Am I Old Yet?

A lot of folks ask the question, "When do you get old?"

The answer is - Darned if I know.

Like most folks in the world, I feel a lot younger than I actually am in years.  I read once that as long as the health is strong, most people feel like they reside in their 30's.  That makes sense.  Age is not something you give a lot of thought to when you have only a few years behind you and infinity ahead of you.

But slowly over time your body follows its own path.  Then one day you take a good look in the mirror and realize you are getting a strong resemblance to a parent.  You see it around the eyes, in the jawline, in your hairline.  And the body plays tricks on you.  All of a sudden the knees start creaking, the legs get tired, the energy level takes a hike.  You start to consider the possibility that age may be becoming more than a visitor, but actually striving to establish itself as an uninvited resident of your body.

You might not be able to stop the progress to actually feeling your true age, but that doesn't mean you have to go down without a fight.  You might be a 90 year old woman in a wheelchair, but you can still dream of when you were 18, dressed up for a night on the town, wearing that oh-so-fine red dancing dress and high heel shoes, strutting your fine self in front of a room full of admirers.

As long as you can see that in your mind, can feel it in your soul, then, honey, you're not old yet.

Distorted Life's Journey

It can happen to anybody.  You start off with a plan.  It may even be well defined and clear in your mind.  Then something happens.  You don't know how or why it happens, but all of a sudden your vision becomes distorted or a bit blurred.  You seem to have lost your way.  Do you quit, or do you find a way to go on?

It isn't always easy to go on.  How do you do it?  All I know is, you just have to come to the understanding that you can either stand still or move.  And to me, movement is always the better course.  But how can you move when things are so bleak?  A few suggestions I have found helpful:

     1)  Step back and take time to reflect on what may have happened.
     2)  If you have taken an emotional blow, give yourself time to get past it.  But not so much time you find it easier to be totally inactive.
     3)  Remember that you can't change others, you can only work on yourself.  So focus on what you need to do to help yourself go on.
      4)  Spend a little time on your Attitude of Gratitude journal.  It's always nice to reflect of the blessings you have rather than the things you feel are lacking in your life.
     5)  Rethink your goals.  Is it possible you've missed a step or tried to take a giant step when it's time for baby steps for a particularly difficult phase?
     6)  Pick a date and plant yourself in the right place to get yourself going again.

I like a quote attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes:
     Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

What about you?  What have you found helpful to get yourself looking forward to what can be rather than to what has faded into a distant past?