Move or Mold

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis

I love it when people capture a whole philosophy in a nutshell.  I talked to a lady who said she had decided at the ripe old age of 65 that she was determined not to mold but to keep moving forward with plans for an invigorating and active future. That thought is my mantra and so succinctly stated!  Molding is the antithesis of movement; molding implies decay, rot, and rust. How many of those words have you heard used regarding old age? Sadly, that is a common misconception of our aging population. But things are changing, and older citizens are engaging in life more vigorously than ever.

Our entire life is a series of small adventures. There was our childhood filled with learning experiences. I bet most of us remember learning to ride a bike or bake a cake. School years make up a catalog of experiences, always moving and learning. Then comes marriage, children, homes, social life---it goes on and on. Life is a continuum of new activities that are age-appropriate. And then suddenly we hit a birthday that shocks us!  We may want to hide our heads in the sand and deny it, but it’s tough when your own children are turning 40 and 50! Many perceive life on a bell curve, and life after 50 is all downhill.  Who says it must be a downward journey? You’ve got to plan to keep moving upward. You must maintain the same enthusiasm you had when you learned to ride that bicycle. Success in this time of life is all about attitude. You can decide what your future will be like. Don’t buy into the “I’m too old to do that” mindset. Sure, we may have limitations, but we also have more freedom, more wisdom, more autonomy to plan our own path. Aldous Huxley said, “The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of a child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.”