Reflection – aging with an attitude!

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? What is your first thought? For myself, I marvel at the increasing number of grey hairs on my head and, oh my, those droopy eyelids and other parts of my body! Although my body doesn’t feel like it at times, inside I still feel like I am in my 30s. Yet, reality is reflected in the mirror that I am actually double that age.

I also find myself just a little slower on the uptake after some major project just completed. It seems to take me more than a couple days to recoup. But I continue to assume I can just keep my younger pace, particularly when excited about a project I am working on. Once the project is completed, I find myself sleeping longer, moving more slowly, and slicing off another piece of chocolate cake just for the fun of it! Who cares about the calories anyway after climbing that steep peak of a project!

Once I recoup, I get back into thinking I’m 30 years old all over again. What a senior cycle I find myself in. I guess I can relate to what Sophocles (496BC-406BC) said in his Acrisius, “No man [woman] loves life like him [her] that's growing old.” And may I be kinder to myself here and add “growing older and wiser”? I do love life and appreciate that I get up each morning with the chance to see the sun rise, enjoy the company of my hubby and friends, and work on the next project with enthusiasm.

Yet, when I read what the experts say about aging, I wonder if I am in denial most of the time. Natural Standard is one of our nation’s premier resources for Integrative Medicine. Their definition states, “Aging is the process of growing old or maturing. Humans reach their peak in growth and development when they are in their mid 20s. After this point, the body gradually becomes less functional over time. Aging typically causes weakness, increased susceptibility to disease and infection, loss of mobility and agility, and age-related physiological changes, such as wrinkled skin and gray hair. In the United States, about two-thirds of people age 65 and over take medications for various conditions. Currently, the average life expectancy in the United States is about 75 years for males and 80 for females. Although genetic makeup has been shown to influence an individual's life expectancy, individuals are more likely to live long and healthy lives without disabilities if they take care of their bodies with proper diets, lifestyles, and medications.”

When I read that our peak is in the mid 20s and the decline begins, it sounds so depressing! I then diligently search for exceptions to that rule in the lives of other people. When I do, I also find that those with active physical lives are also actively using their minds as well. But on the top of their priority list is “attitude”—attitude about their life, relationships, and contributing to the wellbeing of others. Their examples have made all the difference in my own motivation to keep on keeping on. And when putting things into perspective, I am amazed at what is still possible for me as I keep my mind, spirit, and body in shape. Every day becomes a singular opportunity and not just a problem to solve or project to complete.

For those of you out there who are in their approaching senior years or in them right now, how are you doing? What happens when you look in the mirror. If you gasp and say, “Who is that person?!”, I empathy all the way. So, let’s join together to counter the odds or at least slow them down, right? In this month’s lifeskill, Reflection, let’s focus on where we are and where we want to head in our glorious, once-in-a-lifetime senior years. Next article will target our relationships/core values in our later years. Are you content with your relationships? Are your core values reflected in your relationships and friendships you have acquired over the years as well as recently? What about in the years ahead? Now is your chance to make any changes before the rest of the years catch up with you. See you around the corner next Friday.