A new way of aging: capable, independent, amazing
Maybe I'm a dreamer.
Maybe Im one eyed
Maybe I'm just deluding myself
But the evidence exists: you can be a different (better) kind of older person than what you see happening in those who have gone before us (too often disabled, incapable and dependent).
In fact, I can see the results in myself every day, results that I honestly enjoy, because in more than one way, I love the attention! (Don't we all?)
It's just that I believe in growth, continuous growth in every facet of myself. A Growth Mindset.
So let me go back to the crux of this message, to what, in fact, I stand for: that there is a way to have a far better older years than what seems to be the norm, what we take to be "normal ageing" and what we accept as something we need to live with, to silently bow our head to the demon of aging.
The thing is, mostly we don't even think about our future, i.e., that a decade or so down the track we are going to be the true oldies... maybe because it's not too savoury a picture. And it's because we don't "worry" about that coming time.
And definitely, to have a vastly better future quality of life, we need to do some ground work well in advance. I call it laying the foundation of your empowered future self, that better self that you may want.
Evidence?
Let me first cite some examples of what I see happening around me, in my own demographic (age circle):
- A 60+ year old friend has recently "taken a couple of tumbles" (in her own words, she just felt herself fall forward).
These kind of things only set a precedent for what's going to come next, as the body accelerates its path towards further disability. That is, if no action is taken to counteract the warning signs that the body is putting out.
2. Lack of care for what's going into ourselves:
Just yesterday, a good friend related to me their conversation with their friend about demetia prevention strategies, asserting that alcohol consumption is "not good" for dementia prevention. And right after that, at the next meal, there was the alcohol, and there went a couple of glasses of the liquid, straight down the hatch!
Don't get me wrong (and maybe you are getting me right): I am no party pooper. But I have fun at a party, even though I don't drink. It's not necessary for me. All I want to say here: What are you doing to yourself? Keep an eye on the long-term picture.
Yes, there's more to come in this article.
But I'll leave it here, for now.
Mel Drego
