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?

• Avoid posting selfies on the internet. People with age esteem know that they are in control and do not have to follow the herd.
• Post selfies that show your wrinkles and personal character and be proud of them. People with age esteem know that they each have a unique beauty. This is in part because of their wisdom and experience reflected on their faces.
• Encourage all the people who you know who have age esteem to post their untouched selfies on the internet with you to let people know that age is beautiful and that age can and should be celebrated.

Remember that you are beautiful with a unique beauty that is yours. Cherish it and celebrate it.

Bonnie Fatio

Your Life’s Book

Age Esteem

(This poem’s theme)

Begins at any age.

It’s how to be

Yourself and see

Your Life’s Book page by page

Chapter one

(Already done!)

The Volume grows with Time.

Chapter Three

Begins with glee

Esteemic, like this rhyme.

Chapter Five

You’re still alive

And confident, at last!

Chapter Twelve

It dips and delves

With lessons from the Past.

Chapter Twenty

There’s a-plenty

Pages still in Reams.

The end remains in formament

Rewarded and Esteemed.

Written by Alexandra Taylor † for AgeEsteem®

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®

Bicycling For Healthy Aging

In most cases bicycling is done to improve one’ s figure and to tone up the muscles.

However cycling is also a wonderful cardio-vascular exercise that reduces blood pressure and cholesterol, thus lowering the risk of cardio vascular disease.  New studies show cycling is good for the back and joints and even for arthritis.

Why not go bicycling in the open air with a friend? Breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the wonders of nature also contribute to a healthy body,  a positive attitude and enhance your age-esteem.

Grandma Nature

What Do You Really Want Out Of Life?

What do you really want out of life?

This is an important question to ask yourself as you age. What you want the rest of your life to be like, and how do you achieve this, is a common theme within Age Esteem presentations and workshops.

It is especially pertinent to ask yourself this question when you reach the stage in life when your career (working either outside of the home or dedicating your time to family) begins to wind down. You now have time to ask yourself, “What do I want the rest of my life to look like? What do I really want?”

In her Daily Spiritual Practice for July 20?^th 2015 Rev. Donna Loflin from the Unity of the Hills in Branson, Missouri shared the following message. Her message is pertinent for your Age Esteem.

“What do I really, really, really want?” ~Elizabeth Glibert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

“Its been said that we are transitioning out of the Information Age and there are many different ideas about which age we are now entering. Whichever age we are entering, we can see that systems are changing and paradigms are shifting. We are moving beyond mere knowledge and embracing higher levels of consciousness.

The world needs you: your talents, your gifts, your creative ideas and your rebel ways to lift us higher and lead us further. Something inside of you is inviting you to dream bigger and shine brighter. But how do you answer your heart’s calling when you work, manage your household, perhaps raise a family or caretake others? How do you make time to be creative when your never ending to-do list never ends?

Take it to the cushion. It could be your meditation cushion or your couch cushion. Wherever it is, sit yourself down, close your eyes and ask your heart, “What do I really, really, really want?”

In 2008 Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” was on “Oprah” and she shared a lot of wisdom she gained while traveling through Italy, India and Indonesia to write her New York Times best-seller. But the one idea that caught fire with people was her invitation to ask ourselves, as we go into meditation, “What do I really, really, really want?”

Gilbert said it is extremely important to ask “really” three times and to emphasize the word the third time you say or think it. Doing so invites your heart to answer it honestly.

You may not hear the answer right away. Be patient. And you may not “hear” an answer at all. You might see what looks like a sign OR you may feel a strong intuitive hunch. However your Higher Power answers, listen! You are being guided.

It may take a week or more to hear/see/feel an answer. Don’t give up. Keep asking…and keep listening. Inner guidance leads to your passion.

Living a life of “who you are meant to be” will not only change you…it will change the world.”

Cherries For Healthy Aging

Cherry season is a healthy season for us as we age. Sweet and sour cherries are very beneficial for good health.

Sour cherries have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body and are rich in antioxidants.  One study has found that reduction in pain from arthritis is a positive effect of sour cherries on the body.

Sweet cherries are rich in vitamin C.  They lower the level of urates in the blood, thus reducing the risk of gout.  Cherries maintain their health benefits after being cooked as well.

Foods such as cherries are also beneficial for our age-esteem. When we pick cherries we exercise many muscles as we stretch and bend. If we share the cherry picking or eating with others it creates a valuable social experience. And why not tap into your creative juices to make something new with the cherries? All of these ideas, added to the healthy benefits to your body, will also enhance your age-esteem.

Grandma Nature

Age Esteem Lessons From A Newborn

Lessons From Lucy

We are delighted to have a new baby in our extended family. A dear friend who we consider part of our family recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Lucy.

Besides being overwhelmed with love as I held Lucy in my arms, fed her, changed her, and watched her wiggle, look at me, and then sleep, I realized that she had lessons to teach us. – Lessons for Age Esteem.

Let me share Lucy’s lessons for Age Esteem with you here.

• Unconditional acceptance. Accept people for who they are with both their flaws and finer qualities, knowing that they are doing what they believe is best. Accept the love of others.
• Let others know when you need something. Whereas Lucy must cry to let us know she is hungry or needs to be changed, we are able to express words and gestures. Although we have been brought up to believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive, remember that someone has to receive in order for others to give. Ask for what you want and need.
• Sleep when you are tired. It is okay to nap during the day.
• Drink a lot.
• Keep moving. Exercise your muscles. Wiggle and stretch.
• Take time to be quiet and tune into the world around you with its colors, odors and textures. Feel the breeze and the heat of the sun.
• Learn something new every day.

If you practice Lucy’s lessons, you will feel better mentally, spiritually and physically. You will age better and you will enhance your age esteem.

Bonnie Fatio

Age-Esteemers Come In All Shapes And Sizes

I love to meet age-esteemers in different parts of the world. Here I am in Yvoire, France studying a newly found age-esteemer standing in front of one of the shops.

Age-esteemers come in all shapes and sizes, but they are easy to recognize. They draw people of all ages to them because they are happy and confident in being just who they are, their authentic selves.

Bonnie Fatio

The Feast Of Life

 Think of Life as one long Feast,

From the “oven” of your birth

To your souffléd rise (like yeast!)

(A fine recipe for Mirth.)

Don’t ever think your “goose Is cooked”

(There’s many “fish to fry”!)

So plan a life-long Menu Book,

With Relish in supply.

Every day can be “baked” or “steamed”

(Depending on your Age Esteem!)

This “aspic” may seem a little trite

But wishes you a Good Appetite!

 Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®