There’s so much to be thankful for…to love and be loved; being alive and healthy—the miraculous precision of my body’s mechanisms most of which I’m merely an awed witness not the ‘man behind the curtain’.
I pulled something in my back a few days ago and it opened my eyes to how much I take my body for granted. I move at fast pace in everything I do, so who knows where the over-doing it occurred; pushing mom in her wheelchair uphill at the park; sitting on the edge of my office chair because I’ll only be two minutes and I’ll be ready to jump up and complete another task; raking leaves; getting in or out of my low to the ground compact Honda? I couldn’t bend or lift at all so I sat resignedly on the couch with a heating pad and took it easy for a day.
I had time to reflect how I expect my body to do what it did twenty years ago and it hit me how unhealthy my attitude was. It made me resent the aches and pains I have now and then. That never used to happen; it made me push my body harder instead of giving myself a break. I was unconsciously resisting aging and it surprised me. Why do I have to lose something to learn to appreciate and value it and treat that ability with respect? I have friends who cannot see, or hear, or smell (thankfully not all the same person) and they have learned to adapt but also to ‘see the gift inside’, to turn what could be devastating into possibility. I want to do that with aging.
I want to age differently than my parents; they have both been victims of disease and negativity. What would aging look like with a mentality and belief system that supported vitality, flexibility, mental acuity and longevity? What might the Universe return to us if we focused on only the positive aspects of a healthy aging process? I can’t really imagine living to be one hundred and healthy but it’s possible. If so, I’m not even halfway there yet. If I can create such a blessed life in barely two and half decades as an adult, imagine the possibilities that lie in fifty more years. It’s mind boggling isn’t it!?
Here’s where I begin my shift—I am radiating waves of gratitude for another year on this planet with my loved ones. I am thankful that I am a year older and perhaps wiser. I am blessed by every day that passes and the opportunity to age with gr-attitude.
Aging inspirations: Betty White, Dick Van Dyke, my friend Kathy A.! Who are yours?;)
Resource: Young at Heart: Aging Gracefully with Attitude ; Chasing Life: New Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today
As one who is aging…and some days, not always so gracefully or with the correct gr-attitude (love the play on words), all I can say is WOW! and thanks for this very provocative post…and I hope that today finds you in less pain. It’s OK to hurt and to not like it; as my mother, who was one who aged with considerable grace, would oft say: “there is no virtue in pain.”
Cheers~
Thanks for making me realize that it’s the most important attitude that counts – a thought provoking post.
Thank you, Laura, for reminding us to think. Betty White is one of my aging mentors as well. We are learning from our parents what we want and what we don’t want in our aging process, aren’t we! I desire to age with grace and health, so I tell myself I can’t afford to be lazy when it comes to eating right and exercise, as well as right thinking – attitude.
Dear lovely readers, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. I am back on my game physically and attitudinally. Vugs!