The Blewfield Clan

What a wonderful time post retirement seems to be for the cousins at the reunion in Paducah.   Everyone seems to be developing or focusing on genuine  interests.  And varied they are!

• Suzanne, who still works part-time in a law office  is submersed in the family genealogy and can trace her branch back to the Mayflower several times.  She is now writing a book about it.
• Bill, who is a retired professor and Fullbright Scholar, lives with poetry and has one of the best poetry resources, www.unf.edu/mudlark/
• Doreen complements working part-time as a mentor to student teachers with her passion for theater and acting on the local stage.
• Don “recycled” to become a pastor and acts as interim minister to congregations.  He also lives his passion as a cookie creator at the local bakery.
• Rose and David sold their house and now live in a motor home to experience new places across the nation.  Rose is a writer and David a photographer and using these passions.
• Gerard focuses on renewable energy and is sought out as an expert to speak and advise.   He also volunteers on clean water projects in Africa.
• Jeanie continues to nurse ailing birds, something that she has always done and is not ready to leave.  She loves what she does.

And this is just part of the cousins!

It is never too early or too late to develop your interests and passion.  It is an important aspect of personal age-esteem to love what you do.  It is a real elixir to building confidence and feeling vital.

Bonnie AgeEsteemers, Life Stages - Ages age-esteem, confidence, Paducah, passion, post retirement

When I told friends we were headed to “Paducah”, they thought it was an exotic island or a joke.

Actually it is neither.  Paducah, Kentucky is hometown to two cousins.  We were going there to meet up with the Blewfield clan of cousins.   As children growing up in the Midwest, we spent a week each year with cousins in LaPorte, Indiana.  We swam, boated, had hamburger eating contests, and played from dawn til dark.  It was a highlight of summer.

Now 60 years later we still look forward to being together. The Cousin’s Reunion has become a tradition with a different person taking on the organization every two years.

This year a conversation revolved around benefits of being older.  -  Especially living our passions, investing time in work and activities we truly love and that build our confidence and age-esteem.

• We feel vibant and involved in new ways.
• People seek us out.  Our strengths are recognized and sought after.
• We are involved in amazing activities that give meaning to our lives.
• We are more tolerant and understanding, no longer sweating the small stuff.
• Our lives have greater perspective.

Bonnie AgeEsteemers, Life Stages - Ages, Uncategorized age-esteem, Blewfield, confidence, cousin's reunion, Indiana, Kentucky, LaPorte, Paducah

The Age I Allow Myself To Be

Are you holding yourself back from activities you would enjoy because you think you are too old?

Who cares what others think?  Right, you do.  You care what they think.  I can understand this, so why not try the following.

• Think about something you would love to do but hold yourself back because you are afraid of what others might think.  An example might be to enter a dance contest.  Write down what you would like to do.
• Now think of the worst that could happen, the very worst.  Would you be locked up in prison?  Not likely.  Would you break a leg?  Possibly, but it isn’t probable.  Would people laugh?  Perhaps.  Maybe nothing negative would happen.
• Now ask, what is the best that could happen?  The answer may seem simple and non consequential  An example may be that you will have a good belly laugh or you will prove you can do it.

Look at these experiences like the first domino that sets off the reaction that sparks everything else that happens after the first move.

These baby steps in breaking down your self-imposed barriers will lead to further confidence.  Just as a baby learns to walk one step at a time, you will soon find yourself feeling at ease as you repeat your experience and allow yourself to grow into more new experiences,

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages confidence, new experiences, too old

Babies and AgeEsteem
Don’t Take Life Too Seriously

Make time to play: Children bring us back to the little wonders in life that we overlook as busy adults.   They teach us how to play again, to go barefoot in the grass.  As a result we use games and play to teach, create memories, and to bond with Baby.

• Loosen up and relax.  Take yourself less seriously.  Make time to admire the beauty and wonders life offers.
• Play with children and animals.  Be silly; have fun.
• Find ways to ‘play’ with colleagues, family and friends in order to understand and enjoy each other on a different level.  Play helps us to bond.

Play is an important ingredient to building confidence and age-esteem.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages age-esteem, bond, confidence, play, relax

Is It Ever Too Early?

When our first grandchild was born I wondered how I could teach her to become confident and to feel good about herself at each age, beginning the moment I first held her.

Is it ever too early to teach AgeEsteem?  I know it’s never too late.  We can gain AgeEsteem until the day we leave this earth.   So I’d like to believe that we can transmit the ideas of confidence and feeling good about yourself at every age even to a newborn baby.

I’m convinced we can begin growing personal age-esteem from birth.  What do you think?

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages AgeEsteem, babies, confidence, feeling good, newborn

Body Clock Is Ticking Faster – And Still No Right Partner

What To Do?

Enlist your friends and family: Let your friends and family help you.  Sure, you’ll meet some frogs… but you may meet your prince..ess…  (No reason for all frogs worth kissing to be men!)  I know, it takes courage as well as confidence and age-esteem to do this, but you have to act on your goal.

• Ask your friends to help you.  And don’t be shy about sharing the values and qualities Right Partner must share with you.
• Accept to meet the person who they want to introduce with them.  Double date with the friends who set you up or go out with a group of friends.   Be game to try something new like riding a Segway through the city…
• Find out how others have met.  It can lead to new avenues of ideas.  -  It may be worth testing a dating service or to join chat rooms on line.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages age-esteem, confidence, frogs, right partner, values

Body Clock Is Ticking Faster – And Still No Right Partner

Meet New People

Get out and about: Keep active.  Plan time in your schedule to meet new people and to attend events.

• You’ve envisioned Partner Right.  Where would this person be apt to spend time?  Go where this person would go. If you want to find someone with an interest in art, attend shows.  If music is  important attend concerts, join a choir.
• Mix with others at these events.  Commit yourself to speak with three new people at each event.  Strike up a conversation and learn about the other people in a group.  Be genuinely interested in what they say.  Not only will they find you interesting as a result, but others in the room are more apt to notice you.  It will also reinforce your confidence and age-esteem.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages age-esteem, body clock, confidence, meet people, partner

What To Do?

So how do you keep your confidence and age-esteem while feeling that age is placing a barrier in front of you?  How do you manage to meet the right partner? – The person with whom you can share mutual respect, trust, support, encouragement, laughter and love?

Take your time: Don’t rush.  A lasting relationship doesn’t just happen.  It develops, and there are stages in that development.  Just as a baby needs to turn over, sit and crawl before it can walk, we need to move forward one step at a time.  It begins with eye contact, moving into the other’s space, and yes even holding hands.  And it happens over a period of time.  It’s still good advice to know someone for a year before making a commitment.  If this is the right partner, it’s a good investment.

Bonnie Life Stages - Ages age-esteem, confidence

Not everyone will think that you are beautiful or handsome and it doesn’t matter.  Most important is how you feel about myself.  Tap into your inner essence, your confidence and age-esteem.  That is the key to AgeEsteem beauty – and it’s applicable to every age.

Highlight your physical qualities:

• Admire your face in the mirror.   What are the highlights of your beauty? Is it your eyes, hair, freckles, dimple, lips?  Emphasize these positive qualities.  Let them shine.

• Do the same with the rest of your body.  You want styles that will emphasize your long neck or lovely arms.

• Consider the physical qualities other people compliment you on.  Do they correspond with the ones you identified?  If not seek to highlight them as well.

Bonnie Inner and Outer Beauty age-esteem, AgeEsteem, beauty treatment, confidence, inner essence, physical qualities

Choose Clothes That “Do Something For You”

In order to connect with your inner beauty, become conscious of how you feel about yourself in the clothes you wear.

What clothes make you feel exceptionally good?  Have you ever seen a suit that you really liked, tried it on and felt like a million bucks in it?  Clothes don’t make the person, but they do make a difference!

Choose clothes and accessories that “do something for you”.  If you feel exceptionally good in a particular suit or dress, then it does something for you.  It sets off your age-esteem and confidence.  You not only feel attractive wearing it, you become attractive to others!

Bonnie Inner and Outer Beauty age-esteem, AgeEsteem, attractive, clothes, confidence