What does a day in the life of a senior look like?

I consider each day when I wake up a blessing. An opportunity to live another day. As a senior, I’ve discovered that my life need not be like a speeding train. Instead, it’s like the gentle flow of a river, giving me another chance to notice how lovely the world around me is.

My Life as a Senior

There was a time when I woke up each day, taking it just like the many days in the past. At my age, I take them with a definite purpose. While my senses may be slower than they used to be, my appreciation for the coming of a new day is nothing short of jubilation.

Growing older has taught me that happiness lies not in going places or achieving monumental goals, but in ordinary days, shared conversations with friends, and lonely reflections.

Have you, in your quiet moments, ever wondered what a day in your life as a senior looks like Read on as I share with you mine. You will discover dramatic twists and excitement and the simple pleasures to make your day meaningful.

Start the Day with a Sense of Gratitude

I start my day at 4:30 in the morning. I know it’s too early for most. But I find the early morning hours magical. And it allows me to do all the things I need to do without being stressed.

I like opening my windows and letting in the cool morning breeze to caress my drowsy body. And it is a reminder that every new day is a gift.

Then I spend a few quiet moments reflecting, and a short prayer of gratitude for the gift of a new day. Just a short prayer to help me set a positive tone for everything that follows.

After that, I take a short and simple breakfast consisting of hot chocolate and a loaf of bread coupled with either egg, sausage, or sweet ham. Then I finish it off with a slice of papaya and banana.

Exercise

I exercised when I was young for fun. Now it is a must. At my age, movement is and exercise are a form of medicine.

They may not be vigorous other than a walk around the neighborhood. or gentle stretching. I walk around the parking lot of a grocery store near my home, then do yoga chair exercises and dumb bells when I get home. On Saturdays, I do four laps in a swimming pool.

Sometimes I strike short conversations with my fellow exercisers. These small interactions. can brighten your day more than you can ever realize.

You can have your own exercise routine. and do it consistently. That is the cheapest way to good health.

Enjoying the Freedom of Retirement 

I am 78 years old, retired. One of the best things of my stature is the freedom and control of my time.

Gone are the days of busy schedules and constant deadlines have been replaced with freedom and flexibility.

Of course, I still plan my days to the last minute, but I have the freedom to choose what activities to spend my time on, depending on my mood.

Some days, I spend my time in a coffee shop with my laptop while on others I may choose to watch a good movie through my laptop or do nothing at all.

Learning new things on YouTube is a great help. I love learning new development on content creation or e-commerce. On other days I watch history or stories of great people.

Age may add candles to my cake, but it should not diminish the spark of learning something new and interesting.

Connect with Family and Friends

This is one of the highlights of my day as a senior. I admit it is difficult. The people I grew up with are either dead, sickly, or happy to be with grandkids.

I have two grown up kids. But one is in New Zealand and the other one lives nearby. But as a doctor, she’s also busy with her profession.

I visit her clinic regularly and I have an online weekly conversation with my son and his family in New Zealand.

These conversations, short they may be, remind me of the treasures of getting connected with the people I love so much. The temporarily make me forget my lonely plight as a live-alone senior.

Find Happiness in Everyday Moments

Research shows that older people are happier and have greater life satisfaction that younger people.

No, it is not because they have exciting experiences, expensive vacations, elaborate plans.

They just find happiness in little things in their everyday lives. They relish the sound of birds singing outside their windows, enjoy favorite meal, read an inspiring story, of watch the vibrant colors of a setting sun.

Happiness often hides in plain sight.

As a senior, I’ve become more mindful of these moments. I’ve realized that life is less about racing towards tomorrow, and more about embracing today. If you are mindful, you will realize that every day carries extraordinary blessings.

Even ordinary household chores hold the opportunity to reflect on what life has been and what will be. Folding laundry or preparing dinners gives me time to think, appreciate, and sometimes smile at memories popping up from nowhere.

Keeping Good Health and Well-being

My day as a senior is my way of keeping good health and well-being.

I never miss my regular exercise, eat balanced meals, stay hydrated, and get enough rest.et enough rest.

Equally important is caring for my mental health and well-being. I do this by being consistent is writing blog posts and contribute articles to LinkedIn. I read online articles about content generation and other relation items. I also watch funny FB videos to lift my spirits up.

elish watching funny FB vides to lift my spirits u

art

Early to Rise

I wake up at 4:30 in the morning.

Rising early allows me to do everything scheduled for the day free from stress. It also allows me to have rest periods in between. Gone are the days when I did them all in one go. Now I need some pit stops to prevent overheating.

When the cobwebs of sleep are swept away, I do a quick toilet stop, wash my face, then set myself for the following program.

Diet Plan

I am a Filipino, hence my diet is essentially Asian, i.e., rice, fish, vegetables and meat.  I am also a live-alone senior and don’t know how to cook so meals, except breakfast, are bought from neighborhood food shops. 

I also eat five times a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks in between. So here’s how it goes:

Breakfast

Asian.i.e., ricelipino, hence my diet I wake up at 4:30 in the morning.

prepare breakfast.

Flex my old muscles and bones

Life at mid-morning

Cook or buy?

~oOo~

The post A Day in My Life as a Senior first appeared on Age With Charm.

Are you living your life to the fullest?

The question got you, didn’t it It made you scratch your head and ponder whether you are or are not. Either way will make you dig deeper into your soul, peel off its layers of pretenses to arrive at the naked truth. And nobody wants to appear naked – even to oneself.

But there’s an easy way to answer it. The key is to define life and living in terms that can be related to your day-to-day affairs.

What is Life

Defining life in specific terms is impossible. Scientists and philosophers have given it a shot, but no one has come up with an across-the-board definition. Great minds like Aristotle to Carl Sagan tried too, but they were not able to please everybody.

Not that there isn’t any. In fact there are more than a hundred. The problem is that biologists define it differently than physicists, and doctors from evolutionists. And if we sit down together, we could not come up with a definition to suit us both.

I was on the brink go giving up when I came across this definition from Webster’s which, I believe, best suit the goal of this article. It defines life as “the physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual.”

What is Living

Defining living is no less easy. It’s not for differences of opinion but it seems nobody even tried – except Kumar Abhijeet. He defines living as:

…the exciting phase of life where we actually overcome our fears and try to do things that other people think we can’t do…Living is the combination of all emotions whether good or bad. It’s your perception…Just do it and you will understand the meaning of life.

To add to it, is this line from somewhere: Living is the style or way you live your life.

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You don’t need to be lonely because you live alone, or lacking in social interaction.

Take a lesson from the 2 guys in prison who, one night, looked outside of their cells through the prison bars.

One guy saw the beautiful full moon set against a dark sky, dwarfing the millions of twinkling little stars in the background.

The other guy saw the mud below.

Of course, it is never nice to be behind bars, but there is always a silver lining in every situation you are in. And you have a choice whether to fixate on the dark clouds or peer through its thickness to see the bright sunshine behind.

You can wallow in your loneliness until death, or shake it off and live a happy and fruitful life – like many other elderly people do.

Loneliness is not peculiar to you. A study done by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), shows that 18% of elderly people in the U.S. live alone. Of this figure, 43% of them are chronically lonely.

That leaves more than half being able to shake off loneliness; more than half enjoying their golden years.

And it is not difficult to be one of them – just focus on the moon, not on the mud. It may take a lot of determined effort. But it is worth it. Besides, being alone has its own benefits not appreciated by seniors living with family.

Benefits of Living Alone

How to Banish Loneliness from Your Life

The post How to Banish Loneliness from You Life first appeared on Age With Charm.

“Why do you drink alone#8217;

My date asked me this question over a few beers at City Times Square a month ago.

Before I go into it, here’s a quick rundown of the place.

City Times Square is a two-story building 15  minutes drive from my home. It is my favorite Saturday-evening hangout because it transforms into a hub of excitement after sundown.

How?

Because every square inch of the Square is full of things people crave at the end of a hectic week, i.e., coffee shops, restaurants, resto-bars, a disco, a karaoke bar, and just about anything that spells fun and excitement.

The choice of food is international, i.e. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian, and, of course, the ever-present Filipino cuisine which is a mishmash of everything edible.

Needless to say, the crowd is just as varied. Sipping coffee at Dunkin Donuts is like sitting in the lobby of the United Nations Building – peoples from different parts of the world pass by in a blur.

And it is in this setting my 40-yr-old date asked why I drink alone.

I said, “Look around. Can you see another 69-yr-old guy having a beer with a lovely woman like you at this time of the night?

I drink alone because guys my age are either dead, sickly, or contented to watch the NBA games or the latest news on TV.”

Not me…

Drinking alone, to most people is weird; lackluster. It is devoid of the fun alcohol draws out from even the meekest of men.

But drinking alone is my idea of fun. I find it liberating. It frees me from the drudgery of boring people and I can “find” myself. Without the noise of a crowd allows me to update my bucket list.

You are dead even as you live:

When people get to this age, thoughts of death flutter in their minds; they become anxious about the curtain falling down on them anytime, and there is no encore.

But to dwell on this is stressful. It’s like being on the edge all the time.

That’s not all…

Thinking about negative things make your body react negatively. It makes you lose enthusiasm, affects your diet, your sleep, and many other things that will rot your mind and body.

In short, you are already dead even as you live.

Not me. I want to go with my boots on; to live life as I have never lived before. I want people to say, “He died a happy man. Having done everything, missing nothing.”

And you can do it. You can rev up your life no matter how old you are. Nobody’s going to stop you from doing things younger people do – provided you won’t act and look like a jerk or a spoiled brat.

Behavior and action:

I came across this on Quora: “Why do people at age 65 and above want to act younger when their life is already 85% over#8221;

And why not Whoever said that you cannot do things younger people do?

Never let age be a hindrance to your happiness. Do whatever it is you want while you can. Don’t breathe your last with much regret for having missed a lot of things.

But do behave according to the norms of an educated and civilized society.

I can drink to my delight, provided I won’t let alcohol take over my sense of propriety. Being old carries with it some responsibilities, like being a paradigm of good behavior.

My daughter doesn’t mind my solo long drives or overnight stays on remote islands or date women 30 years younger because she knows I know how to behave my age.

Yes, you can be as retro as you like, provided you don’t behave like a retrograde.

Please spread the message by sharing it with other oldies.

~oOo~

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