I Was Thinking... Aging With Joy

One thing we all have in common is getting older. From the moment of birth, we are embarking on a journey to the end of life. During our youth, that end of time is rarely considered. We have our whole life in front of us. We have all the time in the world. But how quickly that changes. Without understanding how, we suddenly realize we have fewer days ahead than behind. While aging isn’t optional, choosing how we age is.
I found that whenever you follow anything on Facebook or research something on the internet, more of the same type of materials begin to show up. I watched one reel called “Aging Gracefully: and another titled, “Grow Old With Joy” and similar ones kept coming. Since I’ve never been this old before, I thought some advice would be good.
One segment that appeared was from Nonna Sofia, a wrinkled old woman from Sardinia who gave advice as she was sitting in a garden dressed in peasant clothes. She provided home remedies for aches and pains and also gave advice on living a less stressful life. She reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. She talked about how to deal with problems, and it resonated with me. Here is the advice from Nonna Sofia.
“The more you sit and think, the bigger your problems get. The moment you stand up they start to shrink. You think you are solving your problems by worrying but you are actually just feeding your fear. Your mind spins like a broken wheel but our feet are stuck in concrete. The stress has nowhere to go so it settles in your stomach and tightens your chest. In Sardinia we don’t have panic attacks because we walk it off before it builds up. Today people are frozen on a couch scrolling for answers. You are trapped in your own head because your body is going nowhere. Stagnant water needs to move to become clear. You cannot sink your way out of a bad mood; you must walk your way out. Action kills fear and steps kill stress. Peace is not found in an app or a pill; it is found in the rhythm of your feet. We aren’t happy because we don’t have problems, we are happy because we don’t sit around with them.”
Another article suggested we have a choice of growing in age or declining in age. Much of how we feel depends on what we focus on. They recommended avoiding always talking about our aches, pains, and ailments. This just sucks you into the mindset of deterioration. Instead, the focus should be on things that bring you joy. They say to grow. Bring new things into your life. We are never too old to learn. They also recommend connecting with others. Call or connect with old friends or find ways to meet new people. Another suggestion was to adapt to change. If you don’t, you will be stuck longing for the past and romanticizing the past that might not have been so great anyway. Finally, they tell you to give of yourself. Do something for others. Don’t let your whole world revolve around yourself. That world gets really small.
I’m not sure where I heard this last bit of advice, but it sure seems valid. “The more you stay home, the less you want to leave. You think you are resting but you’re draining life out of yourself. Your brain slows down, the more you sit, the quicker you get old. Your blood slows down and your heart forgets to pump. The weight creeps on your waist and joints. You worry about the future because you’re not living in the present. You feel like you don’t have the energy to go outside but in truth, you need to go outside to get energy. Healing doesn’t happen by sitting on the sofa, it happens with feet moving you into fresh air and sunlight.”
A couple more quick quotes also caught my eye. “You can’t hoard time, you can only spend it.” “When you look at your calendar, there isn’t a day called ‘someday’ because it may never come.” And lastly, “If you don’t make time for exercise, you’ll have to find time for illness.”

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