April 29, 2014

Choices That Serve Us Better



Choice, not chance, determines our destiny.  ~Aristotle


This week's post is written by gum surgeon Dr. Cheryl Townsend Winter, who was featured on Lines of Beauty a few years ago, when she was in the middle of writing her book. The book is now complete and chock full of very helpful guidance for the journey of aging.:

I like to think of life as a piece of art of which we are the artist. That life is a composition piece; a unique woven tapestry of the choices we make.  Dorothy Sander said: “We are all artists. We just create on our own unique kind of canvas.” I say, we are all artists and we create our own lives. 

One choice we make is attitude: we can see ourselves aging gracefully, and beautifully, with longevity. Not at all surprisingly, having a positive attitude contributes to longevity. Research by Becky Levy proves that having a positive outlook on aging can add seven and a half years to one's life.

But there is more to this story than just attitude. Genetics accounts for 1/3 of the factors that lead to a long life so there is the other 2/3 which is the composition of all of the choices we make each moment of every day: what we eat or drink; what we do or don't do; whether we smoke or not; what time we go to bed and get up, etc. We can decide to live healthier and enjoy feeling good as we move along the longevity pathway. To give you a few ideas of choices that serve us well, here are some examples from my book, The Aging Gracefully Pathway: A Toolkit for the Journey. Some of them may surprise or intrigue you:

Longevity Quick Tips: 


 -Drink water to be healthy, think clearly, and even lose weight. 

    -Play in the dirt a little (gardening is so good for us in so many ways) to help win the aging battle (strengthens immunity).

    -Prevent gum disease: Floss your teeth - adds six years to your life.

    -From RealAge.com: Two 20 minute walks per day can take five years off your biologic age.

    -Shedding pounds can add 3-4 years to your life. 

    -Appreciate the magnificent equipment the body is, listening to what it has to say, and acting as its steward.


  Thank you Doctor.  

  Dr. Cheryl Townsend Winter's book is available at Amazon


April 18, 2014

Salut Salon





German female quartet performs comedic instrumental acrobatics.

Bravo!

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Day,
xo



April 14, 2014

New Souls, Old Souls

Did you ever think about how many lifetimes you've lived?

I noticed from a young age that people, regardless of their age or socio-economics, seem like they have taken fewer or more laps around the track, so to speak.

When I meet an old soul I feel like I want to climb onto their lap and stay awhile.

I don't think I am an old soul or a young soul. My feeling is that I am a medium-old soul.

Not that it matters at all. It's just something that I've noticed but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. I yearned to know more but I didn't even know what to research- until last year when it finally dawned on me and I put the pieces together.

Or at least I think I have put the pieces together.

Ha!

My apologies if this is all a review for you:

According to the site Loner Wolf  these are signs that you are an old soul:

~ You tend to be a solitary loner.

~You love knowledge, wisdom and truth.

~You're spiritually inclined.

~You understand the transience of life.

~You're thoughtful and introspective.

~You see the bigger picture.

~You aren't materialistic.

~You were a strange, socially maladaptive kid.

~ You just "feel" old.


If you are still with me, and care to know more, you can take an old soul test. They also have tests for infant souls, baby souls, young souls, and mature souls :-)

Holy mackerel.

Maybe dating websites have had it all wrong. Maybe they should be matching people up by the age of their souls.

Maybe this is a terrible idea.


April 07, 2014

Cycle of Life

Photo by Gerald Gribbon


Every time I see this photo by Gerald Gribbon on my Pinterest account, her beauty stops me in my tracks.

The sparkle in her eyes, her smile, the warmth she alludes. Her colors.

All I know of her is that she is from Phuket, Thailand, but I yearn to know more.

Where is she in the cycle of life?, I wonder.

If we think of the cycle of life like it's the face of a clock- twelve o'clock being our birth-  is she at 10:00 o'clock, with many many more moons still before her perhaps?  Or is she just a few strokes before midnight maybe, with only a birthday or two left before she passes?

My mama fell this past week while standing in the bathroom, trying to take off her sock. She broke the wrist she writes with and is more handicapped then she has ever been. It's been a hard week for both of us, but especially for her of course. I am noticing the instant intimacy that is created with someone when there is adversity. I'm having flash-backs of her by my side when I had my tonsils out in kindergarten, or the flu when I was young. Always a wonderful caretaker she was.

It's been a responsibility to have her close-by the last few years, but also, what a gift.

Such a very rich gift.
Her optimism, strength, and love for the simple things in life, inspires me endlessly.