Help! I'm aging
Meet Jane again. She is approaching sixty now and just fifteen years ago, she was dreading the milestone decade. She had seen friends and even family slowly decline after hitting that dreaded decade. She watched in shock as her eldest aunt lost, what seemed to her, a whole person. A woman who she considered robust and larger than life. Now frail. With scrawny arms and bent posture. She witnessed the loss of recall with most of her friends parents. Some of them even forgetting their own kids. It was depressing. She looked in her mirror. Saw the gray hairs. Noticed the niggling pains in her knees. She saw what was possible and asked herself the question; “What can I do to create a different outcome?” “Can I age while enjoying good health?”
What happens next?
This is the most wonderful part of being interested in making life better. It is the mental movies we create around the improvements we want. At least, this is how I feel.
It is like Donald Miller says in his book; A million miles in a thousand years; “I live in daydreams “. I mentioned this before, but it is so awesome I’ll say it again because it’s true. You see all those daydreams lead to activities that change lives.
My career in perspective
Looking over the years of retail pharmacy practice we certainly learnt a lot! Arguably more from the practice than could be learnt from the academic process. These clients were some of the best teachers with innumerable treasures unearthed with each interaction.
It was having this relationship over the length of time that built relationships and the realization that help is always available. One just has to ask and look. Also, it is far easier to help improve the life of someone who is interested than one who is just going through the motions. Lord bless the few who were really interested! They challenged me and made the practice richer and better with their effort.
The most prominent thought I remember was to age well. Why? They would always, always, ALWAYS remind us not to get old! As though we could really help it. It was the most frequently said remark. Mostly by women but even some men.
These key learnings led me to imagine myself in situations where aging was only a chronological occurrence. Where one could ‘age gracefully’. Which for me, and my daydreams, meant increasing my health-span not just my lifespan.
So what of the great life we want to secure as we age?
How do we achieve it?
Jane is learning she can be hopeful. Because there is growing evidence that it can be DONE! Increasing our health-span is not only possible it is becoming easier!
Let’s talk more on that next time…