Silver Sage or Over the Hill

by Jerilynne Knight

I’m almost 52 …am I old? I’m not sure, truly I’m not. In olden times I would definitely be considered long lived and have great status and be given great respect for the knowledge and wisdom I have earned during my years of journeying on this planet.

There are days I feel like a youngster, ready to tackle anything and everything with joy and passion. Other days, the effects of my age seem front and center, ready to remind me with every creak of my bones or new wrinkle I find when I look in the mirror. So which am I?

For over 15 years, I’ve studied transformational works, technologies, and tools. The whole schebang. And in each of those items I’ve learned of the power of words over us. In fact, many early cultures, what are often called indigenous cultures, there is great respect for words and their effects on both the speaker and the listener. Many cultures had guidelines, rules, whatever you want to call them, about how to speak to others. How to monitor what you say. When to stay quiet and when to speak. Some cultures believe in the power of words to such a great extent that you had a spiritual name that was only shared with a tiny portion of the people you met, because knowing your spiritual name gave that person total power over you. Talk about believing in the power of words!

I thought about the words used to describe folks who were not necessarily young and spry in years, even if they were in their heart. I saw “old”, “crone”, “wise woman”, “aging”, “elder” and a variety of other words with meanings that didn’t appeal to me.

So I thought on it and one day the term “Silver Madonna” came to me. It felt good and the feedback was interesting…some positive, some not. There was a feel to “Madonna” that didn’t seem to necessarily strike the right tone. Then came “Silver Sages” which felt right and that is what I use now. It stuck. The name feels good and honors who we are but more importantly it is what I’ve become as I’ve traveled this path called “life”.

What is a Silver Sage?

A Silver Sage is a woman who is older and ready to recognize the amazing wisdom and gifts she brings to the world. Why those two terms? In my opinion, these words recognize what we have come to be as we have traveled on this journey called “life”.

A Silver Sage may not always be aware of her wisdom, she may not always feel wise AND she is wise simply because she has lived to tell about the life lessons she has learned during her journey. She has reached at least her mid-to-late 40s. She might be called a “boomer” woman or a “midlife” woman. She may be questioning her worth in a society who can be very unkind to those of us with some age on our bones and some crinkles around our eyes. She may consider herself as being on a downhill slide toward…who knows what?

Silver is for:

• The precious metal that represents wealth and beauty
• The feminine metal in some Native American traditions
• The color our hair becomes when we’ve gotten this far on our life path

Sage is for:

• Wisdom: The honoring of the knowledge and gifts that only come when we’ve lived long enough to look back and to question.
• Respect, honor and reverence: The fun that comes from saying “stuff it”…it’s my time now!!!!!!!!!!!

A Silver Sage is asking questions like:

• Who am I now that I’m not a teeny bopper?
• Is “this” all there is to life?
• What do I do now that the kids are grown and on their own?
• How do I deal with the fact that society thinks I’m old and over the hill?
• How do I build a new life for myself when all I thought myself to be has been blown to smithereens?
• What do I want to do now that I have recognized my right to choose what I want, especially since what I used to do seems empty and meaningless?

You might be a Silver Sage if…

• You no longer need a cup size because you wear a 38 long…
• You know the location of every bathroom between home and any other point on earth…
• You suddenly start noticing Depends ads and thinking they just might be a good idea…
• You look in the mirror and wonder who the woman with the wrinkles is…then realize with a start it is you…
• You grow a better goatee than your 20 year old son…
• You gave up laughing for Lent because you don’t want to pay attention to the Depends ads…
• You buy your undergarments from a steel manufacturer rather than the lingerie store in the mall…
• You hear yourself say things like “it’s hot in here, why are you wearing a winter coat?” when it is 28 degrees outside…
• You can fly without an airplane because you have your own set of batwings grown just for that task…
• Your kids actually listen to what you say and believe you just might know what you’re talking about…
• People at the store are calling you, not your mom, “ma’m”…
• Your testosterone levels are so high and your estrogen so low, you can lift small buildings with one hand…
• You’ve contracted a severe case of ENS (Empty Nest Syndrome)…
• You haven’t a clue what its like to sleep through night without multiple visits to the “little girl’s room”…
• You can walk away from your desk 2 different times and only remember, on the 3rd try, that you were headed to the bathroom…
• Your grandson looks at you with awe and says “grammy, why are there so many folds on your face? And, when you respond with “they’re wrinkles”, he asks if it’s OK to call you “Gramma Wrinkles”…
• Your 6 year old grandson is taking your picture with his new camera and is taking forever to take the shot. When you ask what is taking so long he says, “I’m trying to not show your scrubbles grammaw”…

So enjoy your status as a Silver Sage…

Revel in the gifts you are, the joy that is possible now that the hairstyle you’re wearing or makeup line you’re buying is no longer front and center in your day. Smile knowing you can now say “screw it” and stay in your jammies all day with no goop in your hair with no guilt or get dolled up and look like a million bucks because you now understand it’s your choice.

It is all your choice now.

Ah, the freedom, the amazing freedom, that comes from being a Silver Sage. Oh, by the way, the answer to the question “Am I a Silver Sage or over the hill”?

Why a Silver Sage of course. I’ve earned it. So have you!

Go with love and light, hugs and blessings

Jerilynne “MamaRed” Knight

For over 20 years, Jerilynne Knight, a top ranked international conference speaker on both technical and inspirational topics, has regaled her audiences with her down-to-earth, hysterical way of looking at life’s challenges. She is a gifted speaker and trainer who helps people understand life and technology with simple, step-by-step instructions, an author and transformational mentor.

Her newest venture, MamaRedSpeaks, igKnights passionately powerful possibilities for individuals and organizations by  turning tragedies into triumphs, dreams into reality, one tale at a time. She is also the founder of A Million Moments of Kindness, a world-wide campaign to raise the world’s Kindness Quotient, by gathering and publishing the acts of kindness taking place every moment of every day.

Affectionately known as “MamaRed”, Jerilynne igKnights the world around her with her passion for curing Passion Deficit Disorder (PDD) and helping others live their version of a Kick-Butt-and-Take-Names Life, one in contribution to themselves and to others. From an early age, she loved hearing the people’s stories and, even as a youngster, adults often came to her asking for advice in turning their lives around. However, as the years flew by, she sank deeper and deeper into a dual life–presenting a happy face to the world yet living in a nowhere land of depression when she was alone. As others reached out to help her step fully back into a life worth living, she realized how desperately the world needs people living a life focused on their unique gifts and contributions.

Fascinated by the power of words to encourage people, or kick them in the butt, she has spent the last 15 years studying belief systems, transformational tools and techniques from around the world. She now expertly weaves her own life stories and lessons into a message audiences can put into action before ever leaving the room. She is known for crafting her presentations with compassion and humor that leaves her audiences crying one moment and laughing the next. Clients in her Kick-Butt-and-Take-Names Mentoring Program and folks who attend her Kick-Butt-and-Take-Names Teleseminar series know her as a powerful ally in their quest for living a meaningful, no-holds-barred life based on personal responsibility and powerful passions.

When she isn’t rewriting client stories or sharing her message of powerful possibilities, Jerilynne enjoys her status as a mid-life newlywed to Gil, her loving soulmate and friend, and being the parent of three grown sons who are sharing their own unique gifts with the world.

Learn more at http://www.mamaredspeaks.com or http://www.onemillionacts.com

Trademarks of JLKnight Enterprises, Inc.

• Silver Sage
• PDDE (Passion Deficit Disorder Eliminator)
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