Bernice Seigel, 78,  Holiday, FL, USA

What is Age Esteem?  Being a senior citizen myself I can put myself into that category because I feel fine being of the age I am.  I have a great deal of esteem for myself and for others of my age.  I have a great deal of respect for age and try to deal with my age the best I can.

One of my concerns with aging is that we moved here (Holiday, Florida) late in life two years ago, and I was just hoping that I would be able to fix the house and to be around to enjoy it.   It’s the same thing for my husband who just bought a brand new car.  We have the goal that we are going to live!

My chronological age is almost 79, but I feel as young as the people around me.  I’ve always worked with younger people.  I think that has a great deal to do with it.

Bernice’s Tips:  First of all I’m fortunate enough to have good health.  That is the most important thing.  My husband also is in good health, so we are able to do a lot of things together.  But we also do things separately.  He’s the math and science person and he taught.  I am the humanities and the languages, the fun person as far as that is concerned.

My tip is working with younger people, being with younger people.  I didn’t want to move into an older community because I honestly cannot relate to those people.  I sing in a chorus.  When we are singing for the senior citizens I am so happy to be one on our side of the stage.  I feel for them and I am very thankful.

I keep myself very active.  I’m involved with the chorus.  We go out to lunches.  We go shopping.  I just have a positive attitude toward life.  I’m at an age where I can enjoy it.  I feel fortunate.  We have the house and financially the means to live.  We have lovely children who are very active themselves and encourage my husband and myself to do what we have to do.

Get up and move around.  My parents died at 90 and 91, so my genealogy is pretty good.  But my parents thought when they turned 65 which is retirement age here, that was the end.  My father was more active, but they just waited all that time to die, which is horrible.  They had everything to live for.  They had their own house.  They owed no money.  They stayed in their house.  I was fortunate enough to be able to help them stay in their own home with help until they passed on.

My sister who is 8 1/2 years younger than I am has my same positive attitude.  She is 70 now.  Her husband died 3 years ago and she just got herself a new boyfriend.  He is 78, my age.  She says, “Look, if you can be as great at that age I guess he is also.”  Yes, I think you need a good attitude of mind.

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

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

Each day of this new year will bring new opportunities and experiences to be experienced and savored.

Do you look forward to each day?

One of my favorite AgeEsteem mentors and friends was Doris Blunt.  Doris was a woman of amazing inner faith and strength.  She always seemed to be bubbling over with happiness and interest.  Yet she had buried two husbands, both of whom she had accompanied through Alzheimer’s in their last years.

When I asked Doris how she remained so enthusiastic and happy she offered me the following secrets to her happiness.

• When you wake up in the morning you have choices.  You can listen to the birds and give thanks for the day as a new blessing and get up to greet the day or you can lie in bed and feel bitter about your aches and pains.  She chose the first.
• Remind yourself that whether you have a good day or a bad day depends on you and the attitude that you bring to it.  She brought a positive attitude which began when she first awoke.
• Decide what your purpose for the day is.  Doris was the sunshine of the home where she lived, so she always put on her sunniest smile when she left her room.  She said that although her smile was not always genuine when she put it on, it definitely became real by the time she met another person.  In fact her smile became infectious.  Others returned it!

These are simple yet powerful pointers for each of us to enhance our age esteem and positive attitudes to live happier lives.  Let’s look forward to each day!

Bonnie Fatio

My heart overflows with love and gratitude.  Life is truly a blessing.  I am ever thankful for the loved ones in my life: a loving husband, daughter, son-in-law, two precious granddaughters, sisters and spouses, cousins, and numerous friends whom I treasure.  There is no time for wallowing in complaints or disappointments.  We are too busy living, loving and learning with a positive attitude.

Oh yes, lesser experiences and relationships are put in our paths, but that is also part of living, loving and learning.  Hurdles are put there to teach us vital lessons and to show us new dimensions of life.  They push us to become a better person.

People with Age Esteem know the value of living, loving and learning with a positive attitude.  Thank you for sharing your Age Esteem in the way you live, love and learn.

Bonnie Fatio

Rejoice!
Let your voice
Be the clue
To the you
Of your Choice.

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

Bubbles and Kisses!
The ones float away
The others might miss us,
But each in its way
Is Life’s miraculousness
making special each day.

Written for Age Esteem by Alexandra Taylor after the story “Bubbles and Kisses”
in AgeEsteem: Growing A Positive Attitude Toward Aging, book and CD
by Bonnie Lou Fatio

Diane Smith, 53

What is Age Esteem?  When I first saw Bonnie Fatio,s book AgeEsteem: Growing A Positive Attitude Toward Aging I thought it was about aging.  I thought it’s going to tell me how to age gracefully and this it great!

What I worry most about aging is aches and pains.  I’ve never been sick a day in my life, but when I turned 50 I started feeling some aches and pains and that’s one of my concerns.  And you know I look in the mirror and I see wrinkles and I start buying eye creams and stuff.  I have beauty products to prevent aging.  The reason is that it’s probably been on my mind since I was 25.  I’m a believer in prevention.
Diane’s tips:  I stay active.  I have friends.  I love working in my garden.  I feel good working in the garden.  I’m strong enough to do things and have the energy.  I feel  good.   I have a cup of coffee every morning.  I read my Bible every day.  It gives me inspiration and I look at my life and I look at where I’ve been and where I am now and I’m thankful.  I thank God.  If God doesn’t bless me with anything else, I’m blessed.  Yes, I’m totally blessed.  I have a lot of great friends.  I have a wonderful husband whose a good friend.  That makes it easy.  I have a daughter.  I have grandchildren.  I carry their picture around and when I look at them I think what a wonderful blessing.  I’m just thankful for what I have and I don’t worry about what I don’t have.

People with age esteem recognize that they have choices, that they are masters of their own life.  They may not be able to control what happens to them all of the time or even most of the time, but they take control over how they act or react to what happens.

Age esteemers know they can choose to see what happens as an opportunity or as a catastrophe.  They can choose to be a victim, or they can choose to take action to move beyond the problem, to learn from it and benefit from it.

• Decide that you will become a can do, will do person who takes control.
• Look for the opportunity inside a difficulty.
• Remind yourself that you are in control.

Bonnie Fatio

Do you have an attitude of gratitude?

People with Age Esteem express gratitude.  Age Esteemers know the importance of not only feeling thankful, but also expressing appreciation and gratitude for what they have and what others do for them.  They choose to recognize the blessings of each day, no matter how great or small.

• Keep a gratitude diary where you record the highlights of each day for which you are grateful.
• Count your blessings when things seem difficult.  Remind yourself of all the good that surrounds you while you deal with a problem.
• Express openly to others your gratitude for what they mean to you.

Bonnie Fatio