Back in 1966 I turned 13. It prompted me to think about my future. How long would I live? I decided it would be enough if I made it to the year 2000. December 1999 I changed my mind!
But one thing I’ve noticed. I AM getting old and feeling old. I’m not alone. Many of my contemporaries are starting to show the wear and tear of six decades on the planet. I’ve decided to stop aging. I’m going to buck the trend. I’m going to stay young. This is your lucky day: I’m going to share my secret plan with you.
Here’s my 5 simple ways to stay young while everyone else grows old.
1. Hang.
Seek younger people to rub shoulders with. There is nothing better than hanging out with younger people to keep you young. While ministering in my last church I had a group of younger people who kept me young. We would do coffee together, laugh together, and think together. During those years age kept its distance!
Find a couple of young people who inspire you. Buy them coffee. Suggest to them the possibility of reading a book together. Offer to tutor them. Think of ways to add value to their lives. Ask for their help with your technology challenges. Hey. Any excuse will do!
2. Walk.
It is difficult to find a better way to positively impact your health. Walking helps you lose weight and lowers your blood pressure. Sure. You might get more benefit from joining a health club. But not many will choose to spend the money. Have you noticed walking is FREE?
Walking also helps get rid of the blues and lifts the spirits. Get the blood pumping. Walk while you listen to inspiring music or a book on tape. Breath deep and enjoy the fresh air.
3. Read.
Why do so many people stop reading as they get older? Maybe it’s because no one is prompting them to read. In our culture today we are visually oriented. It’s much easier to watch the movie instead of read the book. (This is especially true of Moby Dick!)
But reading can keep you young. Choose books which are filled with adventure. Then switch to non-fiction and ways to improve your life. If you’ve decided to stop reading, you are missing out on a powerful way to stay young.
4. Laugh.
Forgetting to laugh is a tragic old age consequence. I get it. Life is serious. Aging is not for wimps. But laughter is a terrific way to fight the inevitable and stay young.
Search for ways to make you laugh. Decide you are going to watch an episode of your old favorite TV comedy every night. Laughing before you go to sleep at night can’t be a bad thing. Consider subscribing to an email service which dumps a cartoon into your inbox every morning. If all else fails stand in the bathroom and smile at yourself until you break out laughing.
5. Dump.
Dump the things from the past which weigh you down. As we journey through life we become collectors. We stuff grudges, hurts, and disappointments into our cerebral cortex. Refusing to let them go causes us to bend under the weight. We become overwhelmed by the accumulated garbage from the past.
Want to be set free and have fun at the same time? Write out those burdensome things you’ve been hanging on to. Get them all on paper. Now, here’s the fun part. Find a shredder and run them through the slot. Let it go. Release the mess. Turn and walk away. Dump the weight of the past and move on.
I’ve had it with getting old. I’ve embraced Bob Dylan’s song as my new anthem: Forever Young. Are you with me?
What else can you do to stay forever young?
Feel free to leave a comment below or on my Facebook page by clicking HERE.
Good advice, all. I love spending time with my grandkids, and the greats, too. Some of them live just down the block and randomly stop in to raid the pantry (true story). Spending breakfast or lunch time with a 6-year old, once a week, is priceless. I love being a grammy. ♥
Love this! We have younger friends in our new community, closer to our grandkids to watch and hang out with them. Waking our two dogs, and hour day, five days a week. Love to walk.