Senior Citizens Setting Super Examples!

Greetings Dear Reader!

This month is ALMOST over but while we are still in July, I am happily writing about aging well.

Today I am sharing about senior-aged citizens (and NEAR senior-aged citizens) setting super examples for living and aging well.

First of all, there is my relative. She works out about 5 days a week, takes excellent care of her skin, eats well, and is married to a gentleman who is younger than her. Now this relative of mine is way too nice to be called an um... 'cougar'. She just happened to feel connected to a man who has not been alive as long as she has. 

Then there are a few acquaintances such as Mr. D. Mr. D. has a career in law but recently, at the age of 65, he just earned his Cross-fit Trainer Certification! How about that?! He could just participate, which is also pretty super; however, he chose to share what he knows and train others in his spare time. I'm thinking this might be a 2nd career for him; especially, if he opens his own gymnasium.

There is Mr. L., a happily married and jovial gentleman, who I met along the Meramec Greenway this past week. Mr. L. rides his bike up and down the trail as well as those that are nearby for miles upon miles. Surely, he rides the length of a half marathon, and possibly more. Guess how old Mr. L. is ? Well, when he asked me to guess, I said about 58. Well, the correct answer is 73! Yes, 73! I am inspired by Mr. L. He is definitely setting an awesome example for aging well.

There are others who are setting super examples for aging and living well. Such as an individual I know who is helping to archive photos and other memorabilia for the religious center of his boyhood days. He is having a grand time reviving the memories and ensuring the religious center's history is not lost.

Oh! One more example. A few years back, I met an 84 years alive woman who told me she was a Peace Corps volunteer. She looked young and spirited. I can't recall her name but she spoke enthusiastically about flying to different places and helping out. She had a sense of meaning and purpose even though she lived alone. She was visiting my former neighbor when we happend upon each other but I have never forgotten her. That's because I was intrigued by the example she was setting.

Okay Dear Reader, let's keep a look out for more senior citizens who are setting super examples. Share this with others who may benefit from reading this post.

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) optimal ability to live and age well,
Kaja Green-Tovar

Aging and Changing Careers!

Greetings Dear Reader!

So with aging comes change and wisdom, right? Well, I hope so! Throughout our lives change happens but luckily the longer we've been alive, the more capable we are in dealing with new situations, people, or places.

One major change that can happen is we end a career and start a new one, or decide to volunteer our knowledge, skills, and abilities. Sometimes we do something that is in a totally different field from the one we've been doing, or from what we spent years in college studying for. But you know what?! That's okay!!!

Really, as we age there will be change. Things are way different from when you're the age of two to twenty-two, twenty-four to forty-four, thirty-six to sixty-six, and so on.

Let not your heart be troubled if what you've always done is not what you get to do now or tomorrow. Instead, pull up your bootstraps and dare to do something DIFFERENT!

It's okay to have been a CIA agent and then become a baker, or to have been a fitness trainer and then become a flight attendant. Perhaps you were a police officer once. Well, it's okay to go work as a truant officer so that you don't have to chase hardened criminals. Welcome the opportunity to do something different.

Choose to forego lamenting about what once was and stay in engaged in life by doing whatever you can do well and will enjoy - which may very well be something different. Don't forget that volunteering is another way to make an impact.

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) ability to embrace a new career when and if the time ever comes!
-Kaja Green-Tovar

Aging and Flirting!

Greetings Dear Reader!

Another thing about aging well is engaging in flirting! Yes, flirting. While many of us become very comfortable with our solitude we must be open to meeting new people and enjoying romance. It doesn’t mean you have to start planning a wedding date, but be open to chatting or going to coffee with someone who is interested in you other than only as a platonic friend.

Dare to flirt a little. You never know what might happen. Don’t worry! Flirting doesn’t mean you have to share your home, bed, or bank account. It’s just simple fun.

Give someone you might be interested a compliment, a wink, your business card. You get the idea!

Basically, enjoy flirting. Enjoy yourself – you and the person you’re flirting with deserves it.

Of course, this is NOT for people who are already in committed relationships. If you are in a committed relationship then please make it a point to flirt with your partner. If you don’t, someone else will.

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) optimal quality of life,

Kaja Green-Tovar

Aging and Change!

Greetings Dear Reader!

Remember this month's topic is about aging. We are all going to do this - I hope. After all, we know the alternative to aging.

As we continue to live, we have the right and ability to change our minds. We get to decide what we experience and the kinds of interactions we wish to have.

When we decide to change something, we are choosing to reinvent our experiences, interactions, or opportunities.

A good example of change at any age is someone choosing a to go to college for the first time or return to college for a new career path. Or it could be a person deciding to move to a different state or country. Whatever the change is, it is akin to reinventing one's life.

When we make changes in our lives, we gain new experiences and interact with new people. We also get exposed to new opportunities that may not have been present before we made a change.

I'm not saying to disregard familiarity and stability. We need those in our lives! What I'm advocating is the willingness to try something new; to give change a chance!

I hope this encourages you to continue trying new experiences and interacting in different social settings. Change at any age, can be a good thing!

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) optimal quality of life,
Kaja Green-Tovar

Aging And Wisdom!

Greetings Dear Reader,

Perhaps you are a middle aged person (or older), or know someone who is. Whichever person you are, you need to know the following:

With age comes wisdom; however, as long as we live we are still learning.

The above statement is important because... we must respect where others have been and gain insights from the wisdom they are willing to share. We do not have to agree with everything told to us, but we can value and seize opportunities from those who have been there and done that. After all, with age comes wisdom.

We are all growing, as long as we breathe, in one way or another. Live well, love much, learn from your experiences, and then share what you know.

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) ability to live, love, learn, and share the wisdom that comes with age.

-Kaja Green-Tovar

No. 1 Accessory To Look Better At Any Age!

Greetings Dear Reader,

Get ready to find out what is the best accessory at ANY age! You'll want to keep the accessory clean, fresh, and sincere. This number one accessory WILL help you to not only look better, but feel better as well.

Ready to know what this accessory is? Read on!

The accessory is a SMILE! Yes, a smile will help anyone to look better. And fortunately, your accessory is unique to you - unless of course you have an identical twin! Your accessory may come with perfect teeth, an overbite, or missing teeth but as long as it's clean, fresh, and most importantly SINCERE, your smile will help you to look and feel better.

So what are you wearing right now? I hope it's a SMILE!

Smiling selfie taken while somebody else was driving.

 

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) optimal health and wellness,

Kaja Green-Tovar

Learning and Growning As We Age!

Greetings Dear Reader!

Do you or someone you know feel that because a certain number of years have been lived, we should handle on our emotions perfectly well? Many of us feel that as we age, we should have a better grip on our emotions than we did when we were younger. While experience helps us to handle our emotions better and faster most of the time, it does not mean we do so all of the time.

As we get older, we don't always handle our emotions as well as we think we should. And you know what?! It's OKAY!!!

As we live another moment, day, week, or year, we continue to grow as a result of new experiences and encounters. Sometimes we handle these new experiences and encounters with perfect aplomb; other times we might temporarily lose our composure.

Earlier, I briefly felt quite frustrated. I was floating along thinking positive thoughts and doing what I needed to do with great ease and poise. Then suddenly I encountered a situation that left me in tears. Luckily, this lasted in private for only about two minutes (if even that long), but the point is that my feelings of frustration caused me to feel emotionally upset. I'm sharing this because while it's easy to think that as we age we should be better at handling life's circumstances, we are still spiritual beings dealing with the human realm of things.

If we did not have more learning or growing to do, we would be on the next  plane of existence wherever that may be, and not here on Earth. When we encounter a situation that ruffles our emotions, there is most likely something to learn. Once we learn what that is, we grow from it.

So Dear Readers, give yourselves a break. Just because we reach a certain number of years does not mean we get a pass from dealing with new (or old) circumstances that cause us to learn and grow.

I hope this post helps you or someone you know take it easy the next time they feel frustrated when they normally feel poised and ready for anything.

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) optimal quality of life,
Kaja Green-Tovar

Don't forget to check out Lucky At The Lake: A Years Alive, Not Years Old Novelette:

http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-At-The-Lake-Novelette/dp/150015072X

I See Older People!

Greetings Dear Reader!

I see older people! I see them each morning that I go walking or running at one of the many awesome parks where I live.

 

And you know what? I love seeing them. I love seeing people who are so much older than me setting the example, whether they mean to or not, for taking care of their body vehicles.

 

Some of the older people I see are walking, jogging, or riding their bikes through the parks. Often they are smiling and looking as though life is awesome!

 

During my runs or walks, I frequently see one older woman in particular who walks 6.6 miles with her small dog, and then gets her bike off of her bike rack, puts her little dog in a basket, and rides the same trail they just walked. By the way, her legs look AMAZING! I don't know exactly how many years she's been alive but she is older than me, which lets me know that I too can continue being active as I evolve through the years.

 



Folks, I see older people and they are out and about doing some really cool things! From being apart of quilting groups, running and biking groups, enjoying a good book at the library, or working out at the gym, they are participating in life peacefully and purposefully. 

 

My mother is another good example of someone who is aging well. She looks much younger than her years because of how she takes care of her skin and manages her weight. She also does meaningful work, and takes time to enjoy life by going to nearby cities, local parks, the beach, and the like.

Take note of the older people around you and be inspired.

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) optimal quality of life,
Kaja Green-Tovar

Aging On Your Terms!

Greetings Dear Reader!

As much as I am an "aging well enthusiast", there was a time I abhorred revealing my age. I'm not saying that nowadays I go around with a sign up showing how many years I've been alive, but I no longer cringe or feel distraught over having my age known.

What happened to make me feel more tranquil about how many years I've been alive? I realized I am aging on MY terms not anyone else's.

People care more about their own age more than they could ever care about yours. We sometimes inquire about each other's ages, sure. But it's not really that significant. Besides, how we live is more important than the number of years we have been alive. Read that bold-font sentence again!

Someone who was very close to me died at only forty-nine years from a vehicular accident. That person was energetic, kind, and lived life purposefully! Not only was their spirit great, but that person also took great care of their physical body by eating properly and exercising on a regular basis. I'm sharing about this person because although death came far earlier than expected, their life was lived very well. They probably did more in their forty-nine years than some people do in their one hundred years! The point is that regardless of how long we live or have been alive, what matters is how we live.

As we age, we have the right to do it well, or not; either way, we get to do so on our own terms.

The following are some tips on aging well:

• Keep your body in motion to prevent stiffness and a decrease in mobility. Eat well to manage your weight so you do not burden your skeleton frame with excess fat. It's never to late to start an exercise regimen or change your eating habits.
• Listen to or read good news stories instead of terrifying reports. Be your own best friend.
• Give your self a pep talk when no one else around to do it for you. Pat your self on the back, or your knee if you can't reach your upper back too well.
• Be kind to yourself. Make it a habit of saying nice things to yourself about yourself.

You have the right to age on YOUR terms. How will you chose to do it? I hope well.

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) optimal quality of life,
Kaja Green-Tovar

 Happy to be 39 years alive! Selfie taken May 2014! I'm wearing a tank top by the way. I am NOT topless!

Age-wise, We Travel The Same Direction

Greetings Dear Reader!

Do you know that age-wise, we are all going the same direction? Ponder that a moment. It's one more of the many things we humans have in common. So why do some of us discriminate and devalue the older humans amongst us?

I think there is age-discrimination and devaluing of elderly aged individuals because we forget that we're all going in the same direction.

But you know what? Ageing ceases to happen when you die! Therefore, if one is still alive then there is more life he or she needs to experience. More growth to do. It must not be taken for granted that no matter how many years we have been alive, our spirits are in our bodies to have the human experience.

Getting older is a blessing! It means we're still here to enjoy our family, friends, work, and hobbies a little longer. Ageing sure is better than the alternative - at least most of us think so!

Life is a journey where, as spiritual beings, we continue to grow and evolve throughout our human experiences. Living is a wonderful thing. As we live, we age (aging is synonymous with evolving, changing, growing).

Basically, aging happens folks! No more lamenting about it! If aging concerns you, then do what you can to age well, gracefully, and mindfully. Start setting the standards for your younger friends and family members for aging with grace and poise.

Age-wise, we travel the same direction. Be grateful that you still exist to Live, Love, Learn, and Share in the journey of life.

Best wishes for our (yours and mine) ability to age well,
Kaja Green-Tovar

Yours truly (born 1975): photo taken in 2014.