Have I found the fountain of youth? No. What I have discovered is our age has more to do with your frame of mind than the year on the calendar. So lets explore how "the young" think?
1)Embrace The New Day: Children hit the ground running, they can't wait to see what is going to happen. When was the last time you met the day with that much enthusiasm? When you see each day as a new beginning you can't possibly feel anything but renewed.
2) Learn Something New: Children intuitively know that there is so much that they don't know which gives them a hunger to learn. Did you learn something new today? Yesterday? The minute you think you know everything you are OLD.
3)Look Forward Not Backward: When a child is first learning to walk they inevitably fall. Do they obsess about why? Do they stop trying? Dwelling on the past and obsessing on what we perceive as mistakes freezes us from moving forward. Stagnation is the stuff of aging.
4) Find Joy In Simple Things: Have you ever seen a child with bubble wrap? How about the endless giggles that bubble from an infant when you make the same noise over and over again. Each time it's as if it was the first. Take a moment to enjoy the sound of the rain on your porch. Stretch out on some grass and enjoy the tickle on your back. Better yet roll down a hill or go buy some bubble wrap.
5) Do Things Differently: Shake It Up: Children are never caught up in ritual. We work very hard to teach them routine and order. It's not a bad thing except when you are controlled by it, unable to break free. Try driving a different way to work. Eat something different. What about starting on the other side of the supermarket? It will feel uncomfortable, but in a good way. Getting old is being set in our ways. Find balance in mixing things up.
Are you younging or aging?
The choice is yours!
(((Pam!))) I love this post and all its messages, and I LOVE your blog! I'm facing my 45th birthday this fall, and I've developed mantras for happy, healthy living that incorporate everything you've posted here. In fact, I have a chalk board in the kitchen where I write little messages for my family. Today it says: Find your bliss. Every.Single.Day! (#4).
ReplyDeleteAnd I was a little blue near the end of winter, and I decided I would do AT LEAST one new thing every week (#2). One week I went backstage at a morgue for research on a novel; another time I hiked a 12-miles trail; I rented a paddle boat by myself and spent an hour all alone on a lake. This week I'm teaching myself mosaic tiling. Fun!
I'm so glad you found my blog and left a trail back here. Great to meet you! Looking forward to future posts, and your Tweets! (@NicoleDwrites)
Have a great weekend!
Pam- I agree with everything you say, and find it inspiring and uplifting. . . with one exception. You say in #2 "the minute you think you know everything, you are old." I disagree. I think the minute you think you know everything you're a teenager! : )
ReplyDeleteNice post I like the tips:)
ReplyDeleteSage advice. And for the record, I'm younging! :)
ReplyDelete@NicoleDucleroir Wow Thanks for the nice comment. I would love to know the rest of your little messages. Great idea! Very happy to have found you also.
ReplyDelete@Annie Crawford OMG you are so right. I had blocked that part out. Too funny!
@Anne K. Albert Thanks for dropping in. Wow you have 3 websites. I plan to visit each one. Younging is the only way to go!
Good points! Most of the time then I think I'm younging. And no way am I going to change the name of my blog to "So I'm Sixty"--shhh! don't tell anybody.
ReplyDeleteHope you'll join us for The A to Z Challenge Reflections Post on Monday May 2nd.
Lee