Today was one of those days where I wake up and my long, brown curly hair is going every direction except the direction one would think it should. Shouldn’t gravity play a role in the direction? Apparently NOT!
Life is full of surprises each and every day. But not only that, each and everyday year we grow just a bit older.
Old age. Maybe its because I’m still “youthful” or maybe its because I’m so into natural health, but I really don’t care for or believe in old age. I’m all about AGING GRACEFULLY.
So where does that start? Where does that begin? Truthfully, I don’t have answers but I do have a lot of thoughts.
I remember being a teenager and thinking that “old people’s” hair turned gray. That their hair no longer grew on their body. That old men had funny looking hairs coming out of their nose and ears. Oh, and that women somehow had long hair inconsistently growing on their face. But who really thinks that’s just for old people? I mean seriously! Well, I sure did… and boy was it a slap in the face when I had my first “old people’s” addition. I’m not sure we can even really call it an addition though because let’s be real, that hair got plucked out like a chicken plucks its food and its was gone in a jiffy!
Aging gracefully. My discombobulated “old people’s” thoughts were really something else. Today, I look at aging a LOT differently. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit older? Or maybe it’s because of my too many to count “old people’s” additions. Yet then again maybe it’s because I look at health and aging differently than I used to. I think it’s the later one…
This past winter I was a out in Utah skiing with my brother. On the slopes we ended up meeting an older women that was in her upper 80s. At first glance I’m not kidding, I would have thought she was 65 so when she said her age I said, “You do NOT look that! You look 15 years younger than you are!” She got a big ole’ smile on her face and absorbed the comments like a sponge saying, “thank you, sweetie!”
Many times in life we see people, the way they think, look, or act, and think they are either younger or older than they really are. Not in a judgmental kind of way, but in a curious kind of way. What makes them the way they are? Could it be it’s part of the way they were raised as children? Could their genes influence them? Maybe what they consume in beverages and foods? What about the way they choose to think? The choices that they make or don’t make? Or what type of movement their bodies have?
I believe aging gracefully is effected by all of the above plus more! I don’t believe in “old age” like I once did. Why? Life doesn’t just all of a sudden with the snap of your fingers happen and you’re an old person. Good grief, if it did that in and of itself may cause a heart attack to some/many!
In life we are continually aging, transforming, growing (not always in the direction(s) we want), and changing. THAT is what aging is. And we CAN do it gracefully IF we both choose and allow ourselves to.
I’d like to share a few ways how I as a “young adult” choose to age gracefully. When I was about 10 years old my Mom gave my some facial lotion products to help my skin stay “as smooth as a baby’s bottom”. I may have struggled in doing so everyday the first few years but eventually one day it clicked that this was something I deemed important to age gracefully.
Another example is what I choose to put into my body. Because of what I’ve experienced in life, I know and understand that I have the ability to play a crucial role in impacting my body’s future with health, wellness, and life. To me that’s a choice that I get the opportunity to make each day, many times. I can help aid in setting myself up for health and wellness to my best ability for today, the days/weeks/and years to come.
Instead of going on further I want to ask you a question. What does aging mean to you? What does aging gracefully sound like, look like, or make you think of? Does a certain person(s) come to mind?
I have a few people that come to mind. Some that I don’t care to become like and some that I’d like to have aspects of when I’m their age.
Here’s the point. Today, tomorrow and everyday to come in this greatest gift we’ve been given, LIFE, we have a chance to make changes to enhance ourselves and our futures. To contribute health to our future selves. To make good choices to pave the way for us as we age. And, if we start now, to do it gracefully!
Someday’s I like to think of myself as graceful but other days I seriously wonder if I am. And those times when I wonder if I am I remind myself, “it’s all those little things that are really big.” And then I smile because I know that’s the truth.
Today we have a chance to begin to age gracefully. It’s not the number on a scale, the size pants we wear, the brand clothes we wear. It’s about sliding into ourselves for who we truly and and were meant to be. So that with each year, we age a bit more gracefully. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I think so! Our chance to begin is right here and right now. If you are ready and willing I ask you again, “what does aging gracefully look like, sound like, or make you feel?” Answer those questions and you’ll start to be able to find the keys that help you to age gracefully.
You deserve to age gracefully. You deserve health and wellness. The choice is each of ours to make. I hope you choose the right key!
Your Life, Your Choice 