Healthy Aging

On the airplane ride home, we held hands and munched on peanuts.

It was a lovely first couple of minutes before the baby in front of us started to shriek. We looked at each other and smiled. I am comforted that you do not fear what could lie ahead for us.

 Later on the plane, the baby popped up and said, “hi.” He must have taken a good nap after the turbulence put him to sleep. He was so sweet and cheeky. You giggled at his charm.

Enthusiastic about your reaction, I started to think about how I cannot wait to start a family. And the thoughts were becoming overwhelming. The doom of “are we ready” flooded my mind.

Will I be a good mom?

 Am I in good enough shape to chase a small child? Are the cats ready to take on a little one trampling them? Do we have the right house for this? Are we done with our ‘have fun’ stage? Am I even cut out for this next phase?

Everyone has these expectations of people and what age they should be doing things.The American standard is to go to college, get a great job, marry and start a family. 

However, the desire to continually wanting to move on to the next stage and not focus on the present still overwhelms me. We live in a world that is busy and fast-paced, it’s hard to slow down and focus.

I look to the role-models that I’ve had throughout my life. Have they ever had these feelings? Did they ever accomplish everything that they have ever wanted to do in their life? I don’t think that we are reminded enough to keep pushing for what we want in life. We focus a lot of attention on what society wants.

Ask yourself this – when was the last time you did something for the first time?

It’s time to put these worries and fears aside. I am going to take the challenge to reinvent myself to become healthier, stronger and financially ready for my goals.

With September being Healthy Aging® Month, I want to challenge you to do what I am doing. I am checking in to make sure that I am aging with wellness on my side. I am checking to make sure that my plans align with my goals.

 Healthy Aging Month brings light to reinventing yourself.

Carolyn Worthington, Editor-in-Chief of Healthy Aging Magazine and Executive Director of Healthy Aging, is shaking things up with a new movement that has everyone thinking outside of the box. She’s expanding minds to be aware of what you are currently doing and to get moving to reinvent yourself for the next phases in life.

Carolyn wants you to think about mental, physical, social, financial, fitness, and mental stability goals to reach those future goals for a positive lifestyle. She focuses on getting on the right path because THIS is your life and you should be living it.

Do you want to become a marathon runner or learn to salsa dance?

The truth is – there is not a good time for anything. I learned this from a great aunt of mine who writes me letters of encouragement (even in her old age).  She explains to me that you can be whoever you want to be, but never forget where you came from.

 I think to myself, “I love this because it’s going to motivate me to become ready for my next life challenge: starting a family”. 

I challenge you this September to think about who you really are and where you have been. Got it? Ok, now think about your next step! What do you want to do next? What goal do you want to crush? Do you want to start your own business? Do you want to go back to school? Look in the mirror and find out what you’d like to do.

Healthy Aging Month wants us to debunk the myths about Aging and redirect focus to taking control of your life.  It doesn’t matter what age you are – you’ve got this!