Over here fall slowly turns to winter regarding the rare brown and dry leaves left on the trees. A few weeks ago I took that picture above in a theme park where we spent a day with two of our kids. It was a warm and sunny day. Although it was almost mid-October we wore t-shirts most of the time. It was a beautiful day.

Our 15-year-old wanted to go on a ride with the bungy ball. Since he knows me and that he bangs his head against a brick wall when it comes to this he convinced daddy one more time to go with him. While they were standing in line I looked around and enjoyed the beautiful autumn day. When I looked at the colorful trees I felt a deep connection to our own circle of life. It reminded me of the treasure of aging.

The colorful leaf of a tree in fall has so much similarity with getting older.  It was developing, growing, spreading to full size, soaking up air and sunlight, shaded other creatures when the sun was hot, and gave shelter to them when it rained. It did its purpose. When it comes to fall it looks like a reward for lifelong work for others.  All experiences,  all the beauty that has always been inside the leaf seem to surface and show up in a colorful new image.

Isn’t it like when we are getting older? We do, see, and experience so much in our lifetime. Everything shapes us in a unique way. We gain wisdom and knowledge, insights, and understand life in so many more ways than years before. What we did, what we thought, and how we lived life is getting more and more visible in our bodies – in our faces. An older person that lived life with all their heart has a shining, smiling face and radiates deep satisfaction. Every wrinkle tells endless stories. They also struggled at times and of course, went through very hard times. At a later age, it is becoming visible how they dealt with it. These people are treasure boxes. They lose more and more of their ego and realize what life really is about. We can learn so much of them only by watching them consciously, reading their faces and gestures, and looking behind the curtain of any afflictions of old age and cohesive diseases.

Even babies are not all the same. They show their unique personality right after they are born. But year over year we have the opportunity to live and foster our individuality.

Sure, nobody wants to look old and wants to struggle with possible health problems. But honestly: I am 44 years and I don’t want to go back one day. I definitely don’t want to look like a twenty-year-old but today I do feel a lot more like twenty than when I actually was that age. Every day down here is a gift that fills my experience box. I want to show that through my appearance. There were times when I wasn’t happy with my appearance at all. I wasn’t happy with myself at all! For almost 40 years I lived a lie. I lived a life of fulfilling expectations and was convinced that I had to go a certain way, reach certain goals and achieve certain steps within a certain time because this is the way life has to be lived. I even was close to depression at times. I started living when I found out, that there is no way life has to be lived and that I am entitled to live my life to my sole discretion and to my conception. Today I make it an effort to put into action what I feel living inside of me without considering if others might agree. I am happy, a lot more relaxed and I feel an unlimited zest for life.

Don’t be one of many. Live life from the center of your heart and you will immediately see what your life is about! Just listening to yourself 50 % more than to others will give you the answers you need. Your life is individual and can never be compared to any person you know. You are full of colors like a leaf in autumn. Even if it is not visible on the outside yet, the potential lies within you. Become a shining treasure box when you are aging and be visible proof for others of how fulfilling life can be when only lived.

In Love and Light!