I wish Joe would have come to my Elder Power yoga class before his recent debate. There he could have gotten in touch with his feet and breathed deeply to energize his whole brain. He could have stretched toward heaven—though heaven is actually all around us when we are thinking and living right. When our hearts are open.
Then he could have centered himself in Standing Mountain and moved into some warrior poses and, of course, some squats as in imaginary chair pose. For that matter, he could have done that on prime time TV instead of flubbing through the first questions. I for one would have preferred that because it’s funny and light-hearted even as it is deep and true, as he himself is.
And then he certainly could have done a bit of boogying around as my class of groovy oldsters has come to appreciate. Shaking one’s tail feathers is necessary from time to time if we don’t want to lose our all-important sense of humor and fall into awkward deer in the headlight mode when we find ourselves in over our heads….which is frequent for me in “serious” situations. That is, before my inner chuckle saves me, and it all becomes improvisation, as it should be.
Oh, how I wish Joe could have known Margaret who peacefully transpired or transmogrified(?) at age 101. One time she told me that her 80’s were her favorite years! Mon Dieu, I thought, there’s still time! It probably helped that she had been meditating for 50 years. (For more about Margaret see or listen to Death As A Flowering in my previous posts and podcasts.)
Anyway, I am glad to see many Democrats in public office who know Joe standing firmly with him. As an elder —remembering that I was once called an elder stateswoman of rock n roll because I was wild dancing hippie child in the 60’s—as an elder who now teaches my generation to stay in touch with their energy—I know that this time toward the end of life can be rich and flowing with wisdom if you’ve done the work of finding yourSelf, growing in Goodness finding courage to allow change. It’s true! I knew where I was headed, where I wanted to go, back in those halcyon days, shaking wildly to the planetary beat of the music. I knew I’d have to learn to meditate for I sensed I was a cross between Janis Joplin and Paramahansa Yogananda if only i could find a way to realize and allow my whole self.
I was there along with my brothers and sisters who are still trying to make a better world. That’s still my guiding light. And I’m holding Joe’s hand.
photo of my friend Danny Whitten, Neil Young and Crazy Horse and The Rockets. Wish he were still here to share his beautiful energy.