Rerun Wednesday - Found in Oprah's Magazine

Posted by Terry McNichols

Note to self: older is happier

“Though we as a society extol the years of early adulthood, research studies have demonstrated that younger adults are not as happy as adults in their older years. In the years of later, relatively healthy adulthood (ages 50-75), the horizon of time has shifted and the outlines of a person’s story have become much clearer. The future tense is greatly diminished in importance, and it is the present tense – the possibilities for pleasure, connectedness, and a sense of emotional embeddedness – that emerges into prominence…. Developmentally speaking, older adults tend to live in the moment, and this appears to increase their satisfaction and well-being.”
Maggie Scarf in September Songs: The Bonus Years of Marriage (Riverhead)

THIS is good news. And it does make sense. The key here, I am afraid, is the phrase "relatively healthy adulthood." Things get tougher when you aren't "relatively healthy," but still we need to take this to heart, and learn how to live in the moment!

(Photo by dictybloke, Flickr)

Happiness...

Posted by Leona Bergstrom

This was sent to me by a friend:

A 92- year old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.

That doesn't have anything to do with it, he replied. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged . . . it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.

It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.
5. Expect less

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Found in Oprah's Magazine

Posted by Terry McNichols

Note to self: older is happier
“Though we as a society extol the years of early adulthood, research studies have demonstrated that younger adults are not as happy as adults in their older years. In the years of later, relatively healthy adulthood (ages 50-75), the horizon of time has shifted and the outlines of a person’s story have become much clearer. The future tense is greatly diminished in importance, and it is the present tense – the possibilities for pleasure, connectedness, and a sense of emotional embeddedness – that emerges into prominence…. Developmentally speaking, older adults tend to live in the moment, and this appears to increase their satisfaction and well-being.”
Maggie Scarf in September Songs: The Bonus Years of Marriage (Riverhead)

THIS is good news. And it does make sense. The key here, I am afraid, is the phrase "relatively healthy adulthood." Things get tougher when you aren't "relatively healthy," but still we need to take this to heart, and learn how to live in the moment!

(Photo by dictybloke, Flickr)