Beth Linguri, 74, USA

When I hear Age Esteem what comes to mind for me is to really love yourself and esteem yourself.  Give yourself honor for who you are and what you are, whatever wisdom you have gained in your lifetime, whatever age you are.  I have a number of chronological years.  I’m grateful for them.  I’ve had lots of experience, lots of wisdom, lots of things I have gained during that time to honor and to share.

The concern I have is physical aging.  Any physical manifestations that would get my way of doing what I believe and know that I want to do, have to do. – My mission so to speak.  My chosen mission for these next years is important.  I am concerned about any physical ailment that would stand in the way.  For example I did have severe arthritis in my knee joints which prohibited me from walking or standing as long as I wanted to, so I was able to solve that with surgery.  But anything else that might get in the way is a concern of mine.

Beth’s tips: There are two things that I do.  I pay close attention to my nutrition and I don’t take any medication, only food supplements, and I avoid stressful situations because I feel stress is an unnecessary aging factor.  I like to learn to deal with stress in a positive way.  The other thing is that I do a lot of activity.  I do Yoga.  I walk.  I do a lot of physical activity and mental activity to unify my body and soul and spirit and to allow my spirit to really direct my activities.

I would offer the following advice.   The first is to respect and love yourself.  It all begins with that.  Take care of yourself.  Nurture yourself.  Respect your time and your abilities and be true to yourself.   I think that is so important at whatever age you are.  I think the second thing to do is to live a life of service.  I think once you are true to yourself you know that you have much to give and much to offer, so you share and you find your niche in a life of service to others.
Provide a venu for people to meet in a community to share and to grow in their own true selves and their own spiritual nature.

Beth Linguri will be hosting a conference Aug. 19-21st near Geneva, Switzerland to nurture self and spirit.  www.ThePeaceConference.com

Bonnie Fatio

As a child growing up in Parchment, Michigan, I remember our community adopting a refugee family from Latvia.  We were fascinated to think that they had to learn our language and way of living and we were eager to understand their stories and customs.  After we left Parchment, my path never seemed to join that of refugees again nor did the word come into conversations until I came to Geneva, Switzerland.

When Mrs. Sadako Ogata became the High Commissioner (1991-2000) of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), I was privileged to serve on a council of local leaders who she invited to become involved with the UNHCR in order to promote a realistic understanding  of both the plight and contributions of refugees within the Swiss and international communities.    Mrs. Ogata personally moved us to understand the multiple issues at play.   When you are forced out of your home with only the clothes on your back and join the hundreds of thousands seeking refuge in the UNHCR camps, you are grateful that such an organization exists with the extensive logistics behind it.  And yet, your deepest hope is to return to your own home.

The most moving picture that I can share to represent the plight of the refugee is an event planned for the 50th anniversary of the UNHCR in Geneva.  Thousands of floating candles were placed in the Rhone River that flows out of Lake Geneva.  It wasn’t possible to represent the 40 million refugees in the world, but the image was moving.  As the candles floated, some would capsize and disappear, others would break off in little clusters and then split up once again, while yet others would find themselves alone with their light flickering.  It is a picture that stays with me as I think of what trials refugees experience and the courage they prove.

As we look at the meaning of Age Esteem, I believe that refugees offer us an important lesson.  No matter where we go, what trials we meet, the obstacles in our path or the need to leave the past behind and move on we will have to count on our own inner resources to meet each new day with hope and the understanding that what is most important is within us.  Refugees such as Einstein and Madelaine Albright who have had only their know-how and will power as baggage teach us a powerful lesson.  We too can contribute our skills and knowledge to make this a better world with however little we may have.

Geneva is home to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) established in 1951 to give legal, social, economic, and political aid to refugees. The UNHCR is the successor of the International Refugee Organization whose first efforts focused on Europeans displaced by World War II.  It has since assisted refugees in multiple countries globally. It is financed by voluntary government contributions. The office won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1954 and 1981.

To “mothers” of all ages

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY !

Today Age Esteem celebrates each of you. – Mothers, aunts, Godmothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, sisters and friends.

We are thankful that you have nurtured, loved, guided, prodded, mentored, and led another to grow into a better person and to become independent and capable of loving and nurturing others.

Being a mother or a mother figure in the life of another person is one of the most precious roles life offers.

I am forever grateful for the women, known and unknown, who have grown me into the woman I am and continue to accompany me on my journey.

Thank You!

Bonnie Fatio

Who are these two people?  What were their life journeys like?  Where did they come from?  How did their lives evolve?

No matter who they were, our lives are somehow interrelated.  Their lives, like ours, represent lessons learned, events experienced, roads traveled and relationships built. – All of this was part of their own age esteem; it is part of the legacy of life’s lessons that they passed on to others.

In AgeEsteem: Growing A Positive Attitude Toward Aging I share a chapter “My Legacy of Wisdom” which suggests how you might leave your own Legacy of Life’s Lessons.  Why not begin doing this now?  Then when future generations look at your picture, they will know the answers to the questions we asked about the couple pictured above.

• What are some of the lessons that you have learned through experience?  For examples see “Put More Energy Into Your Age Esteem“.
• Keep a diary of these lessons as they come to mind.
• Rewrite these lessons to share with others.  You may wish to make a book of these lessons, design them into a collage, or put them into the form of a will.

Being able to use the past with its experience of living is a gift I have to share. –  Bonnie Fatio

Amy Balderson and Bonnie Fatio

Filming for Legacy®

Your life story is an  important dimension of your age esteem.  Have you shared with others of all ages your values, experiences and lessons learned?  No two people live the same experience even though they may live the same event at the same moment.   This is why it is important to write your memoirs or record your story on audio or visual, or all three!  Each of us has a unique journey to share.

For a special project for Legacy® in Versoix, Switzerland I was asked if I would take part in filming that project.  Since I have donated my own story to Legacy®, I know the organization well and was pleased to accept.

Legacy® records and collects in-depth audiovisual interviews of the life stories of people who shape our world in order to preserve them for future generations. I believe strongly in the importance of capturing the stories of personalities alive today and to make these stories accessible to those who will never have an opportunity to meet them in person.   They become our virtual mentors.

Perhaps you will be contacted in the future to donate the story of your journey.  When this happens, I hope you will respond with a resounding age esteem, “Yes”.

P.S. Here are some extraordinary photos of Versoix where Legacy has its headquarters.

Bonnie Fatio

When is the last time you spent 12 hours non-stop and still had energy to spare?  Yesterday?  Ten years ago?

Our age esteem soars when we are full of energy and vitality.   We feel good about ourselves when our energy seems boundless.  We are happier and healthier.

On my hour drive home from playing with my two little granddaughters ages 2 and 4 for ten hours – after my early morning drive to their home – I was still bubbling with energy.  I felt exuberant.

Why would I feel energized after such a long day?  One reason is that I did not babysit.  Instead, I played!   We spent the whole day having fun, doing what we enjoyed.  It was a powerful lesson on how to put more energy into your age esteem.

• Build into your day activities that you enjoy.  Roll in the grass.
• Find ways to make activities that you must do enjoyable.   Sing to your spinach.
• Change activities when your attention span tires and move onto something else.  Make cookies and then paint or draw.
• Move and use all parts of your body.  Dance with abandon.
• Create a balance between quiet activities and active ones.  Read a book and then play tag.
• Take a break in your day to nap or meditate.  Go to sleep after lunch.
• Drink often and have a small snack in the morning and again in the afternoon.
• Laugh with abandon.
• Hug others as often as possible.  This includes animals and stuffed toys.

If you practice the above you will put more energy into your age esteem and feel happier and healthier.  Enjoy!

Bonnie Fatio

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

Age Esteem

A Poem
is at home
with in your heart.

A Verse
(even terse)
is an art.

A Rhyme,
every time,
would be smart.

Age Esteem
is to deem (like a dream)
a good start!

Written by Alexandra Taylor after reading
AgeEsteem: Growing A Positive Attitude Toward Aging
by Bonnie Lou Fatio

Bonnie Fatio, founder of AgeEsteem & Isabel Contreras, Louise Hay trainer

People who have participated in Louise Hay workshops, Heal Your Life, or AgeEsteem programs have a major value in common. – They love themselves as they are at the age they are.

On April 14, Bonnie Fatio was invited to offer “A Taste of Age Esteem” at Life Motivations Center in Bellevue, Switzerland.  The evening was magic, filled with wonderful information, thought-provoking exercises and stimulating discussion.

Isabel Contreras, founder of Life Motivations and trainer of the Louise Hay method, said “The taste of Age Esteem was delightful, inspirational and educational.  The participants thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot.  Bonnie’s great energy came out in absolutely infectious positive energy.”

Among the definitions of Age Esteem given by the participants who ranged in age from the 30’s to 60’s:

• Feeling great no matter what my age.
• Love and respect for self and others no matter where we are on the time line.
• Getting the most out of life no matter what the number of years.
• Loving the age I am now.
• Having more respect for older people and being more thankful for them and giving them more respect for age and wisdom.

2012 will be the European Year for Active Aging and Solidarity between Generations.

Solidarity between generations, people of different generations working together,  is essential for our world to function.  Many of the AgeEsteem workshops that I give are around an intergenerational theme and the importance of the complementarity that people of different ages and stages in life offer each other.

It is natural to want to be with others of diverse ages and to have solidarity between generations.  If we look at the family unit we see two, three and even four generations.  It is natural to interact daily with people of other generations, be they younger or older.

• Do you have regular contact with your parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren?
• What contact do you have with younger and older people?
• What benefit do these people bring to your life – and you to theirs?
• Is there a feeling of solidarity between generations where you live and work?
• If you lack contact with other generations, what can you do to remedy this?

People with age esteem tend to be active with positive people of all ages, creating solidarity between generations.

Bonnie Fatio