Work on your four As. Life is always great !
So many times, I hear the expressions, ‘life is short’ , ‘ life is unpredictable ‘, ‘ I don’t need to shop anymore’, ‘I am too old for that!’ I like to think that these are cliche statements . The last statement is even uttered by an elderly patient who clearly needs dentures. When would be a good time to have dentures to eat better, I wonder.
Like it or not, we are going to grow old , stiff like an oak tree and die or suddenly be called into the next dimension without our consent. In any case,we should all make good use of this unique life that is given to us.
This aging syndrome is most keenly observed at my classmate gathering — over the years of gathering, talk have evolved from career to family to health and death and counting casualties . But I believe that we should put a positive spin on this.
How and why did we get like this ? I like to think it is the fear of aging and dying. When We were younger we lived with reckless abandon and unlimited joy . Nothing cowed us. Go and look at your old photos- how you looked so carefree and I bet some of you took risks. I did and had a good time. If I had given too much thought, I would not have tried anything.
But When you grow older , you become rational, sensible, cautious — you hear how older people fall and suffer. How older people should not be doing stuff anymore. Moreover, now that you are also exposed to too much bad news of the world. Knowing too much and forgetting how to live. You want to preserve life, you fear death hence you become too careful and risk averse.
Eating so healthily that you forget that variety is the spice of life. You stop shopping and decide that your life should just be shades of grey. Your attire reflects that! Your countenance shows that!
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art — -Eleanor Roosevelt
Since aging is inevitable, let’s get some facts straight first.
We are all going to be old and wrinkly anyway so we should try to look better and more attractive in our own way. Shop ! Maintain yourself! Enjoy!
One thing would get better before it’s gets worse — that is the brain. Because by now, your brain has processed many events in your life and you have grown wiser without you knowing it.
Hence it is the wonderful period of time for maturing individuals.
I have given some thought as to how one could grow old happily and gracefully.
Other than eating sensibly and exercising which goes without saying; we could-
1 Spend time to improve our cognitive abilities through reading. Learn new things and skills ie. continuous learning ,\ socialise more and keep abreast of the changes around us. The important thing to develop is the brain that can put you in good stead . I recommend Toastmasters activity.
Becoming an active Toastmaster is an excellent choice. This constant teasing of the brain through table topics, the discipline to write one’s speeches is almost a panacea against dementia and depression. There is much to learn and share among your members as we are from different backgrounds.
2 Reinvent yourself — get a new look. Get a new color lipstick , do your hair. learn the latest dance called shuffling. Even guys do facial these days.
Do not stop shopping. You can still be a minimalist by replacing the non functional stuff with current ones and keep the numbers same. There are apps that allow you to exchange your old items for cash instead of binning it.
Dressing nice and neat not necessarily expensively gives you a sense of confidence and wellness.
2 Stop worrying about the children/grandchildren if u do have .
Remember my own parents used to worry about our survival because there were so many of us-my father envisaged us living on the streets — 30 years on, we are still not starving . Some of us have battled though the daily struggles ,some of us have reinvented ourselves, but we are still alive and well.
Conclusion:-children will come into our own.
3 Do some volunteer work and get in touch with people less fortunate than ourselves — then we have a lot to be thankful for.
4 Older age is a great time for celebration — duties are done; we have time on our hands and with good health- it means lots of time for hobbies even second career. Rekindle that fire in your belly and in your relationships. The world is filled with so many new innovations and new things to learn about. Meet up with old friends and let some of your enthusiastic friends rub off some of their glow on you.
How many slices of your cake have your eaten and how much is left?
We all will age. Nothing can stop the ravages of time. Given this, we might as well make the best of it and live as well as we could.
Stay positive! Work on your attitude, aptitude, appearance and association with people to make life interesting and inspire a whole new generation 。
Do not stop shopping! Do not stop dancing! Do not stop spending! Let us show the younger generation that aging is to be revered and not reviled. We can all grow old happily.
Count your age by friends not years. Count your life by smiles not tears —John Lennon
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