Rejuvenation: finding your fountain of youth
“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
― Sophia Loren
Photo courtesy of Katie Sizemore and the Thirty21 team
What did you do when you were younger that made you feel totally alive? When did you get lost in the present moment and lose track of time?
Answering these simple questions could reveal your personal fountain of youth.
When I was younger I wanted to be outside. I would spend hours in the woods behind my childhood home just hiking alone, creating whole worlds in my mind. As I got older I started enjoying nature… at higher speeds.
I loved riding my skateboard and peddle bike down steep hills. Each year my toys got faster! I had a mini-bike and definitely found out its max speed. Then I graduated to a motocross dirt bike that was much too big for me. My dad helped me lower the front suspension down all the way so I could tip-toe and barely touch the ground for take-off and landing. There were some old railroad tracks behind his business. The tracks had been removed and someone had mounded up the gravel presumably to stop cars from riding on the gravel. Those mounds were the perfect opportunity to learn how to go airborne! I remember riding for hours over trestles and finding trails off the main railroad route. I could spend whole days just riding those tracks, totally alone and going as fast as my heart desired.
After motorcycles, it was a convertible Oldsmobile 442. That was a 400-big block, 4-barrel carb with dual exhaust. And mine was a 4-speed. Much too fast for a 17-year-old. On its maiden voyage, I wanted to see if I could get it airborne. Turns out, it could. And I may or may not have found out that it was faster than the police cars in my neighborhood.
Then came college, marriage, career, and kids… my “toys” slowed down for a while even as life seemed to speed up.
But when I asked myself the question above in my 40s, I ended up getting an Adventure motorcycle. It was fast on and off-road. That bike took me to some beautiful places. Colorado mountains with my son. An east coast fall ride under the most colorful canopies imaginable with a dear friend. The risk/reward ratio was just right for a middle-aged guy looking for some adventure and adrenaline.
So back to the opening question: What did YOU do when you were younger that made you feel alive? For some, it might be as simple as getting lost in a good book or taking a walk outside and letting your imagination run wild.
Whatever it is, I hope you stayed in touch with it. If not, it’s never too late to have a great childhood.
*At Dappled Light we’d love to host you! There are a lot of great opportunities to play - a canopy net, miles of hiking trails, and loads of activities nearby. We’ve also designed it to be super comfortable so your nights will be deeply restful as you drift off into a restorative sleep. Rest. Play. Rejuvenate.
From the whole Dappled Light team, thank you for reading!
We look forward to hosting you soon,
Kevin
