Have you ever felt there was a ‘larger self’ in you,
one that calls to be found or expressed?
Have you ever longed for a “noble deed” in your life?
Something you could give yourself to,
that would fulfill a larger purpose
or leave a legacy for others?
These are what I am feeling as I pass my 85th birthday.
And I invite you to join me in considering
what that might mean...
85 plus
by
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Austin Repath
Pilgrim
Teacher
Writer
Lover
"Looking back on my life, I’ve arrived at a place that doesn’t quite feel
like a logical conclusion to what I have lived.
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Don’t get me wrong... During my 85 years, I have been enriched by
good friends and relationships. I like the work that I have done.
But I was never able to accomplish many of the dreams/visions I once had.
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Yet standing here now, I realize that I have transformed into a special place
that both astounds and amazes me. The task of somehow
acknowledging & inhabiting this is what I seem to be about.
And being a "loving presence in the world" is how I would now describe
the final chapter of my life..."
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So how did I get here? What's it like to be old?
(Spoiler alert: It can be the best time of one's life.)
And how might this apply to your life?
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Exploring these kinds of questions
are what this website is all about.
My 85th Birthday 'manifesto'
"I find myself astounded by my life...
Lucky I am and blessed beyond my wildest dreams.”
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The Promised Land
A blog about the insights and challenges of day-to-day living at the age of 85.
"While not quite a land of milk and honey, this is both a time and place where I sense that I have achieved the promise of my life. Now it remains
for me to live it."
More thoughts & insights most Mondays. Please drop by and have your say!
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The Old Man and the Cabin
“You are akin to the butterfly who awakes from a transformative sleep to discover he is no longer a caterpillar...
You longed for a noble deed. Live your final days loving all who you meet, embracing the hurting and the lonely. Be love. This is what you are about."
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A mythic, personal tale about witnessing my old self seeing what I could become...
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Letter to a Young Woman
It’s not often that a young woman chats me up in a coffee shop. Afterwards, I wrote her a letter, sharing the truth of my ageing with the next generation.
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“I realize now what you wanted: You wanted to know what life is about. And you sensed that, from the far end of the road, I should be able to tell you something essential about the journey. I can, though I’m not sure you’ll want to hear it.”
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(Graphic: Drew Shannon/The Globe and Mail)
The Pilgrim Cards
Three times (long ago) I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. During these pilgrimages, I began reflecting on the soul's journey, as we traverse the joyful heights and dark valleys of our human journey. The Pilgrim Cards are the result of that exploration.
“A superb, creative resource for anyone desiring spiritual depth and growth. These reflections draw one inward with ease and clarity. Each card resonates with a part of the human heart that seeks integrity, strength, hope and resiliency.”
- Joyce Rupp, author ​
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The Door Was Open
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When I was young, I wanted two things: to be a saint, and to have a log cabin in the woods. (I know for sure that I have achieved one of them ;)
For a “brief but spectacular” take on my life, I invite you into my mini-memoir... ​
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Marilyn
On Valentine's Day some years ago, I wrote a newpaper article about the love I felt for this women who has given me so much. After forty years together, it has just gotten better & better. And the words still ring true today. ​
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“Like many other men, I have loved a woman for a great many years. Like some others, I have had the good fortune to have that love returned. As best I can, without sounding too sentimental or maudlin, I’d like to tell you about it.”
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(Photo by Austin: 1990)
The Noble Deed
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“Old age hath yet his honor and his toil.
Death closes all; but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with gods.”
Tennyson’s Ulysses
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For years, I have been gripped by this worthy challenge. And I finally found my ‘noble work’ by attempting to create a "worldwide web of love." ​
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My Breakfast Club
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How I nourish my humanity -- through simple morning get-togethers with friends, in a local greasy spoon diner.
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“We meet one on one, in communion over our bacon and eggs.”
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About Austin Repath
"My life is about journeying. In the outer world...
and on the inner level as well."
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Latest Book:
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