Aging Softly

I’ll soon be 67 and will share my thoughts on your question. Aging is inevitable if we keep having birthdays and, as for me, I like that I keep having birthdays. I recognize that my health could decline at some point and I may no longer look forward to more birthdays but until then…

Maintain a positive attitude. I’m not talking about a false glibness but a real gratitude for how far your body has taken you. Appreciate your body. Be really good to it. Treat it as your most precious asset as it’s the only one you’re going to get.

Take your body for regular walks. Appreciate what your eyes can see, your nose can smell, and your ears can hear. Wonder at the sun on your face or its warmth on your back. Watch the wind in the trees, listen for the sound of children’s laughter.

Feed your body good food. Get rid of the junk food in your house. If you want brownies make them from scratch. Once you get used to making things for yourself you’ll be disgusted by the taste of preservatives and additives in prepackaged food. Your digestive system, your heart and circulatory system will love you for it so much that you will be able to tell the difference.

Spend lots of time with your family, letting them know how much you love them. One of you won’t be around before you’re ready for it.

Cultivate your friends. Any old ones are always great for walks down memory lane including all the stupid things you’ve done. Laughter is such wonderful medicine. Look for opportunities to make new ones. Sit somewhere different in places you frequent Friend someone on Facebook and seek opportunities to meet in the real world—coffee in the morning or for a drink in the evening. Don’t be fearful of going places alone. One of my best friends right now is someone I met four years ago sitting next to them at a bar where I’d gone for a glass of wine and to people watch.

Read—the news, a novel, a joke that you want to remember to tell someone. Reading takes you to places you’ve never been before. If you don’t like one book, try another. Maybe you’ll like biographies, history, suspense, romance, or science fiction. Reading exercises your brain and gives you topics and/or information to share with your family and friends. It will make you interested and interesting.

Find a hobby that completely engrosses you. I think I’ve found a hobby in trying out different hobbies. I like some more than others.

Involve your body in life while accepting that it won’t always do what it used to be able to. The possibilities are endless. As we age our bodies begin to impose some limitations on us, but giving in and sitting on the couch while it’s still able to do so much is tragic.