Pathways to Stillness: Embracing the Quiet Power of Aging 

In a culture that prioritizes youth and productivity, the third episode of Pathways to Stillness—a CHCO-TV series hosted by gerontologist Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon and journalist Vicki Hogarth—offers an intentional pause. The episode invites viewers to reconsider how they relate to time, loss, and the unfolding process of growing older.

Dr. Irwin-Kenyon, a Tai Chi instructor and longtime scholar in the field of gerontology, begins by asking viewers a deceptively simple question: “Think about your own experiences when you have been out of time. There is no past or future.” In a society that prizes efficiency and constant engagement, this invitation to reflect on timelessness reframes stillness not as a void, but as a place of presence and meaning.

The episode weaves in voices from across the community—testimonies that reveal how stillness is being cultivated in everyday life. “I practice truly listening when someone speaks without thinking about my response,” one viewer, Donna, shares. Another, Teresa, speaks of painting, writing, and playing music as portals into a more timeless way of being. These reflections highlight the quiet civic value of presence: the capacity to be attentive, connected, and rooted in the moment with one another.

Amid the personal anecdotes, the episode critiques broader social narratives around aging. “In our particular culture, the dominant emphasis is on youth,” Dr. Irwin-Kenyon observes. “We buy into that outer aging and don’t see any other possible way of looking at our aging.” The conversation challenges the reduction of aging to chronological milestones or physical decline, urging viewers to consider what he calls “inner aging”—a journey of acceptance, growth, and reconnection with one’s evolving self.

Viewer Maggie offers a small but powerful countercultural act: tech-free mornings. Her ritual—sipping coffee slowly, stretching, setting intentions—feels increasingly radical in an age of constant digital stimulation. “It’s difficult to resist the urge to check your phone first thing,” Hogarth admits during the episode, highlighting the quiet resistance inherent in choosing mindfulness.

Nature, too, emerges as a recurring theme. One viewer, Marie, finds stillness in walking without headphones, sitting by the ocean, and working in her garden. Such practices underscore the restorative role of the natural world in helping individuals reconnect with time in a less hurried, more humane way.

Even the most routine acts can become meditative. “Savouring food,” Steven shares, is his form of mindfulness. By noticing textures and flavours, he turns eating into a practice of gratitude and awareness—a reminder that reflection does not require grand gestures, only attention.

The episode closes with Dr. Irwin-Kenyon reflecting, “The journey has a hopefulness and a flexibility to it.” It’s a message not just for those experiencing aging, but for all citizens navigating the inevitable transitions of life.

At its heart, Pathways to Stillness is less a television program and more a public meditation: a gentle, necessary conversation about how we live, how we age, and how, if we choose to pause, we might begin to live more fully.