The Beauty of Older Women

“So much has been said and sung of beautiful young girls, why doesn’t somebody wake up to the beauty of old women?” – Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Abolitionist and Author

Harriet Beecher Stowe lived from 1811 to 1896. Her quote leads one to believe that very little has changed in the views toward aging, yet aging has transformed greatly during past years. We are healthier, more vital and remain engaged in life as older women. We live our ages with more confidence and age-esteem, and transcend a beauty that only we can bring.

Bonnie Fatio

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®

Your Beauty Will Unfold

Buds and Blooms and Birds and Bees –

Spring brings every one of these…

Besides the Brightest Skies of Blue

(Best when Broiling Bar-B-Ques!)

By Becoming Brave and Bold

Your Beauty will Spring up = unfold

And Be the Better, in Between

Its Benefactor: Age Esteem!

Written by Alexandra Taylor † for AgeEsteem®

Wine For Healthy Aging

Although I would not encourage non-drinkers to drink, those of you who do drink alcohol will be interested in these health reasons for sipping some wine daily.

More and more studies show that a glass or two of wine per day is good for you as you age. It benefits your cardio-vascular health.  It was thought that it is red wine that protects the heart because of a substance in the red skin of the grapes, but it is now proven that red or white wine is beneficial.

Every wine has an element that is good for some ailment. This depends on the region where the grapes grow and the minerals in that particular soil.

Wine has a relaxing effect as well and can add just the right touch to a meal.  After all it was the monk Dom Pérignon who created the epitome of wine, champagne!

However, too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure so wine consumption should be moderate.  Limit yourself to one or two glasses a day for health as you age.

Grandma Nature

Soul Mates

How many times have you met someone who was very different from you in culture, religion, race, experiences, etc. yet you felt an almost immediate connection with the person?

Frequently this happens as I meet new people. Sometimes it stimulates me to get to know the person so that I can discover why this is so. At other times I simply accept the fact that they seem to be a soul mate and enjoy the feeling of connection.

One such experience was during the first international conference where I presented AgeEsteem. Among the other keynote speakers was the South African Ambassador to Switzerland. Although she had been raised during Apartheid in a very different culture with a different color to her skin, as she told her story I knew that our souls merged. Despite different geographical and cultural beginnings, our origins were similar. We had been raised with comparable values and many of the same messages of support and encouragement during our formative years. Neither of us was raised in riches of money; both were raised among the riches of love, a zest for life, knowing education was essential if we were to reach our dreams, and with a faith in right overcoming wrong.

Similar experiences have greeted me over the years as I travel the world and connect with people who are doing amazing things in their own homes and communities. Sometimes these people are older; often they are younger; rarely are they the same age as I am. Age makes no difference. What is within us does. We are connected by yes, our experiences and origins in some cases and our visions and goals in others. – And we are always connected by our shared values.

Next time you meet someone, when you stretch out your hand to say hello, stretch out your heart also. You may find a soul mate.

Bonnie Fatio

Sweet Potatoes For Healthy Aging

Sweet potatoes, with their rich orange color, are a wonderful source of fiber and vitamins.  Loaded with beta-carotene, which aids night vision, they are helpful as an anti-inflammatory food, and they seem to protect the immune system.

A Harvard University study shows that large amounts of beta-carotene may prevent some cancers, especially lung and breast cancer.

Grandma Nature

I associate sweet potatoes with Africa. When I attended a conference in Kenya in the 1990’s, one evening our hosts built a bonfire and threw sweet potatoes into the fire. While the potatoes cooked a local raconteur wove us into his storytelling with threads of tales from our various cultures. At the end of the evening we reveled in the savors of the sweet potatoes.

Bonnie Fatio

Never Too Late

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

Happy Valentines Day!

May each day of your year overflow with love and age-esteem,

Bonnie Fatio

Dill For Healthy Aging

When the word dill is mentioned, you might think of pickles.  Yet it is a delightful fresh herb which can benefit your health.

As an aid to digestion, dill is thought to have muscle-relaxing effects on the stomach and to relieve cramps.  A strong diuretic, it provides anti-bacterial compounds as well which can alleviate bladder infections.

Grandma Nature

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