Be My Valentine

There is no better way

Than Saint Valentine’s Day

To remember that Love’s not a Dream.

If you’re young or you’re old

It’s so nice to be told

You are special and highly esteemed!

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

Bonnie Happiness at Every Age, Holidays AgeEsteem®, Alexandra Taylor, be my valentine, esteemed, Saint Valentine

Saint Valentine

The ever Saintly Valentine

Is a special friend of mine;

He has the gifts which come with time

(the ones which are so hard to rhyme!)

Such thoughtfulness and love and care,

And generosity to spare.

He’s ageless and esteemed the way

He keeps hearts full on his own day.

I always feel so very merry

On that date in February!

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

Valentine collage by Bonnie Fati0

Bonnie Happiness at Every Age, Holidays AgeEsteem®, ageless, Alexandra Taylor, Bonnie Fatio, esteemed, Saint Valentine, Valentine collage

Two Thousand and Twelve,

Imagine!  It’s here!

The start of another

Wonderful year.

Make resolutions and

Make them to last;

Live in the Present,

Inspired by the Past.

Growing old is not as bad as it seems;

Model each day by the book Age Esteem!

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

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Big Bird

Big Bird is a gift for all ages, and a symbol of age esteem.  When our four year old granddaughter and I met him at Busch Gardens, Florida, we were both equally thrilled.  - And we both wanted our photo with her!*

When I met her I said, “Oh, Big Bird, you have been my idol forever!”, later to discover that she was created in 1969.  She represents the  generation between our granddaughter and me.  So this is truly an intergenerational photo.

Big Bird is definitely a friend of AgeEsteem® and a gift for all ages.

• Big Bird makes you laugh, without even speaking.
• All generations love him.
• His goal is to help people learn, especially children.
• He is a role model as a good friend to the other Muppets.
• He reminds us of the importance of play and having fun, at every age.

Bonnie Across-generations, Happiness at Every Age age-esteem, AgeEsteem®, all generations, Big Bird, Bonnie Fatio, Busch Gardens, Florida, gift for all ages, intergenerational, Muppets

The Best Days For Living

If you esteem others’ age, and your own,

Your Life’s meaning will have gracefully grown!

You will make every moment a specialty feat

And you’ll take time to froment each day as a treat.

Why linger on aging?  Think, it’s bound to become.

The best days for Living, for Loving, for fun!

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem.

Bonnie Entertainment & Fun, Happiness at Every Age AgeEsteem, Alexandra Taylor, esteem, life's meaning

When is the last time you spent 12 hours non-stop and still had energy to spare?  Yesterday?  Ten years ago?

Our age esteem soars when we are full of energy and vitality.   We feel good about ourselves when our energy seems boundless.  We are happier and healthier.

On my hour drive home from playing with my two little granddaughters ages 2 and 4 for ten hours – after my early morning drive to their home – I was still bubbling with energy.  I felt exuberant.

Why would I feel energized after such a long day?  One reason is that I did not babysit.  Instead, I played!   We spent the whole day having fun, doing what we enjoyed.  It was a powerful lesson on how to put more energy into your age esteem.

• Build into your day activities that you enjoy.  Roll in the grass.
• Find ways to make activities that you must do enjoyable.   Sing to your spinach.
• Change activities when your attention span tires and move onto something else.  Make cookies and then paint or draw.
• Move and use all parts of your body.  Dance with abandon.
• Create a balance between quiet activities and active ones.  Read a book and then play tag.
• Take a break in your day to nap or meditate.  Go to sleep after lunch.
• Drink often and have a small snack in the morning and again in the afternoon.
• Laugh with abandon.
• Hug others as often as possible.  This includes animals and stuffed toys.

If you practice the above you will put more energy into your age esteem and feel happier and healthier.  Enjoy!

Bonnie Fatio

Bonnie Across-generations, Grandparenting, Happiness at Every Age, Secrets to AgeEsteem age-esteem, Bonnie Fatio, feel energized, feel happier and healthier, put more energy into your age esteem

YES!

All you need to do is think ahead;
Turn your thoughts away from gloom and dread.
Every time you rise up out of bed,
Follow Age Esteem’s path with every tread.
Don’t say “No, I can’t”, say “YES, I will!” instead.

Written by Alexandra Taylor after the chapter “Personal Talk” in the book
AgeEsteem: Growing A Positive Attitude Toward Aging
by Bonnie Lou Fatio

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This is your time to bloom with Age Esteem!

Flowers are bursting forth with the first hint of warmth and sunshine as Spring becomes reality.

• Plan an activity with others.  Include older people and younger ones.  Make it intergenerational.
• Make a commitment to volunteer, join a new group or participate in a new activity.
• Encourage friendships with positive people, people who make you feel good.  Avoid those who bring a negative energy with them.
• Do something courageous.  Push yourself beyond your comfort zones.
• Give thanks for all the blessings of your life, large and small.

Age Esteem is a frame of mind, a way of life.  This is your time to bloom with an Age Esteem positive attitude!

Bonnie Fatio

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Do the sunshine and colors of Spring put a spring into your step?

Do you sometimes feel joy well up within you when you see the first  buds bursting on the trees, smell the odors of Spring or hear the birds chirping happily?   I do.  In fact I have caught myself  singing or  laughing out loud from the pure happiness of rediscovering Spring in the air.  It is as though the world is coming back to life after the dreary days of Winter and all God’s creatures share the pleasure.

Spring into Spring with enthusiasm and joy.  Both are there for the taking – and are free.  Simply meet nature head on.

• Walk among the trees.
• Listen to the chorus of birds.
• Take a handful of earth and feel it between your fingers.
• Savor the smells of flowers and buds.
• Plant seeds and bulbs for your own garden or window boxes.

Nourish your soul and age esteem with the joy of the season.  Spring into Spring!

Bonnie Fatio

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Sometimes our love for ourselves becomes so faded in our minds that we forget how wonderful we are.  It is like the tide rising so water laps over our age esteem, self esteem and confidence and washes away our positive image of ourselves.

Keep your age esteem, self love and confidence alive.

• When you first look into the mirror in the morning say to your image, “I love you.  I love you and accept you just the way you are.”  Do this even though you want to develop and improve in many ways.
• Make a list of your qualities.  What do people praise you for?  You may have beautiful eyes, brilliant smile, knack at putting people at ease, taking big ideas and making them simple to understand, whizzing down ski slopes, describing events, working through mathematical formulas…  No quality is too small or too great.
• Begin a daily diary of your accomplishments.  Something I learned from working with the intellectually challenged is that even the smallest accomplishments are important building blocks in our lives.  Be generous with yourself.  It isn’t because the result was part of a team effort that you can’t take credit for it.  You played a role in the success.  Without you it would not have happened.  Write your accomplishments each day.

Who cares if the tide rises and washes over your self image.  You can love yourself and keep your age esteem and confidence strong.

Bonnie Fatio

Bonnie Happiness at Every Age, Secrets to AgeEsteem