Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis
My mom had a high school education. Later, when I was in high school, she went back to our community college and took some courses. I thought it was a hoot that mom and I were in school at the same time. I admired her willingness to learn things. When she was in her 70s, she started driving herself to Texas for the winter. Mom was always willing to get out of her comfort zone. When she was in her 80s, she resisted tackling the computer world, but she regretted that later. Every time I took my laptop to her apartment, she would be utterly amazed at the things we could access. She would say, “How did you do that? I should have learned earlier.”
Life-long learning is a vital part of successful aging. It is so important not to resist it even when if you get forced into it. During this frighting time of the global pandemic, Seniors are learning how to Skype and Facetime to see their families. What a blessing technology can be. I remember when a retirement community, where I was employed, got its new ATM. We thought the residents would be ecstatic. To our disappointment, they were, for the most part, skeptical. One of my favorite couples, Art and his wife Oma, finally signed up, with my encouragement. You should have seen his face when the machine delivered the first $20 bill. He could not believe it was so easy. Thank heavens, there were no fees attached; he became an expert quickly! My advice is to keep getting out of your comfort zone to experience new things!
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