Were your parents stubborn about taking stairs or using hearing aids? Make a pledge to yourself to age smarter.
Fifteen years ago, then about 50, I started keeping my list of “stupid things I won’t do when I get old.” Year by year that list got longer and longer as I chronicled all the things my parents were doing wrong . I pledged never to do any of them.As the years went by, my parents’ unwillingness to acknowledge their diminished physical and mental state was top of my list.
When I tried to jump up and snag it, I finally heard a voice in my head berating me for the “stupid thing” I was doing. I got down from my precarious perch and fetched the stepladder. Book retrieved. No falls — at least not yet., I asked myself, “Am I becoming my father?” I remembered him in his final decade: defiant, in denial and scared of losing his independence. And I had a revelation: Aging smarter is not so easy.We’ve all heard that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Once someone starts thinking of themselves as falling apart, ill or old, it’s easy to fall into the trap of negative self-expectations. ,” wrote, “In study after study I conducted, I found that older people with more-positive perceptions of aging performed better physically and cognitively than those with more-negative perceptions; they were more likely to recover from severe disability, they remembered better, they walked faster and they even lived longer.”So unlike my parents, I’m making an effort to better appreciate the gifts of age and have started taking small steps in an effort to live better.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Andy Cohen Loves That Bette Midler Wants to Join 'RHOBH'Andy Cohen said Bette Midler ‘would be the grand dame of Beverly Hills’ if she joined 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'
Read more »
Bette Midler Hilariously Pitches Herself for RHOBH Season 14Bette Midler jokingly pitches herself as the newest addition to ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ despite never watching an episode
Read more »
Hollywood Legend Bette Davis Born on April 5, 1908Bette Davis, one of Hollywood's most important and decorated actresses, was born on April 5, 1908. Known for her raw intensity and distinctive mannerisms, Davis left an indelible mark on cinema history. Raised primarily by her mother after her parents' divorce, she later attended Cushing Academy where she was voted 'best looking' and 'best actress' for the class of 1926.
Read more »
On this day in history, April 5, 1908, actress Bette Davis born in Massachusetts: 'Strong-willed woman'Hollywood icon Bette Davis was born on April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts. Davis went on to win two Academy Awards for Best Actress and was nominated 10 times for the award.
Read more »
Andy Cohen Reveals His One Concern About Bette Midler Wanting to Join 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'The singer-actress recently shared on social media she'd like to join the reality series.
Read more »
Bette Midler is ready to join The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills — and she's even got her taglineGet Bette Midler a diamond! She's ready to join 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' — and she's even got her tagline, though Andy Cohen questions if she'd actually enjoy being followed by cameras all the time.
Read more »