In my goal to be totally organized before the year’s end, I spent this morning sorting through old photographs; reminiscing over some and baffled by others. What caught my eye for the first time however, are the pictures of my grandmother. When I was a child, I never thought of her as being old and yet, every picture I have of her is of a shriveled up little white-haired woman. I remember her as a hard-working, farmer’s wife; one who always had time to tell me stories or let me help her gather eggs from the chicken coop. My memories are not of how she looked, but of the way she treated me and the time she spent with me. They are good memories with the “world’s best grandma” and I treasure them. I think of her in comparison with some of the elderly women I know now. This made me realize that there are two types of elderly people: old ones who live their age, and gently-aging citizens who really enjoy life. Read more »
As I was cruising through my favorite selection of blogs, I came across the amazing story of Ruth Hamilton, a 109-year-old woman who died too soon. She was truly a life-long learner and simply amazing. Just some of the highlights in her live included being married to a Major League Baseball player and being one of the first women to host a radio show. In fact, in 1937 when she came face to face with Hitler she tried to warn the world. She was also the first woman elected to the Legislature from New Hampshire. These are just a few of the things that made Ruth a national treasure. However, what really interested me about Ruth was that with the purpose of passing some of her wisdom along to others, she filed dozens of video blogs on GrowingBolder.com, making her the oldest person ever to blog and the oldest person to be a member of a social network web site. At 109 she is definitely a pre-Baby Boomer, but she sets a great example for the rest of us. I hope you take some time to view Ruth’s blogs because there is so much to explore, discover and enjoy about this woman. She proves that the journey of life holds many adventures.
The Calorie Restriction Society believes that it is possible to live an extraordinarily long and healthy life, start a different career at age 70 and pursue that new ambition with the same zeal that you had when you were young. They claim that the geriatric generation can function at a very high performance peak without the significant decline that most experience as they age. How do they do it you ask? Very simply by taking in fewer calories and maintaining adequate nutrition by replacing calorie dense food with calorie-sparse nutrient dense foods. In theory, this is an interesting concept, but I think my body has become addicted to an occasional sweet and it would retaliate if I deprived it of deserts all together. And what would I do on those days that I need comfort food? Would I get the same satisfaction if I turned to a raw carrot for sympathy? On the serious side, I have read several articles on CR over the years and understand that many people are successfully thriving on this diet, but it still sounds like a controlled form of anorexia to me. If we noticed a change in eating habits accompanied with weight loss in a grand daughter, we would definitely react, intervene and seek help for her. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the concept that CR is dangerous for young girls and equated with them having an unhealthy body image to being acceptable in older adults who depend on CR to give them longevity and vitality. They both sound like eating disorders and this seems like an oxymoron. Read more »
l admire people who know without question what they believe in. They know what is right and what is wrong, the purpose of life, free will or determinism and the existence of a higher power. I, on the other hand, have spent most of my life trying to figure things out and have ended up with the conclusion that I may never really know what to believe and will probably die still searching for the answers on life’s most basic questions. on this quest for knowledge, I have dabbled a little bit in science, a little bit in philosophy, a little bit in religion and a lot in observing people. But, it seems the more I learn and observe, the less I really know. Read more »
I just read an article in Yahoo News! which claims that Youthfulness is an American Obsession. True, according to mass media, It is a common sentiment in a society where many of us strive to look and feel decades younger — to prove to ourselves and the world that we are healthier and more vital than our parents were at our age. We’ve all heard it: 60 is the new 50, the new 40 and so on. The anti-aging industry, aimed at the baby boomers, is a multi-billion dollar business that continues to grow. Many professionals in mainstream medicine and elsewhere worry that we’re becoming too focused on treatments with short-term benefits that have potentially dangerous side effects and scant, if any, evidence that they’ll help in the long run. In doing so, they wonder if some people are actually jeopardizing their chance at a long, healthy life, both physically and emotionally. It is true, we are bombarded with infomercials, ads and magazine articles on staying young and vibrant. But what’s new? Ever since I thumbed through my first “Seventeen”magazine as a young, impressionable teenage girl, I have been inundated with products, diets and clothes that promised me wonderful rewards. Over the years, I have been tempted by many of these items, tried some and been disappointed by most until one day I finally realized that this was as good as I get. At this point, I began to focus on the real me; the inner me. Finally making peace with myself those many years ago has helped to define the me I am today; the me that I am proud of. I have become my own best friend and I enjoy spending time with myself. Read more »
Having just come from the doctor’s office, where I went for a routine yearly checkup, I was shocked to be told that my blood pressure is high, 150/120. For the last 60 years, my blood pressure has been perfect - 120/80. No matter what I ate or how I lived, it never fluctuated. But today, it decided to shoot through the roof. My doctor was very concerned and told me to purchase a digital blood pressure meter and monitor my blood pressure 3 times a day over the course of the next week and report back. Having never been overly concerned about blood pressure, I was clueless as to how blood pressure affected my healthy. So, as soon as I got home, I decided to do some investigation on the Internet. Read more »
Cleaning out my old emails this morning, I came across one from a good friend of mine and I would like to share it with you. It’s in response to a question I positted a while back about getting older and it exemplifies the adage of aging gracefully. She writes…..
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life or my loving family for fewer aches or a flatter belly. As I’ve aged, I’ve become kinder and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own best friend. I don’t chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed every morning, or for buying that silly cement turtle that I didn’t need, but that looks so avant garde in my fern bed. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends and loved ones leave this world too soon, before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m. and sleep until noon? Who even cares? Read more »