Aging wager
You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis
When is your birthday? Every year. That was a cleverly evasive answer from a person who doesn’t really want one.
When is your birthday? Tomorrow. How old are you? A lot older than you!
How do you feel about aging? It is inevitable. Some do it more gracefully than others. National Geographic has written an entire article with some noteworthy historical references!
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/fountain-of-youth/
Can you slow the pace? Have you ever seen someone after 30 years and they look the very same? I have. It was my 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Vera. Her hair was dyed the same, she wore the same style clothing, maintained the same erect posture and had the same perfect makeup. She had the same warm smile and friendly greeting. Truly, she hadn’t changed a bit!!!
Can you speed it up? Are there others you don’t recognize at all? Going back home after 25 years gave me ample evidence that you can! People were hugging me that I had no idea of their names, our past relationship or why they looked so different???
Age. They got older. Some people don’t resemble their yearbook photos, while others do. Why? They gained a lot of weight, smoked heavily, lost all their hair, went gray or blonde or long or short or were “rode hard and put up wet” as the old saying goes …..you get the idea.
Have you ever heard someone say, “If I had known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself” or “I would rather wear out than rust out”?
Who has amazed all of us with her aging? Suzanne Somers has a new show and she looks absolutely amazing, but still highly recognizable as “Chrissy” from her “Three’s Company” days. Has she done this without intent? Not at all. She has purposed to defy the natural process of “deconstruction” with constructive actions she shares openly. She has pursued cancer prevention and treatment more passionately than some of the staunchest medical researchers. Her latest book “Knockout” includes a foreward by Dr. Julian Whitaker where he describes the changing views in the medical community and calls her a fellow warrior in the battle who has joined the fray with all her stature and influence for good. He says, “Suzanne is a courageous woman for challenging conventional cancer treatment paradigm”. She is also courageous in her views on aging.
She debuts her new TV show on Wednesday, September 26 on Lifetime. http://www.thesuzanneshow.tv/ Tune in….I will!
What is your bet? Are you wagering on your aging? If you were “laying the odds” what would they be? You are in the best position to decide on your chances, your risk levels, your odds and probabilities. You choose how closely you will live your life to good health practices and how many “bad habits” you will coexist with.
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Mark Twain
I suggest you hedge your bet, with the latest research. In the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the premise that social networks support longevity has been further broken down to describe which ones have the strongest impact.
“It looks as if friends are the most important in terms of survival.”
Why Are Friendships So Powerful for Longevity? While the study couldn’t say for certain why close friendships have such a dramatic effect on longevity, the authors of the report speculated that friends may encourage older people to take better care of themselves—by cutting down on smoking and drinking, for example, or seeking medical treatment earlier for symptoms that may indicate serious problems.
Friends may also help seniors get through difficult times in their lives….the research didn’t distinguish between the effects of new and long-term friendships on longevity.
“The central message is that maintaining a sense of social embeddedness through friends and family appears pretty important for survival,” Giles said, “and it seems that non-kin relationships are particularly important.”
http://seniorliving.about.com/od/lifetransitionsaging/a/longevity.htm
Practice co-creating with others. As long as creation dominates your existence, you will keep growing and evolving. Evolution thwarts entropy, decay, and aging. The most creative people in any field intuitively draw on this understanding. They grow with the full consciousness that they are the source of their own power, and whatever their field, certain traits are generally shared by them according to Deepak Chopra. 1.They are able to contact and enjoy silence.2.They connect with and enjoy Nature.3.They trust their feelings.4.They can remain centered and function amid confusion and chaos.5.They are childlike – they enjoy fantasy and play. 6.They self-refer: They place the highest trust in their own consciousness 7.They are not rigidly attached to any point of view: Although passionately committed to their creativity, they remain open to new possibilities. Isn’t that what staying young at heart means?
93 Million Miles- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5WiqJFq2-o&feature=relmfu
One of the best parts of aging is entering the “don’t know,” learning to be someone who can rest comfortably in uncertainty. Embodying widsom in your own ways, stay connected, be timeless, enjoy “youth dew” moments and always “bet on you”!!!!
