They say that
a drenching of water from the Ganga River in India will purify the soul. It is
also said that adventure awakens and enlightens the soul. If you want to stay
young you have to be willing to venture out and attempt to do something that expands
your horizon. But it must be done with care and a little thought.
When chronologically
young we feel the invincibility of youth. Everything is a new challenge. Experience
is yet to be earned. As we age we begin to pay for our youthful escapades. There are the times when we jumped head on into rollicking and
rolling feats that left us in our later years with memories of pain and arthritic
tenderness as our badge and testament of our courage or stupidity. Experience teaches
us that sometimes it is best to pause for a moment and assess the situation
before jumping in. Maturity teaches us to evaluate the risk.
As I arrived
in Rishikesh India and headed for my lodging at the upper end of the Ganga
River I was met by a group of young water sports guides. They greeted me with
such enthusiasm as they informed me that part of my stay included a rafting trip
down the Ganga. OMG I thought, can I really do this?
There were
two levels of rafting. One was a short four mile easy ride and the other was a
sixteen mile rather intense ride. I opted for the short ride. Suited and ready
to go my team mates (all three about thirty-five) kept pestering me to complete
the full ride. They needed me to balance out the raft and to balance out the
energy and fun. So after the first four miles will little more than a bit of paddling
and one small set of rapids I was easily persuaded to finish the sixteen mile
ride. OMG I was now committed.
Three hours,
sixteen miles and about ten really wild rapids later I finished the ride soaked
from the Ganga River. I purified my soul and awakened it to the youthful joy of
doing something for the first time that left a lasting impression on my
being. I’m not invincible and I know
enough to pick my challenges wisely. I
am strong and in good shape so I knew I could handle the job of navigating the
rapids on the Ganga. I also knew my soul felt free flowing with the river in the
midst of nature on a beautiful spring day in the land of peace and serenity.
Now I can honestly say the Ganga purified, awakened and enlightened my soul and
that is proactive anti-aging at its best!
Doctor Lynn
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