How do you accept change as you age?

I truly do not mind being in the older category until it starts to feel as though as an older person I along with many other older folks are a liability during this covid19 and if it were not for so many of us the country could open back up. Gee, suddenly finding myself feeling guilty for being old. I was accepting this "older" thing now I am reevaluating.

Thanks @barbb Here she is today. She's a handful at times, but all in all a solid addition to my life 🙂 Here name is Napa.

@IndianaScott, what a beautiful furbaby! No wonder you fell in love with her immediately. Great companion and walking partner. This may sound odd, but my new Smartwatch got me started walking daily, no matter how short the walk. It reminds me hourly to be active, stretch, or go for a walk. My husband has started walking with me too, which he would never do before. Sine I'm 71 and he'll soon be 75, it's great for us. We live in an area where the houses are far apart and we rarely meet others while walking. It's great for relieving the quarantine stress.

We did get into the hot tub last week which was great, until I tried to get out. I forgot that I'm old now and can't just hop out as I used to. Instead of putting one leg up on each step, getting my balance, waiting until I was steady, and then moving up, I tried to do it all in one fast move. I ended up falling on my right side on the concrete, and being in pain for several days. I hope our daughter will install a metal set of grab bars at the edge of the hot tub. Until then, I have to move in and out with conscious efforts. I have osteoporosis now and can't afford to break anything.

Oh yay! I totally get it. You’ve done awesome stuff. Self control is part of it. Got a few broken bones and a whole lot of bruises due to my fault and others (lack of control) There were three women in my school and on the training floor nobody made amends for your gender or size. I feel like I earned every belt based on my ability and guts. I took that energy into my profession and held my own in a board room of men, who tried to place a “ glass ceiling” on my professional journey. Eventually, I was given the opportunity to run a women’s group (women in transition) where I hoped I was able to encourage the group and grow in my personal life. So, who says we don’t train everyday, huh? I’m pleased to meet you, Ginger. Thank you for sharing your story. You may have heard of Professor Emperado. He was instrumental in establishing Kajukenbo and may have meet your instructor. Small world

@parus, @IndianaScott
I'm happy to be back after my hiatus from Connect to campaign for my local Representative and others. I've found that I'm not interested in the frustrations of the national election this year. I cherish my work with Mayo Connect and was happy to see that you and others are still contributing here.

I too have been very concerned about COVID19 and what it means for those of us considered "elderly." I've honestly never thought of myself as elderly, just older/ mature, lol. My husband assures me that I'm elderly. We're not holding anyone back, and if we are it's a good thing. The virus is still too active for people to be out and about. As elders we can demonstrate by our behavior that it's OK to stay in for extended periods of time.

An excellent resource for me as I age has been a book titled, From Age-ing to Sage-ing; A Revolutionary Approach To Growing Older, by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller. I will quote a couple of passages from the book's Introduction to give a feeling of the book's contents.

"As part of the emerging approach to late-life development, the contemporary sage draws on 3 sources: models of the traditional tribal elder whose wisdom guided the social order for thousands of years; state of the art breakthroughs in brain-mind and consciousness research; and the ecology movement, which urges us to live in harmony with the natural world. These forces converge in the sage, whose explorations in consciousness are giving birth to an elderhood that is appropriate for the modern world."

"Throughout most of history, elders occupied honored roles in society as sages and seers, leaders and judges, guardians of the traditions, and instructors of the young. They were revered as gurus, shamans, wise old men and women who helped guide the social order and who initiated spiritual seekers into the mysteries of inner space. . . . with the Industrial Revolution . . . . elders lost their esteemed place in society and fell into the disempowered state that we now ascribe to a 'normal` old age. Today as the Age Wave crests all about us and we confront existential questions about the purpose of our extended longevity, we are searching for new myths and models to ennoble the experience of old age."

This book helps me to better understand my new role as an elder. I think some of our current problems with younger adults feeling it's "unfair" to even quarantine for a comparatively short period of time, and demanding their "freedom to get a hamburger" when they want, despite the global health Pandemic, are the result of elders not asserting and sharing our learned wisdom with our families. I work to be heard in my family, which isn't easy. The tendency is to discount what elders have to offer because we grew up in different situations. Nonetheless, our wisdom is needed. I persist until what I offer is acknowledged and even accepted by some of my 10 grandchildren, and 3 children/step-children.

I believe I have much to offer my family and others, as well as much to learn as a "wise old woman."

@parus, @IndianaScott
I'm happy to be back after my hiatus from Connect to campaign for my local Representative and others. I've found that I'm not interested in the frustrations of the national election this year. I cherish my work with Mayo Connect and was happy to see that you and others are still contributing here.

I too have been very concerned about COVID19 and what it means for those of us considered "elderly." I've honestly never thought of myself as elderly, just older/ mature, lol. My husband assures me that I'm elderly. We're not holding anyone back, and if we are it's a good thing. The virus is still too active for people to be out and about. As elders we can demonstrate by our behavior that it's OK to stay in for extended periods of time.

An excellent resource for me as I age has been a book titled, From Age-ing to Sage-ing; A Revolutionary Approach To Growing Older, by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller. I will quote a couple of passages from the book's Introduction to give a feeling of the book's contents.

"As part of the emerging approach to late-life development, the contemporary sage draws on 3 sources: models of the traditional tribal elder whose wisdom guided the social order for thousands of years; state of the art breakthroughs in brain-mind and consciousness research; and the ecology movement, which urges us to live in harmony with the natural world. These forces converge in the sage, whose explorations in consciousness are giving birth to an elderhood that is appropriate for the modern world."

"Throughout most of history, elders occupied honored roles in society as sages and seers, leaders and judges, guardians of the traditions, and instructors of the young. They were revered as gurus, shamans, wise old men and women who helped guide the social order and who initiated spiritual seekers into the mysteries of inner space. . . . with the Industrial Revolution . . . . elders lost their esteemed place in society and fell into the disempowered state that we now ascribe to a 'normal` old age. Today as the Age Wave crests all about us and we confront existential questions about the purpose of our extended longevity, we are searching for new myths and models to ennoble the experience of old age."

This book helps me to better understand my new role as an elder. I think some of our current problems with younger adults feeling it's "unfair" to even quarantine for a comparatively short period of time, and demanding their "freedom to get a hamburger" when they want, despite the global health Pandemic, are the result of elders not asserting and sharing our learned wisdom with our families. I work to be heard in my family, which isn't easy. The tendency is to discount what elders have to offer because we grew up in different situations. Nonetheless, our wisdom is needed. I persist until what I offer is acknowledged and even accepted by some of my 10 grandchildren, and 3 children/step-children.

I believe I have much to offer my family and others, as well as much to learn as a "wise old woman."

I am 90 yrs old. I tested negative.How about you?

I haven't been tested yet. I am in the vulnerable group, but have been isolating since the end of January. Hopefully I won't need a test. Thanks for asking.

Get tested