“Are You Enlightened?”

"Are You Enlightened?"
Gracious when in Pain. 
Fair when Angry.  Calm when in
Chaos:  Enlightened.

Although I do my best to “live in a state of perpetual gratitude,” and claim to have an “ageless” consciousness, I can tell I am getting older.  But this has nothing to do with my physical being, or “ageing” in the negative (“breaking down”) sense of the word. Because actually, I feel great. I am truly blessed with enough energy to get everything done I need to do and enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle.

But what lets me know I am on an advancing trajectory (besides my silver hair) is more about my inner world.  I am less concerned about what other people think. I am a much kinder person these days. I am a much more patient person these days. My thoughts are geared more toward peace, happiness, tranquility and productivity in the “inspired” sense of the word. 

Other clues that I’m getting older? I am paying more attention to how I treat myself and how I treat others. And the biggest clue that I am advancing in age is that each and every day I find myself focusing on what my legacy will be after I leave this earthly plane.  Altruistic ambitions indeed. But I’m not ready to go so far as to say I am “enlightened.”  Enlightenment is an advanced stage of wisdom I still aspire to and plan to continue striving toward.

During my 20s, 30s, 40s and even 50s, I never did quite follow the memo about being aggressive and competitive professionally.  It seems as though instead of chasing after money and being ambitious, I was always trying to find myself. Decades flew by as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

As I look back, I  see that I was restless and forever seeking -  wandering aimlessly - following my intuition from one position to the next until after many years I realized I was a writer and creative artist. I spent a lot of time working as a freelance writer, spoken word artist, and public relations consultant, not to mention stints as a reporter, press agent, social worker, executive director of an arts agency and grant writer. It has been a fascinating journey, let me tell you.  

What is important to me now is not so much about going after another day job, merely to “pay the bills,” or imagining what “retirement” will look like, but working on my passions in earnest, savoring each moment as I go along. Working on book projects, photography projects, and theater projects consumes me each an every day.  I absolutely love being in the flow.  And I  feel so humbled and blessed to be on this path. But enlightened? Not even close.What about you? Do you feel you have reached a stage of enlightenment? Does this idea even matter to you? I would love to know your thoughts. Peace, Love & Blessings Always.