Saturday, March 14, 2015

Growing Old Gracefully

                                                  Today is 'Growing Old Gracefully' Day. 

                                 Let me tell you... I taped a program off PBS the other night. 

It's awful when you have two or three shows to watch and they all come on at the same time, right? 

So, I DVRed this one. A couple days later, totally exhausted, I flop down on the couch and start watching this show that I thought I had to tape. 

The fact that the name of it was "Goddesses Never Age" just made me want to see what it was all about. 
                                     Hmmmm.... Goddesses never age. I think I like that idea. 

So, here's this energetic lady, nice looking, smartly dressed, pacing back and forth on a stage in front of an audience. Dull?  Not one bit. 
                                                             She had me from the get-go. 

Now, I'd never heard of Dr. Christiane Northup. Must have had my head buried under the covers!! This woman is a famous author (New York Times top seller list), a doctor who champions women's health and wellness. A woman who is world known and where in the dickens was I during all this? But, now, there she is on my tv screen so I sit up and listen. 

I am posting a picture of her book. Not to 'sell' it but to let you see what this older woman looks like. 


She's talking about how we are so programmed into believing that age is a bad thing, that's it's all downhill after 40. Remember the black roses and birthday balloons that are so popular for people turning 40. 
                                           My gosh... from my vantage point 40 is NOTHING. 

Let me say right here and now,  that I am not selling Dr. Northup (nor any of her products) to you. She doesn't know I exist and that's fine. But, I sure do like what she is 'preaching' to us womenfolk. It goes right along with my growing old gracefully idea. 

I have for years been bemoaning growing old. Just ask my daughters and they will tell you that I have been a pain in the butt about that. I'd say on a daily basis that 'I have to hurry and do so and so because I don't have that many years left'. And, that was my mindset. I was counting up the years and going into panic mode. 

There's a lot I can say (and I will say later on) about what we can do to take control of our way of thinking about the 'rest of our lives'. It doesn't matter if you are 30 or 80.

I have come to a point in my life where I know that CHOICES are made by me...

choices of how I want to live my life -  now - ten years from now and maybe even twenty years from now. You either sink or swim and (even though I can't physically swim) I choose to SWIM. You decide to live your life to the fullest every single day or you just sit down and let this glorious life pass you by. You only have one life. Which are you going to do? I think you know what I am already doing. 

I sat listening to that woman (pacing back and forth) and telling me everything I wanted to hear. 
               What I needed to hear. 
                                        I was energized, filled with hope and vitality. I am so psyched!! 

I'm 81... that's just a number, you gals. Today is today and that's just another day to get better and live it to the fullest. How about you? What you say that we all live to the ripe old age of 95 and we'll get together and throw this huge party and have a barrel of fun. I'll see you there.
                                                                                                                 

11 comments:

  1. I'm loving your post on Growing Old Gracefully! I'm reading the book "The Daniel Plan" and learning how to eat to be the healthiest you can be. I wish that I had started taking this advice 50 years ago!!!! I would not be in the shape I'm in now! I plan to go by the suggestions in this book, so I can grow old gracefully and die at a ripe old age!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful poem to graceful age! You really have a way with words, and I love what you said today---as inspirational as any talk, speech, tape or sermon..

    I'm just slightly behind you, and I've heard myself say (or think) things of the "this may be the last . . ." genre, and my family gives me a laughing "Yeah, right . . ." or reminds me of all our plans for things and goings and doings.

    My Daddy's Mama and HER Mama lived to be within mere weeks of their 99th birthdays, so I've got a Longevity Gene in there somewhere---it's just making the MOST of what we are granted, and living it to the fullest.

    Hoping we'll be close enough friends that I'll be invited to that 95th party,

    rachel

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm with you. My mom almost made 95. She died 3 months shy of her birthday. My husband is convinced I will outlast him and even surpass my mom's record. Her brother is still alive at 101 but he's the last one of all my uncles and aunts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So glad you are very enthusiastic about your life. I have been thinking here I am 75 The Bennie is 78 and where will
    it go from here. I have been praying about my fears of what to do if I lose The Bennie. Are where should we go next.
    This is what I came up with. God has a plan for me and I must live one day now at a time and enjoy it to the fullest.
    So maybe I will get to come to your party and have a barrel of fun to.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Latane, you've gone and done it, made me put another book in my Amazon basket. You've also yanked me up short about that terrible mindset of bemoaning growing old. I love this post! And the comments I read above. Inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this post, Latane. I just turned 69 today and I decided that my song is going to be "I'm going to live, live, live until I die", an old Frank Sinatra song!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello, Just got home from a nice trip to Arkansas to celebrate George's birthday. I will blog about it tomorrow.

    Now--it's time to start working in the yard, cleaning up all of the 'junk' from the ice storm. What a mess!!!

    I have two blog friends in their 80's (I'm almost 73)---and you both inspire me... You both have such a wonderful attitude toward life and that's what makes you both so young... Hope I can be that way also... God Bless.

    Hope you are doing well.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh My goodness--I also just found Dr. Northrup and LOVE her way of addressing aging, like you I'm on the bandwagon! My Mom lived to 95, but quit living in her 70's--just complained and didn't enjoy anything. I vow never to do that. A good party takes lots of planning, glad we're starting now! :) (I'm 74)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds like a great idea! I love your attitude, and it gives younger folks like me hope that everything isn't just going to get worse as we get older. Awesome post! My great-grandmother lived to be 103, so I'm hoping to follow her example! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow! Excellent post! I had never heard of her either. She sounds like she has great advice, and I'm glad you taped the program! Physical "things" do start happening to us at 40, but frankly I always thought 50 was supposed to be the black balloon birthday and that slowly changed to 60, because we are supposedly taking better care of ourselves and are healthier and better fit now than ever. You see a lot of beautiful women in their 50s and 60s and then some "gracefully growing old" women in their 70s and 80s. So I think the attitude about it all has changed. I can see why this woman's book was a best seller, because she is living, apparently, what she is sharing with all of us, and that's awesome! Glad you have such a great attitude, Mom, about your golden years. I am so proud of you for all you do, and how you feel about this time in your life! It's wonderful! Oh, you will have that party at 95! Maybe even at 100!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the idea of a big party ... I'll be there to whoop it up with you, Latane :)

    ReplyDelete

I hope you will visit often and leave a comment when you do. My blogging friends always put a smile on my face.