Happiest After Sixty
“Given three requisites – means of existence, reasonable health, and an absorbing interest – those years beyond 60 can be the happiest and most satisfying of a lifetime.” – Earnest Elmo Calkins
Keep Moving Towards Your Dream
Does your dream seem too big and too far away? Don’t give up. Keep your dream alive in your thoughts and move towards it one step at a time.
Life moves one step at a time. Something I learned while working with children with very special needs years ago is that you must recognize the little successes that keep us moving in the right direction. Even though we sometimes think we are off course, my experience proves time and again that we never really are. We simply stop along the path to smell the roses or turn over a rock. And from each little detour we learn something precious for the future. You are moving towards what you desire with little steps.
Keep moving towards your dream, one step at a time and enjoy the journey.
Bonnie Fatio
Why Are You Waiting?
“If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?” – Stephen Levine
Seeing Deeper
In the sanctuary of our church, there is a beautiful stained glass window above the alter. Lights shine behind it to illuminate the myriad of rich colors. This window has drawn my attention each Sunday for over 20 years, and I feel that we know each other intimately through prayer and meditation.
Recently the lights went out and the colors all but disappeared. An electrician was hired to thoroughly explore the wiring. Apparently he discovered new possibilities, because the result of his attention was a new splendor. The beauty of this stained glass window became striking. Its new luminosity allowed us to discover exquisite details that had previously remained unnoticed. The lovely window now radiates overwhelming beauty, a beauty that has always been there waiting to shine to its full potential.
Doesn’t this apply to us as people, too? Sometimes it takes very little to help us let our inner beauty shine. The same is true when we help those around us to shine more fully. Offer praise and recognition for what someone does well; help others to develop their qualities and talents and to realize their fuller potential. Seek new light within yourself, share your fuller potential with the world, and ignite the light in others.
Bonnie Fatio
What Do Others Think Of Us?
“At age 20, we worry about what others think of us; at 40, we don’t care what they think of us; at 60, we discover they haven’t been thinking of us at all.” – Bob Hope
How much time do we worry about such useless matters? Another saying I think is excellent says, “What you think of me is none of my business.” – Anon
“All that really matters is what I think of myself.” – Bonnie Fatio
Lost and Found Moments
Do you find yourself with time on your hands? As we age, often we seem to have more “down” time than we might like.
I love moments that others might count as “lost time”. These little windows of unexpected time are a gift.
You know the moments I am thinking of – waiting for a bus, plane or train; the time you have at the hairdressers waiting for your hair to dry or take color; being all ready to go somewhere and having to wait for your partner or child; sitting in a restaurant waiting for your guest to arrive, or sitting in the doctor’s office. Each of us experience moments like these.
People with age-esteem know how to step into the “now” and enjoy the moment. Try some of these ideas next time you have to wait.
Actually, I drafted this message while waiting for my hair to dry…
Next time you have “lost” time on your hands, turn it into “found” time.
If I Had My Life To Live Over
Written by Erma Bombeck
“If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television – and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband. I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.” There would have been more “I love you’s”.. More “I’m sorrys” …
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it … live it…and never give it back.
Erma Bombeck wrote this when she knew that she had a fatal disease. It is filled with loving advice for each of us, at every age and stage.
Bonnie Fatio
The Fountain Of Youth
“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life & to the lives of the people you love.” – Sophia Loren
The Face You Deserve
“Nature gives you the face you have at 20. Life shapes the face you have at 30. But at 50 you get the face you deserve.” – Coco Chanel, Fashion Designer
Coco Chanel had a fascinating face with a beauty of its own at age 50, as have the faces of people like Audrey Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey and you and me!
Bonnie Fatio
A Melody Of Life
Someone wrote “The Silent Spring,”
But I think it bursts with song!
Birds sing out when on the wing. –
The wind whistles all day long.
Crickets chirp and pond frogs burp
And dogs howl at the moon.
Insects have with time, usurped
Their own inherent tune.
Each one of us has notes to bring
A melody to our lives,
And silently we all can sing
When verbally we strive!
Written by Alexandra Taylor † for AgeEsteem®
