Age With High Esteem
Spring just rang our bell!
“Hello” we said: “Well, well,
We’re ready to grow flowers
And bloom, like them, in bowers.
We hope you’ve brought the sun
To start our sap to run,
And learn to shake our feet
And spread our wings and Tweet!
You’ve come to help us dream
And age with High Esteem!”
Written by Alexandra Taylor † for AgeEsteem®
What then? Shall we sit idly down and say
The night has come; it is no longer day?
Something remains for us to do, or dare;
Even the oldest tree some fruit may bear;
For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars invisible by day.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 – 1882
As you can see by the dates that the author lived, the idea is not new. It has been proved again and again by people like Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, and you and me. It is never too late to act on your dreams and to make a difference that is meaningful to you. Go for it! Begin today!
Bonnie Fatio
This Is A Wonderful Day
This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.
Maya Angelou
Use this thought as you greet each new day to boost your age esteem. This IS a wonderful day. You have never seen this one before, nor will you see it again. Enjoy it to the fullest!
Bonnie Fatio
Vieillir En Beauté
Vieillir en beauté, c’est vieillir avec son coeur;
Sans remord, sans regret, sans regarder l’heure;
Aller de l’avant, arrêter d’avoir peur;
Car, à chaque âge, se rattache un bonheur.
Vieillir en beauté, c’est vieillir avec son corps;
Le garder sain en dedans, beau en dehors.
Ne jamais abdiquer devant un effort.
L’âge n’a rien à voir avec la mort.
Vieillir en beauté, c’est donner un coup de pouce
À ceux qui se sentent perdus dans la brousse,
Qui ne croient plus que la vie peut être douce
Et qu’il y a toujours quelqu’un à la rescousse.
Vieillir en beauté, c’est vieillir positivement.
Ne pas pleurer sur ses souvenirs d’antan.
Être fier d’avoir les cheveux blancs,
Car, pour être heureux, on a encore le temps.
Vieillir en beauté, c’est vieillir avec amour,
Savoir donner sans rien attendre en retour;
Car, où que l’on soit, à l’aube du jour,
Il y a quelqu’un à qui dire bonjour.
Vieillir en beauté, c’est vieillir avec espoir;
Être content de soi en se couchant le soir.
Et lorsque viendra le point de non-recevoir,
Se dire qu’au fond, ce n’est qu’un au revoir.
Ce poème a été transmise à Age Esteem par un ami qui l’a trouvé sur l’internet. L’auteur est inconnu.
Bonnie Fatio
Say “Yes” to 2016!
One of the many keys to living with age-esteem is to acknowledge that you have control over the realities of your life.
When I was 12 years old and leaving for summer camp, I said to my mother, “I wonder if I will have any fun. I don’t have any friends going to this camp.” My mother stopped what she was doing, looked me straight in the eyes and asked, “Do you want to have fun?” “Oh, yes!” I replied. “Then decide right now that you are going to have a good time, and you will,” she said simply. I had a fabulous time at camp.
Does this sound too simple?
Assuring your happiness during this new year really can be as simple as deciding what kind of a life you will have in 2016 and then embracing each day as it unfolds.
People with age-esteem know that the number of years you have lived have less influence on your health and happiness than your attitude. Anticipate happy moments and they will be yours.
Say “Yes” to 2016 and bask in its joys!
Happy New Year!
Bonnie Fatio
Blessings Throughout the Year
In the Christian religion the star is a sign of Peace On Earth Good Will Towards All. Christmas is a time of celebrating our Lord’s love. Many traditions surround it in our family: baking and decorating cookies, making gifts to give to others, decorating a tree, family gatherings and a midnight candlelight church service on Christmas eve.
Whether your religious beliefs and traditions are similar, different, or non-existent, my wish for each of you is that you experience blessings of love, joy and peace throughout the whole year.
Bonnie Fatio
Working Across Generations
One answer to working together across generations is Shared Intergenerational Leadership.
Why is this effective?
By working with others of diverse generations through sharing responsibilities, for instance leading a project, meeting or training, we learn how others function and think.
Rather than watch the other person perform in a way that annoys us, we are forced to open our mind. We have the natural opportunity to ask why they suggest something or prefer to work in a way that may seem foreign to us.
A personal incident that comes to mind took place when I was running an Intergenerational Dialogue at a Conference in Colombia with a young woman in her twenties from Trinidad Tobago. As we were discussing how notes would be recorded at each able she said, “They can also Tweet!”
My initial reaction was, “How rude!” Imagine people tweeting while you are sharing your idea. I am not proud to say that I missed this opportunity to sit on my mouth and to say nothing. However I did immediately ask further questions. I do, after all, tweet.
As a result, when we shared the leadership of this Intergenerational Dialogue I found myself encouraging participants to also tweet using the hash tag of the conference.
I learned something, the other person’s idea was valued, and it added to the richness of the dialogue process. Rather than trying to pigeonhole the other person into the characteristics of her generation, we each actively listened to the ideas of the other and acted together, sharing leadership intergenerationally. Each of us benefited in the process.
These experiences further enhance my own leadership style and confidence, and therefore my age esteem.
Bonnie Fatio
Does Your “Selfie” Show Age Esteem?
The following excerpt from “What Selfie Sticks Really Tell Us About Ourselves” (NY Times, Aug. 8, 2015) came across my desk recently from Candice, one of my readers in Ireland. Her comment was, “Age Esteem needs to become more widely spread so we might be proud to show what we really look like and to be happy with the way we look, wrinkles and all.”
Here is the excerpt. “The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports a marked increase in demand for cosmetic surgery as people become disappointed comparing their selfies with the images they see in the mirror.”
It is true that raw close-up photos of any kind tend to emphasize details like wrinkles and age spots. It is also true that wrinkles and age spots are not yet embraced and celebrated by the society we live in.
So what can we do?
Remember that you are beautiful with a unique beauty that is yours. Cherish it and celebrate it.
On A Gray Day
Despite seeing the sun shining, one of my friends said she was having a “gray day” when we spoke on the phone one morning. She was normally bursting with age esteem and enjoying the opportunities surrounding her. However, on this particular day she felt like Scrooge and yelling “Bah, humbug!” and that was exactly who she sounded like as she decided to be miserable.
One of the antidotes for a miserable day is to get out and do something for someone else. Share your talents and focus outward. So I sat down and wrote this Age Esteem rhyme for her.
On A Gray Day
When you are down and out
Sit alone, sigh and pout
Feeling down, out, really low
Shake yourself! Get up and go!
Step out of your gray, sad mood
Look outside and do some good
There are those who need you there
With your talents, smile and flair.
It is time to stretch, try something new.
Realize a dream; realize a few!
This is your time to reach out and give
Your time to sing, dance and really LIVE!
You are one of God’s chosen blessed
Why you are down, I could not have guessed.
When I look at you or hear your voice
I think you must be God’s first choice.
He gave you talents, oh, yes he did
(You I would never dare to kid.)
Talents in you overflow
And new ones await to grow.
So what if you do feel low and listless on this day so gray?
A precious resource you are for your feelings today
So replace those blues, with a colored rainbow display!
And grabbing its brilliance, find happiness on your way!
Bonnie Fatio
Growing Pains
“Growing Pains”
That does explain
Our ever-changing moods –
We way and wane
From Bright to Broods
A pattern we entrain.
How to seem
In Harmony
With Age Esteem
And synchrony
Of Painless Qualities?
“No pain, no gain”
a wise refrain!
Just aim for Joy
Don’t get annoyed
With fruitless “frivolities”!
Written by Alexandra Taylor† for AgeEsteem®
