Archive for the ‘Aging’ Category
Living A Long Life . . .
. . . sounds so interesting and appealing,
while “getting old”
— the simple truth —
sounds cold and crotchety.
Yet they both mean the same thing.
Had I Known . . .
. . . I was going to be this achy and crotchety and slow
when I got to this age,
I would have had a lot more fun
when I was abler.
It’s Interesting . . .
. . . to note that
most people don’t realize
they have to get old
if they want to live a long life.
Don’t . . .
. . . kid yourself – –
you ain’t gonna live forever,
so you better start
enjoying yourself.
A Lady Friend . . .
. . . of a friend of mine
no longer proclaims
60 is the new 40
because she just lost her driver’s license.
I Looked . . .
. . . in the mirror today
and realized
I still have the body of a 20-year-old.
I’ve just stretched it out of shape a bit
here and there over the years.
= = = = =
AGING IS ALL
IN YOUR HEAD
Mature Life Features
It’s always interesting to note that colleges and corporation spend time and money, and the government sometimes spends our money, to learn things everyone already know.
A recent example are results of a couple of surveys that reveal the less intelligent people are, the smarter they think they are. In other words, stupid people don’t know they’re stupid.
But the discussion here deals with something else everyone knows – you’re only as old as you feel. That’s what is indicated by survey by a breakfast-cereal company. In a telephone survey of people over 40 years old, 80 percent of the respondents said they feel young. Also, 66 percent said the prime of life is between the ages of 30 and 50 years. And the characteristics of a person in his or her prime of life are physical energy, according to 35 percent of those surveyed; emotional maturity, 34 percent; financial security, 22 percent, and youthful appearance, 6 percent.
While 70 percent of those surveyed felt the thing they could do to feel their best is to exercise regularly, more than half – 55 percent – admitted they don’t exercise enough. Almost 80 percent of the respondents feel better about themselves than they thought they would upon reaching their particular age.
When asked what they might choose to do to improve themselves, 29 percent said they’d like to enhance their energy levels. The same percentage said expand their minds by learning something new, 23 percent said they’d like to reduce stress, and 15 percent opted for improving their physical appearance.
Among the things they liked about getting older, “getting a better perspective on life” and “more leisure and family time” outranked retirement and career accomplishments.
If You Haven’t Heard . . .
. . . Wednesday’s the day for it —
get your hearing and hearing aids checked
at 3 p.m.
in the 2nd-floor multi-purpose room.
– – – – –
People Don’t Cure Loneliness, You Do
You don’t have to live alone to be lonely.
Senior citizens homes are crammed with lonely people. And there are hordes of people living alone who are not lonely. They enjoy the time they have to themselves and the freedom to do what they want to do whenever they want to do it and for as long as they like.
The starkness of lonely living ambushes many people after a loved one dies.
Walking into an empty house after all the final arrangement have been made can be devastating..
In some ways, residents of a senior-living complex can help because many of them have been through what the grieving person is going through. Instead of torrents of sympathy, the residents offer empathy and, in some cases, sage advice to help the bereaved breathe through the crisis.
There is a difference between missing a loved one and being lonely. Thinking about how great a person he or she was means you miss them. Remembering how and longing for sharing matters and moments with them indicates you’re lonely.
Everyone has or will experience loneliness at some time during their lives. Some folks, research has revealed, are born with loneliness in their genes. Giving in to it can damage your life. It can deepen dementia and depression, bring on physical disabilities, and shorten your life.
Friends, pets, exercise, and travel tours are cited among the curbs against loneliness. Keeping a journal reportedly helps divert loneliness. It allows you to get to know and like yourself and alleviates the stress of fighting off loneliness. Interacting with other people helps – coffee sessions with friends, joining hobby groups and volunteering your time with an organization you support are a few ways.
It turns out caregivers can experience severe loneliness as they’re world shrinks down to the individuals they’re caring for. They’re atop the list of folks who need to find time to devote to something they enjoy to fend off loneliness. If you’re a caregiver, you should do something you like to do, even if you have to do it yourself.
Take a weekend to visit the grandkids, visit your favorite restaurant, buy a bicycle and pedal around the neighborhood and get to know your neighbors, slip in a warm soothing bath, or learn to play the saxophone.
Mature Life Features 