As a man thinketh, so is he, and as a man chooseth, so is he.                                             -Ralph Waldo Emerson-

Successful aging is a hot topic.   Baby Boomers have questioned just about everything since birth, so it’s expected that this generation will question the aging process.  Baby Boomers refuse to grow old quietly or gracefully and insist that there is a way of slowing down the aging process.  Is there a way to slow the aging process?

Dr. Mary O’Brien M.D. has researched this topic and has had some interesting discoveries that we will talk about in future posts.  American culture does not view the aging process kindly.  We have negative stereotypes about older people.  Other cultures tend to honor the older generations and treat them with respect.  Why is there such a difference between cultures?

One of the biggest myths about growing older is that age brings with it chronic illness and disability.  Even the very old, which is becoming a larger population, have little fictional disability and only about 5% live in nursing homes.

Another myth is that ill health keeps many older people from being productive.  However, one-third of seniors work for a living, one-third serve as volunteers in hospitals, churches and community organizations.  Seniors provide crucial assistance to sick and disabled family members, friends and neighbors.  Many are rearing grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Did you know it would take three million full-time paid employees to provide the same level of assistance provided by seniors?

Attitude plays an important part in aging.  Words like happy, enthusiastic, dynamic, loving, and fun are descriptive words that are describing a new image of old age.

What is successful aging?  Successful aging is enjoying the maximum quality of life at any age.  The secret to successful aging is appreciation and enjoying the little things in life, simple pleasures; a beautiful flower, a walk in the woods, or the song of the birds in the early morning and late evening.

Pleasure doesn’t exist unless we are conscious of it.  We all create our own reality.  Mindfulness is how we create our reality.  In the next posting we will take a look at mindfulness.