On 21st April 2016 I watched mesmerized as Queen Elizabeth II of Britain celebrated her 90th birthday- making her the longest –reigning British monarch (64 years) and the longest-reigning queen in world history.( the king of Thailand has been king for 70 years) I would say that at 90 she is the best she has ever been; having been shaped by what she has gone through as she walked through the journey of life. Life is a journey towards becoming the best person you can be- mark you I did not say becoming perfect for perfection is only for God. We learn and grow most during our failures than in our success. That is why it is said that great character is born out of great adversity. Who can forget Queen Elizabeth’s “Annus Horribilis’’ 1992. Indeed she has adapted well to what is around her and blended in perfectly. The celebrations reminded me of a prose poem I wrote in 2012:
The Gift of Time.
By Jane Nannono
We all mellow with the years.
Like good wine, we become better people.
Older, wiser and respected.
We have hindsight and know who we really are.
We have found our purpose and meaning in life;
we have learned from our mistakes and grown from our failures.
We are comfortable with ourselves,
we look at things in their true perspective;
no jaundiced views, no tinted glasses, no veils or masks.
We are our own bosses and have learned to say ‘no’.
We have stopped playing along to get along.
We have stopped feeling guilty and only do what we feel is right.
We have learned to forgive and to laugh at ourselves.
We have learned to love ourselves
and unashamedly put ourselves first.
We only do what adds value to ourselves;
what we love and enjoy doing.
Being comfortable with who we are: simply being ourselves.
The ultimate gift for taking the journey of life is to become your own hero- self-discovery: knowing who you really are and then accepting and loving yourself then make the most of it for your own good and for the good others. Self-discovery has great rewards to the seeker.
According to Awakening The Heroes Within by Carol .S. Pearson, each one of us walks through life being guided by twelve inner guides:
The Innocent whose addictive quality is denial and virtue is Trust, optimism.
The orphan whose addictive quality is cynicism and virtue is interdependence, realism.
The Warrior whose addictive quality is Stoicism and virtue is Courage, discipline.
The Caregiver whose addictive quality is Rescuing and virtue is Compassion, generosity.
The Seeker whose addictive quality is Self-centeredness and virtue is Autonomy, ambition.
The Destroyer- whose addictive quality is Self-destructiveness and virtue is humility
The Lover whose addictive quality is Intimacy problems and virtue is Passion, commitment
The Creator whose addictive quality is Obsessiveness and virtue is Individuality, vocation.
The Ruler whose addictive quality is High Control needs and virtue is Responsibility, control.
The Magician whose addictive quality is Dishonesty (Image) and virtue is Personal power.
The Sage whose addictive quality is Judgementalism and virtue is Wisdom, nonattachment.
The Fool whose addictive quality is Inebriation and virtue is Joy, freedom.
Each inner guide within you gives you a task, lesson and a gift. Each time you find yourself inadequate to face a specific challenge in life or want more out of life you yearn to be bigger or yearn to see something beyond yourself you become a Seeker. This explains why you keep on walking.
At any one stage in adult life these inner guides are expressing themselves in you. Given the gift of Time, the inner guides together will release the full human potential inside you. This is when you become your own hero: less confused about life and at your best. Just as the last lines of the Gift Of Time say: ‘We only do what adds value to our lives; what you love and enjoy doing.
Being comfortable with who you are, simply being ourselves’. Being ‘you’ and the best ‘you’. This is the ultimate gift for undertaking the journey of life. But remember that each stage along the journey is important and should therefore be celebrated not just the destination.
Keep walking courageously, you will finally find yourself and when you do you will be the happiest you have ever been and you will help those around you to find themselves too.