Aunt Clara’s 3 ways to live to 99+ – free and laughing!

I spoke to my dear Aunt Clara a few days ago – the Aunt Clara who is my WOW (What an Old Woman) and is busy planning her 100th birthday party next April (she’s not sure yet whether it will be at her home or a hotel … but will let me know).  Throughout the conversation, Aunt Clara repeated 3 things over and over.  I believe that if we pepper all our conversations with these phrases, we will come to embody this way of being.  Can’t guarantee that you will live to be 99+, but you WILL LIVE your life as a blessing. Here are the 3 phrases:

1. I am not complaining
2. I don’t take it on
3. I am just grateful

But it’s not just the words – it’s also how she says it – always with a laugh or a giggle and prefaced with a term of endearment, usually “My dear”.  In this way, Aunt Clara vests her words with love and caring, positive emotions which magnify the results.   There is also power in her voice – after each phrase is a FULL STOP.  The sentences don’t fade away as if she is uncertain – she speaks as if she is absolutely certain that she is not complaining, not taking it on and being grateful.  FULL STOP.  She does not go on to explain what she is not complaining about – don’t we do that sometimes?  “I am not complaining at all but this hip yada yada yada ….”.  Nor does she amplify what she is not taking on – we do that too “I am not taking on this problem at all because if I do I think yada yada yada …..”.  And she doesn’t even expand on what she is grateful for.  She is just grateful – full of grace.

Try  speaking these sentences today whenever you are facing a challenging situation.  Make sure to season them with laughter and love.

I just did for something that has been weighing heavily on my mind over the past few days.  Already I feel lighter, knowing that with these words I have let go and am allowing the right solution to manifest.