Tag: showing up

Still practising at 90

Posted on by philipdodson

There was a quote I read today where the legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he continued to practice at age 90. He replied, “because I think I’m making progress”.

Our lives are not a series of one-off things that we do for a little bit and then stop. It is a journey and an adventure, where we continue in the moment to take steps and there does not have to be a final destination. We are obsessed with a start and an end. An art is, whatever your thing is, is for life.

We can always learn and get even better, of course, it is not about perfection, it is about continuing the exploration of our ‘art’, whatever that is. It could be making cakes, writing a book, painting, building a house, teaching, training or playing the cello. It is all an art and each one of us has a unique gift…a gift that we can give away to the world if we choose to.

We are all artists and the joy is in the continual practice and exploration of our unique gift…sharing our light for others takes practice, even at 90.

It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to

Posted on by philipdodson

“It’s my party and I’ll cry if want to”…as the song goes, but what about us and our own lives?

The thing is our journey and how we see it is ours and ours alone to own, it isn’t up for others to decide if it is right or wrong. How we see our situation is all that matters. It is our story, now that doesn’t mean that we can not change it, but it is not for others to decide or re-write. It is our own party and we can cry if we want to.

How we feel is how we feel, and again not open for others to debate or want to alter that.

It’s our life and it is important to take complete ownership of it all and not allow others to shape it to what they believe it should be.

Being ourselves, as in our true authentic selves, requires us to be vulnerable, to brave enough to step up onto the stage and be in the spotlight of other people’s views, opinions, and often judgement.