Gratitude surrounds us. However, news is usually depressing and deals only with disasters and misery. Go on a gratitude hunt. As you go about your daily activities, notice the good that surrounds you. Use all your senses to capture the beauty and goodness of the day. Watch children at play, adults at work, and neighbors going about their business. What are they doing that you can be grateful for? (ideas: helping another, teaching, making something pretty, taking care of someone, repairing a bicycle tire,…) Yes, catch people doing good, and be thankful, It will boost your age-esteem.

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!

Many countries and religions have special days to give thanks. In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month.

Families gather around tables that are laden with more food than one normally eats. It is part of the tradition to have a stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, vegetables and salad followed by apple, mince and pumpkin pies.

It is also the time when we hold hands and bow our heads to give thanks for the many blessings we have received.

Gratitude is important for our age-esteem. It has power to help us feel good at every age. In future blogs, I will share some of the ways this is true.

Bonnie Fatio

What a wonderful reminder to give thanks on this special day for all the blessings that surround us.

I am especially thankful for the people in my life who make my heart brim with love.

• My granddaughters who remind me how to play and laugh with abandon,
• Our daughter and her husband who are cascading the love and values of family to the next generation,
• Our extended family of all ages who share their lives with us and keep us current,
• Friends who dare say, “I love you” and hug with genuine warmth,
• People who have passed through my life, often without a name, who have marked me in some positive way through a word or action,
• The parents and grandparents who did their best to transmit their values, faith, and zest for life that continue to guide me today, and especially
• My husband of 49 years who encourages and supports my dreams and is always present with his unconditional love, allowing me to be my authentic self.

Oh, yes, my heart overflows with thanksgiving and gratitude for all of this and so much more.

Bonnie Fatio

P.S. The cute turkey was drawn by Rani, one of our young friends whose family invited us to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them.

Gratitude Is My Attitude

When I was born,

In a Hotel Suite,

With Mother, Father, and brother Pete,

Our cast of four was thus complete,

An absolutely perfect feat!

All was perfect, or so it seemed,

And then we grew and grew much older

(We’d not yet heard of Age Esteem!)

each year braver, brighter, bolder.

Now I am in a Twilight zone,

My future’s not as long as yore,

The family’s gone, I’m left alone

But positive there’s much in store:

Depending on my attitude

And facing Life with Gratitude!

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

Satisfied

Just when you think that you’re all worn out,

Straighten up, stand strong, give a shout:

“Hooray for the day!

Come what may

I will greet it with joy and gratitude,

And a cheerful, confident attitude.”

I am alive and

Satisfied!

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day in several countries of the world.  But isn’t every day a day of thanksgiving?  We have so much to be thankful for !  Even on the days that seem to be grey and dismal when we want to complain, we can be thankful that we are capable of complaining.  It means that we realize that life could be better and that we still have higher aspirations than just what today may bring.

Gratitude is an important facet of age esteem.  Gratitude, feeling thankful because we recognize our blessings, is key to feeling good about yourself at the age you are today.   What are you thankful for?

I am thankful to be capable of thinking and learning.

I am thankful for my sight, that makes it possible to bask in the beauty of nature.

I am thankful for my hearing and to enjoy laughter and the rustling of leaves.

I am thankful for my arms that make it possible to hug.

I am thankful for my voice and being able to express my thoughts aloud.

I am thankful to feel emotions, especially love.

I am thankful to smell the freshness of the air after a storm.

I am thankful for Age Esteem.

I am thankful for family and friends.

I am thankful for those without names who have touched my life.

I am thankful for those who share their goodness.

I am thankful for YOU.

Bonnie Fatio

“Esteemate” your qualities,

Fancies and frivolities;

Gleam with a new fortitude,

Resonating gratitude

For each and every new day’s chance

To liven up and be enhanced.

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem

Apparently being kind to others is not only good manners.  A recent Japanese study emphasizes it is also good for your health.

Holding the door for someone, saying a kind word of thank you, or showing your gratitude bring two positive outcomes.  According to this Japanese study you will feel happier and be healthier.  It is an easy and inexpensive way to reduce stress and avoid depression.

Being kind stimulates the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has a positive effect on our humor, and reduces the secretion of cortisol which is a stress hormone.

So, to be healthier share your kindness and gratitude.  This is good news for people with age esteem, because they naturally show gratitude.

Bonnie Fatio

Happy World Teacher’s Day

What better way to follow “Words of Encouragement” than to give tribute to teachers.

Each of us has one or several teachers who have encouraged and inspired us.  They did it out of love and dedication to teaching and to helping us become smarter and confident in our own knowledge.  Most often teachers have to be satisfied with their own estimate of how well they did their job.  We were not over zealous in letting them know that we appreciated what they taught us or in telling them what we have done with our education.  But it is never too late.

Today is the ideal occasion to write a note of gratitude to a former or present teacher.  Formal education is a blessing that not everyone enjoys.  Search out your teachers on face book and through former classmates.  Make today a day of thanks for teachers.

Bonnie Fatio