HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day in several countries of the world.  But isn’t every day a day of thanksgiving?  We have so much to be thankful for !  Even on the days that seem to be grey and dismal when we want to complain, we can be thankful that we are capable of complaining.  It means that we realize that life could be better and that we still have higher aspirations than just what today may bring.

Gratitude is an important facet of age esteem.  Gratitude, feeling thankful because we recognize our blessings, is key to feeling good about yourself at the age you are today.   What are you thankful for?

I am thankful to be capable of thinking and learning.

I am thankful for my sight, that makes it possible to bask in the beauty of nature.

I am thankful for my hearing and to enjoy laughter and the rustling of leaves.

I am thankful for my arms that make it possible to hug.

I am thankful for my voice and being able to express my thoughts aloud.

I am thankful to feel emotions, especially love.

I am thankful to smell the freshness of the air after a storm.

I am thankful for Age Esteem.

I am thankful for family and friends.

I am thankful for those without names who have touched my life.

I am thankful for those who share their goodness.

I am thankful for YOU.

Bonnie Fatio

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“Esteemate” your qualities,

Fancies and frivolities;

Gleam with a new fortitude,

Resonating gratitude

For each and every new day’s chance

To liven up and be enhanced.

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem

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Apparently being kind to others is not only good manners.  A recent Japanese study emphasizes it is also good for your health.

Holding the door for someone, saying a kind word of thank you, or showing your gratitude bring two positive outcomes.  According to this Japanese study you will feel happier and be healthier.  It is an easy and inexpensive way to reduce stress and avoid depression.

Being kind stimulates the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has a positive effect on our humor, and reduces the secretion of cortisol which is a stress hormone.

So, to be healthier share your kindness and gratitude.  This is good news for people with age esteem, because they naturally show gratitude.

Bonnie Fatio

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Happy World Teacher’s Day

What better way to follow “Words of Encouragement” than to give tribute to teachers.

Each of us has one or several teachers who have encouraged and inspired us.  They did it out of love and dedication to teaching and to helping us become smarter and confident in our own knowledge.  Most often teachers have to be satisfied with their own estimate of how well they did their job.  We were not over zealous in letting them know that we appreciated what they taught us or in telling them what we have done with our education.  But it is never too late.

Today is the ideal occasion to write a note of gratitude to a former or present teacher.  Formal education is a blessing that not everyone enjoys.  Search out your teachers on face book and through former classmates.  Make today a day of thanks for teachers.

Bonnie Fatio

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One of my favorite card over the holidays is copied below.  – Not the message on the card, but the message of the sender.

Why is it a favorite?  Because the words of June, the friend who wrote it, express how she puts her AgeEsteem to daily use via her

• acceptance of her present health,
• positive attitude,
• gratitude for what she has,
• social contact with others despite not getting out and about,
• interest in the lives of others and what is happening,
• continued purpose and contribution to others.

Precious Ones,

I hope all is well with you and your family and that you will be together for a Happy Festive Christmas…

Things here are ok.  I’m having to use the walker all the time to get around and don’t go out, only to the doctors.  My son and his wife were here the first of Nov. and took me shopping for necessities but that’s it.  I’m just happy I’m here where there are people and I have a nice warm room and plenty to eat, and at 93 that is a lot – Especially when I think of how many older people aren’t warm or have enough to eat.

I finally finished the 60 Hats of Love, (for Cancer patients) and 80 ski caps (for the needy) – my fingers don’t do quite as good as they did – and gave them all away – know they will keep some heads warm even if winter is cold…

June is a wonderful example of AgeEsteem for all ages.

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Recognize your blessings, however small.

Dr. Maya Angelou, who was asked by President Bill Clinton to write and recite an original poem for his Inauguration as President of the United States in 1993, had not always been articulate and confident.  As a young girl she felt she was worthless and was dangerously depressed.  Fortunately a teacher took interest in her and insisted that she make of list of everything she had to be thankful for.  When she could find nothing to write, the teacher said, « Then begin with the fact that you are able to hold a pencil. »  Little by little she began her list which has grown with the years.  Today, Dr. Maya Angelou is herself a blessing in the lives of multitudes through her words, lyrics and legendary wisdom.  At age 80 she continues her attitude of gratitude as she inspires audiences throughout the world.

On a recent trip to South Africa to present AgeEsteem at a global conference of Women’s Rights and Development it was once again reinforced for me just how privileged I am to live where I do.   Learning from such a diverse group of women was enriching.  Learning filters both ways.   Often the people who have suffered the most through war, drought, hunger or standing up for what they believe to be just and right are the ones who show the greatest gratitude.  They have managed to live through these experiences and survive.  -  And an important ingredient to this survival has been to see the little blessings along the way that others would have overlooked.

Recognizing our blessings, both great and small, and being thankful are powerful ingredients to reaching our potential at every age.

• Every night before you fall asleep ask yourself this question.  « What am I most thankful for today? »
• Seek the little blessings that you normally overlook.
• Nourish your gratitude and feel truly thankful.

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Giving Thanks For Your Abundance

Do a multitude of blessings come into mind when you see this title or do you have to go on a hunting trip to find the abundance in your life?

An attitude of gratitude is a key to AgeEsteem.  And what better time of year to emphasize this than this month when Thanksgiving is celebrated in several countries?    Why not truly give thanks this year?

When our granddaughter was born,  I spent hours holding her in my arms thinking how fortunate she was to simply be born where she was born and in a family who wanted her, with parents, grandparents and extended family who love her.  She was born into an environment of peace and prosperity where as a young girl she can strive to become anything she desires.  Education is taken for granted.  She has a roof over her head, clothes to wear, her own shoes, and healthy food to eat.  Healthcare is readily available, including vacinations from diseases that continue to kill elsewhere in the world.  She can wish on stars in the clear night and watch in awe as the sun sets or rises with its colorful hues.  Probably her greatest pain will be from scraped knees and minor bruises.  She is free from the threat of land mines and snipers.  She lives where she can make her own choices, aspire to become what she wishes and to dream without fear.  Laughter, learning and freedom of speech are hers to enjoy.  And, I add once again that she is surrounded by family who will protect, support and encourage her.

Those of us who have some or all of these same fortunes truly have reason to give thanks for our abundance.

• Write down 10 reasons you have to be thankful.
• Now write 10 more reasons you have to be thankful.
• Write 10 more reasons.

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Abundance is a mental state. It’s not because we have less that we are poor. While visiting rural areas in several countries I’ve been struck by the generosity among those who have the least. They share their meager “abundance” with pride.

Express gratitude. Be thankful. Expressing gratitude for your blessings, however great or small, has a multiplying effect. The more we identify what we have to be thankful for the more abundance we attract.

• Before you go to sleep at night, identify three things you are thankful for: meeting someone new, talking to your grandchild, attending your first opera, having enough to food and water to see you through the day…
• On waking in the morning revel in the present of today. It is yours to unwrap and to live as you wish. That’s why it’s called the “present”. How will you make the most of it?
• Before beginning your day, remind yourself of three new blessings: feeling thankful for a bed to sleep in, hearing birds sing, friends, family, being alive… Make this a habit!

No matter what you are thankful for, the simple act of expressing gratitude is powerful. As we express gratitude, we discover how much more we have to be thankful for – and our abundance actually increases!

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