where women celebrate their ageless authenticity

Finding Your Fountain of Youth

I love exploring where written words take me, and metaphors too. So last weekend when I heard a discussion about the meaning of vitality, my interest was piqued. It got me thinking about the legend of the Fountain of Youth and where it came from. After 30 years in marketing I’m admittedly skeptical.

Wikipedia says: The Fountain of Youth is a mythical spring which allegedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted worldwide for thousands of years dating back to the 5^th century BC. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon fueled the quest when he traveled to Florida in 1513 searching for it among gold and riches.

Curious, I headed out the door to explore this rejuvenating concept by sitting in company with our entryway fountain.  I wanted to appreciate it from a new perspective.

 

My fountain and me. Here’s what I’ve come to see:

• A fountain breathes in and out, manifesting from what is already here. “In our humanness we often look outside ourselves for validation or to get to a place other than where we already are.”

 

• A fountain empties to be full. “I can’t bring all of me into the present moment if I’m holding onto outdated thoughts and beliefs that take up all the room. I need to let them go so there’s space for new possibilities to meet me.”

 

• Without water a fountain is a rigid empty shell. It’s what flows through it that makes it beautiful and gives it song. “To me, water, just like love, is what sustains us. Over the years it softens our edges and opens our hearts with compassion so we shine in deeper and more meaningful ways.”

• A fountain taps into our senses. “Engaging all our senses pulls us into each moment. We see its beauty. Listening to its flowing waters soothes us, its touch refreshes us, and we can be nourished by its taste and scent when we drink it in.”

 

• A fountain recycles energy. “According to the National Science Foundation, an average person has about 12,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive thoughts. “I’m reminded to be aware of my self-talk and exactly who I’m listening to.”

 

• A fountain’s main ingredient is water. “Adults are made up of 60% water.”

• A fountain is a gathering place for reflection. “Fountains lift us up energetically. We often make wishes and proposals and share special moments around them. And when the waters are calm we see ourselves reflected back.”

 

• A fountain flourishes with total acceptance, all the elements of water are required for it to flow freely. It doesn’t say I’ll use only one hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom.  “In order for us to fully enter the flow of life we have to accept our imperfections by loving all the parts that make us whole.”

 

My Takeaway:

I think we are all drawn to fountains because of how they make us feel, whether we’re aware of it or not. I only had to open my door and my heart to gain a new perspective. That elusive youthfulness was what adventurers scoured the earth for, yet they never looked inside to discover what was actually waiting to be found. I’ve come to see that each of us contains our own Fountain of Youth awaiting the chance to make us feel like a kid again.

Let’s take turns becoming our own Fountain of Youth by living from that place, wide open and free flowing. Best of all you don’t have to go anywhere to tap into it. Maybe only as far as your front porch.