How About Live Better Instead of Longer?

Have you noticed how longevity is such a buzz word these days?

I have and I don't like it. And the funny thing is that I didn't realize this until I was in conversation with a very dear friend of mine yesterday. We are developing some very exciting new ideas - which you will be filled in on eventually - and happened to be brainstorming about health and wellness topics.
"What about nutrition? Gratitude? Longevity?..."
"No! Not longevity, I despise that trend."
"What do you mean?" she asked, truly confused why I would be against living a long life.
"I don't like this idea of living longer lives when so many aren't even living high quality lives. I want nothing to do with longevity if it means my quality of life is diminished."

But this view and comfort with the ending of life, I'm starting to realize, isn't one that most others share.

I don't fear death, I never have.

I'm not certain how I gained this outlook. Perhaps my open-minded upbringing, where discussions of mortality would be a perfectly normal dinner conversation. Or witnessing the comfort my own mother exemplified while helping and caring for her family members pass to the next place. Or recently being with my own father as he took his last breaths and heart beats.

It all seems so simple to me: you are here in this body and then you are not. But the atoms and energetic spark of a person are interconnected with a greater force that we are all part of. So when a person dies, their body is gone but the magic that made them exist and emotionally connect with us is forever present. That whole "we are one" concept really works for me. This perspective allows me feel confident that those who don't share this incarnation any longer are still with me. I can still feel how they made me feel, remember how they conducted themselves, and how they left their mark in the world. This comforts me and gives me the confidence to trust the natural process of life and death.

We die and are reborn over and over in our lifetimes. We practice this when falling asleep at night and then rising in the morning, observing the dark drawing in of the Earth as she settles into autumn then spring forth when the days grow longer again, or finishing one phase in our lives and moving to the next. The recognition of this repeated process prepares us for facing the actual death of ourselves.

It seems to me that this desire for a long life and this hot topic of longevity in health and wellness pop culture stems from the fear of death. I think the distinction that needs to be made is that a long life is only worth living if you can actually live it. I'd rather live an active, healthy, and happy existence for the time that I have than strive and stress for more time to live a not entirely fulfilling life. Quality over quantity as the old adage goes.

On that note, my weekend plans involve receiving acupuncture, practicing yoga, and eating my greens all to better enjoy my life, connect with those I love, and ultimately influence the world in a positive manner. I invite you find what makes you feel alive and actually do it, because striving for better is immediately more awesome than longer.

See you in the clinic,

Dana

The App for Optimism

It's been an eventful several months with my clinical practice, personal growth, and conception of new and diverse business directions.

The fall is always notoriously busy for massage therapists, as our patients scramble to use up the remainder of their extended health benefit allotments, and this certainly was the case for me. Then came the winter holiday season, bustling with its own sort of busyness and merriment. January landed softly in my lap wrapped in a two week vacation and therapeutic yoga learning intensive on the island of Maui. Not a bad reward for a full-on fall and early winter.

Nonetheless, I've let this blog take a back seat  - not for lack of want - but for preservation of my creative energies. There's only so much output this person is capable of at any given time. It is my preference to dive into my projects fully, as opposed to thinning my attention into too many streams, losing potency in the end product. Hence this deliberate stepping back from writing here. 

I have however, found a daily outlet for blog-like sentiments in the form of photographic observations of my world. Yes, Instagram has become my very good friend. It's exciting connecting with people, building communities, and sharing insights and perspectives. Oh, and the photos! Communicating through visuals has always been a strength for me. 

Please follow, like, and comment on my Instagram profile @sparkwellness.ca to help me build an empire of optimism, health, and wellbeing. I've been compiling some fun collections of sunrises from my balcony, scenic headstands, smiling inanimate objects, and loads of examples of positivity sprouting around me as I wander through this life. Join me!

See you in the clinic and online,

Dana