I ran into an acquaintance as the pharmacy yesterday. Like me, she is a recently retired boomer, having spent her career as a high school counselor. She always had an upbeat and positive outlook. She was always full of energy. And that’s how I found her to be yesterday. But she told me that just weeks after retiring last spring, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She spent the first few months of her retirement getting chemo and radiation at the University of California, Los Angeles, hospital. They believe the treatments were successful, although she still has headaches and pain. She returns regularly for checkups. She now is taking care of a relative who has advanced ovarian cancer. These are setbacks that would likely knock the props out from under most folks. But she is still energized and was getting ready to leave for a trip to New Zealand. This summer, she traveled to Australia. She was carrying on with her usual genuine enthusiasm and a good deal of laughter. Whatever boomers face in the years ahead, a lot of their response will depend on how they faced and responded to the years that have passed. What makes some people rise above these types of challenges and others to be consumed by them? If we could figure that out, it would be the key to “healthy aging.”
Dianne Hardisty, Bakersfield
www.svs2help.com
ReginaLove, that is SO great to hear! As for soy, it may help with menopause symptoms -- it it controversial. The best way to use soy is in the form of whole fermented soy foods (miso, tempeh, tamari and natto). Non-fermented soy foods such as soy mi
Agreed. I never thought I was vain until I had a mastectomy at age 39. I was devastated and told the doc I wanted to wake up with implants. Now at age 60, I am lopsided and wondering if I was just avoiding the inevitable. You get what you get and you
Sounds very interesting.
Spike, you are awesome! Love your perspective, thanks for sharing.
Hey California Girl:
I don’t have any set answers to why people respond to anything they way they do. I am confident though that one’s outlook on life has much to do with the way one tackles obstacles (not everyone views problems -health or other issues – the same way, many just see them as obstacles to overcome). Life is too short to dwell or procrastinate. Since life is for the living it is best to figure out how best to live your life then just do it. It seems to me your friend has a wonderful, positive outlook on life and sees the positive in everything refusing to succumb to negative vibes. Healthy aging to me means accepting yourself as you are and finding meaning in life throughout your life. I enjoy being alive – age is all in the mind. When my body responds unfavorably due to age, I take that as a sign to take better care of me. Life is to be savored, enjoyed, lived and shared – in the blink of an eye it can be over so savor every moment, make the most of every encounter and always look to the future.