a lesson from the grandkids: be spontaneous,
even when it looks silly. Do this and you're on your way
to discovering what it is your heart truly yearns for.
Yearning is different than simply wanting or desiring
something. You may want a vacation or you may wish
your spouse would pick up their jacket rather than
tossing it on the chair when they come in the house.
These wants stem from something deeper,
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though-an underlying hunger and longing. At our core being, we
yearn for certain universal things: to belong, to connect with others,
to be seen, to discover, to experience, and to love and be loved.
These drivers that propel us toward living the life we really want
were often conditioned out of us as we "grew up." Learn to reconnect with these essential elements of who you are at your deepest level and you'll be amazed at how they drive you toward new
ways of experiencing the world. These yearnings keep us vital and
moving forward regardless of our age and health limitations.
Our grandchildren are often better at yearning, in some ways.
Children's needs, while just as strong, are often clear. They want
their needs met and they're less afraid to let it be known. As
adults, we learn to push some of that aside and tamp it down,
both out of fear and because, let's face it, sometimes yearning is
hard. It requires us to drill down and really ask ourselves what's at
our core.
Continued on next page

http://www.grandmagazine.com/2016/06/are-you-living-the-grand-life/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - January/February 2017