May you

Smile with affection at your reflection in the mirror.

Stand in awe of the sun as it sets, stimulating a palette of colors across the sky.

Reach out to another person who seems lonely or sad or simply in need of a friend.

Open your mind to hear the opposing views of others.

Find a way to dance, sing and play each day.

Accept gifts and help from others.

Hold the hand of a child and the hand of an elder.

Laugh with complete abandon.

Feel happy and valued and loved.

Hug someone spontaneously.

Praise others lavishly.

Encourage, support and open opportunities for others.

Feel gratitude for the goodness of each day.

Tell others unabashedly that you love them.

Share your talents and recognize your contribution.

Yes, these are what I wish for you on this day of celebration of love. They are, after all, what love is all about.

May Every Day be a Day of Love!

Bonnie Fatio

Charlie Brown and Lucy have done it again! These cartoon characters of Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” make me both laugh and ponder. They share such pertinent lessons.

In a recent cartoon, Charlie tells Lucy that he’s decided “this will be a year of decision”. He proudly shows her a list of things he is going to improve in his life in order to be a better person.  Lucy, who has a way of ruining the intentions of others, replies that she is “going to spend this whole year regretting the past”, crying over what she can no longer control. “Why did I do that?”

How often do you have a Lucy in your life, dimming your joy and crushing your enthusiasm? How often does a Lucy step into your day to tell you that you should not make that trip you have planned, or go out with friends in the evening, or even buy new clothes now that you are older?

If I were Charlie Brown, I would have dumped Lucy a long time ago. I don’t want to waste time regretting the past. I want to enjoy today!

An important aspect of aging well is to have people around you who encourage and support you in what you do, people of all generations who uplift you and who show AgeEsteem. You know the people I am referring to. They are the ones who live fully at each stage of life, who dare to act on their dreams, who have a meaningful purpose, who surround themselves with positive people of all ages, and who continue to contribute to society.

AgeEsteemers do not regret the past, they live in the present and embrace the future.

No, Lucy, I will not let your attitude spoil my joy of living.

Bonnie Fatio

Reflections of Age Esteem
The Holidays are almost here,
Oh where has gone another year?
Did I make the most of it?
Did I rise instead of sit?
Was I worthy of the days?
Speaking in the kindest ways?
Fulfilling all my greatest dreams?
Growing older with esteem!
Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

It happens every year. Cooks around the world will take to their kitchens to bake cookies galore and desserts that will leave a lasting impression for the new year, 2018.

Did you know that baking is a great way to express your Age Esteem?

Much like painting, baking allows oneself an avenue for creative expression. Creative expression is directly related to your overall well-being. Baking can also be a helpful way to communicate one’s feelings when there are no words to express what you are trying to say.

To get you started here is my favorite brownie recipe. – Sinfully delicious!

Laetitia’s Chocolate Brownies
225 grams margarine or butter 150 grams cooking chocolate
2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups flour
1 pinch salt 4 eggs

Melt the margarine and chocolate together. Add the remaining ingredients to the melted mixture, adding the eggs one at a time and mixing well after each one. Pour the mixture into a rectangular cooking dish and place in oven, that has been preheated to 175°C, for 25 minutes. Do not over bake. The brownies will be soft.

Cool and cut while still warm.

Get creative and use the above brownie recipe to make cookies.

I encourage you to live your age with passion, start your oven and get baking!

Is it possible to shine with Age Esteem as the days become shorter and our to-do lists seem to grow longer and longer?

Did you know that you can have less, do less, consume less and produce less while leading a better life? How can less be better? When we think of the word “less”, we first think about cutting things out. Instead think about only focusing on what is essential in your life and what matters to you.

Here are some ideas on how to improve your Age Esteem with less:

• Have less – let it go and declutter. Deal with the underlying emotions that accompany superfluous purchases. Rediscover your passion for nature and breathe it in.
• Do less – cut back on your commitments and workload. This will allow you to consciously have more room in your life for what’s truly important to you.
• Consume less – eliminate waste. Enjoy what you have and become content with what is already in front of you.
• Produce less – stop churning stuff out. Focus more on the quality and less on quantity.

As you go through the busiest days of the year, I encourage you to create a balance in your life and know that less can be better!

A wish list is an itemization of goods or services that a person or organization desires. Wish lists often contain items that a gift purchaser can obtain from a variety of retailers. However, a wish list might also contain intangibles, things that money really can’t buy.

On my wish list, I wish for a world where age and aging are celebrated and people of all ages are recognized as important, contributing members of society and that these key ideas and concepts are embraced by all:
1. FEEL GOOD about yourself at the age you are today, every day.
2. LIVE each day and each age.
3. FEEL CONFIDENT and secure in who are you are at every age.
4. BUILD positive thoughts and attitudes toward age.
5. RECOGNIZE, SUPPORT, CELEBRATE the person you are.
6. LIVE in the present and AGE WITH VITALITY and PURPOSE.

This wish list is unique because it is about dreams and goals, purpose, and love for oneself and one’s fellow human beings.

What will you write down for your personal Wish List this year? Have fun doing this, it is about you and what matters at this time in your own life.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, ask yourself these questions: “What are you thankful for about being the age you are?” What are the blessings that come with being 43, 58, 62, or 97?

To answer these questions, reflect on the ages you’ve been and what has changed as you have grown into who you are today. The young are often energized and dream about things to come while the more mature are blessed with insight. They understand that relationships are what sustain us, not the accolades we have collected along the way.

When you are in your 40’s you are full of self-determination and aim for respect and accomplishment.  You’ve had the opportunity to learn how to connect with others and have begun to feel a sense of gratitude for wisdom gained from previous life experiences.

In your 50’s the satisfaction of accomplishment and the value of connecting with others sets in. The demands of your 30’s and 40’s are diminishing, allowing you to diversify your interests. You are gaining back time to do things you have put aside for years.

When 60 rolls around, you are entering an entirely new, exciting point in life. You possess the ability to see yourself clearly and take action on things that you feel need more attention. The park has more meaning as you appreciate the moment, and the morning air becomes the kind of potion that you have not known since childhood.

At 97, you are a marvel! The quality of reflection you have on life is so different from the young that your words must certainly be listened to. You become society’s living history. You have seen triumphs and tragedies, revolutions and wars, and great achievements in technology. Gratitude shines in the freedom from the urgencies of earlier days and you have truly learned to cherish each moment.

The truth is that no matter what age you are, life is about doing every age well. So find thankfulness in your Age-esteem!

Maya Angelou had a way of expressing profound statements in simple language that we could easily understand. Age was not an issue for her. She liked herself, liked what she did and liked how she did it. She was highly successful in expressing her thoughts.

Maya Angelou was an excellent example and advocate for AgeEsteem. She was and remains a role model of a person aging with confidence, conviction and commitment. Her self-esteem and age-esteem manifested in all that she did and said. It was expressed in her humor, her poetry and her manner of living.

Success at every age is about loving yourself, enjoying what you do, and liking how you do it.

Bonnie Fatio

My husband and I spent all day yesterday traveling from Geneva, Switzerland to Florida. To our surprise, customs and the ride between terminals went rapidly so we were left with a rather long transfer time in New York. We decided to go into a sit-down restaurant to get some non-airplane food to eat. It was an experience that made me wonder if my outlook is out-of-date.

Although someone did come over to see if we needed help ordering, he was not there to take our order. Instead, standing in front of each of us was an iPad and we were expected to order on them! When we ordered and wished to pay cash, we were promptly told that the restaurant took no cash!  Luckily we keep our credit cards for special needs. – This was a special need!

We then settled down to wait for our food. The only difficulty was that the two iPads in special holders made it impossible to see each other and have a conversation. Instead, we found ourselves staring at an iPad inviting us to surf the web.

Hmm. Is this a sign that I am not with it? Yes, I am older and part of a different generation from the younger ones who thrive on such eating spots. Not only do you not need to have a conversation, the system is also set up so each person can order and pay separately. – Yes, there was a separate place for each to swipe our cards.

At the risk of sounding out of date, I will say that I personally still love to sit across from someone I can see and with whom I can have a direct conversation. So be it! My age-esteem is alive. I will still have my dinner conversations while others share theirs with an iPad.

“Each life is linked to all life.
Your thoughts, words and actions create a ripple effect; much like a stone thrown into a pond.
The quality of that ripple effect…is your legacy.”
– Kosta Stoyanoff

What kinds of ripples do you send into the world? Are they positive and empowering of others, or negative and demeaning?

Since you are reading this with age-esteem I know you are probably the former most of the time. It can be difficult sometimes, though, and takes practice.

One of the reasons I like the quote above is because it refers to the ripple effect. When we stop to think that everything we say and do has a ripple effect, we focus on the power of our words and actions. Whatever our age, abilities, experience, or knowledge, we are a role model for others in everything that we do.

I believe we are especially important role models as we age. Who else can better show the world what aging means today? Who else can be an effective model to demonstrate age-esteem? Who else can share the history that you have lived? Who else can better transmit values and ethics through example?

The ripple effect of our words and actions become our legacy. We will never know how many lives we have touched as part of our legacy, but we will know how we have lived as a role model for others to emulate.

Bonnie Fatio