How do you accept change as you age?

Awww Ginger, thank you so much for your reply, You make some very good points. I don't really have any diet restrictions but I have been trying to do the keto diet, I need to lose about 30 lbs. so far not so good but I haven't been applying myself either. I just have to be more self disciplined, I can do that. Like you, I too have earned every wrinkle, pain, and gray hairs I have. Thank you for saying I am doing a lot, and yes I have a physical every year. I do have some health issues but nothing life threatening and nothing that needs ongoing treatment. Pain is my biggest problem, I try not to give in to it and I try not to do things I know will make it worse but sometimes I just have to suck it up and move on with the help of muscle relaxer and tylenol Ex. and the occasional Tramadol, not that they help all that much but better than nothing. I keep my mind busy too. I like to read, do a little gardening, I like search and find word books and I try to do crafts when I can. I make dream catchers and do a little beading and I enjoy making things out of artificial flowers like flower arrangements, etc. I also do a little leather working, making American Indian chokers and I have in the past made moccasins but it's been awhile. which reminds me, I need another pair sooooo.... My greatest joys are my great grandkids, I have them over every chance I get. One at a time, thank you lol. So yeah I do keep my mind busy and my body up and moving. I really appreciate your reply. It's so nice to know their are others out there that are going through some of what I am going through. Keep giving your good advice. God Bless Jeanie

Linda, Wonderful, a fellow nurse. It's hard to give it up isn't it. Like you, I love nursing. I think nursing is one of those professions which you either love it or you hate it. Those that thought they would like it and found out it wasn't what they thought it was need to NOT be a nurse but those of us that love it are very dedicated. I don't know of another profession where compassion and dedication are any higher than in nursing. I know I have worked long hours, double shifts, spent the night at the facility so I could be there in the morning when the weather was bad. I have stayed off the clock to hold a woman's hand while she left this world. trained CNS;s, gave classes on a variety of issues. worked with back aches, headaches, swollen feet and ankles, and one time I worked a full shift with a painful bowel obstruction. I drove straight from work to the hospital. And yet through it all, I would gladly do it all again if I could. You sound like me with my grandchildren. Three of them has never had a babysitter because I have always watched them. I watched them in the summer while mom and dad worked. They are 10, 12, and 16 years old now. I still watch the two younger ones but the 16 year old, even though he sometimes acts like a 7 year old doesn't need a babysitter any more. My daughter has only one grandson and that gives her a chance to spend more time with him and spoils him rotten. She's glad she only has one. Regardless of how many grandkids you have ,they are wonderful. Mine mean the world to me. I have 7 great grandchildren raging in age from 3 years to 16 years old. 6 boys and 1 girl. Thanks again for your reply... God Bless Jeanie

GailBL, wow, thank you for sharing the book and some of it contents. I can relate to much of what this book is about. I have followed the Native American way of life for many years and I have made a point to live as close to nature as I safely can. I try to practice being one with whatever I am involved in at that moment. For example, if I am in the woods I am one with the trees, the ground and everything that encompuses my surroundings. I have a wonderful and meaningful relationship with everything in nature. I feel the energy that nature expels. I can hold a common rock in my hand and feel the energy. I agree with the Indian faith and how they express their values. I find them to be an honorable people and I feel honored to be a part of it. As for being heard by family, I have been trying to be heard for a long time now. The value put on elders by younger people is nearly non-existent. like you, I believe I too have a lot to offer but for the most part my words fall on deaf ears. But even more than not being heard is the fact that even when I am heard it's met with disagreement. I am told, Times are different now, times have changed and that I am only living in the past, that things just aren't done like that anymore..etc etc. I wonder just when time changed the fact that children should respect their elders, when did time say it's ok for children to argue with adults and when did time tell our younger adults that it's their way or no way. Somehow, I must have missed something. I find it extremely disturbing how the children are being raised today. They are disrespectful, they use words that I didn't hear till I was in my teens, they seem to think they have the right to pretty much do what they want to. I know of a family that not only allowed but encouraged a 15 year old boy to watch porn, mom says, he is only allowed to watch the sites she has picked for him. she said she has picked out some sites that don;t have rape or abuse in them. Mom claimed she felt it was better if he watches porn at home in case he should have any questions, she would be there to answer them. Also stating, she picked out healthy porn instead of just any ole porn. This same child is now claiming that he is gay and wants to transition from boy to girl, and he has been known to have made sexual advances toward a 6 year old girl. So much for healthy porn. Children nowadays have a lot of rotten things to over come and fight against. Drugs, open sex, terrorist, gangs, etc. and they can't do it without guidance. My great grandchildren have a different set of values at my house than they do at theirs. I won't accept swearing in my home, mom said she doesn't mind if they swear at home but not to do it in public. She and I had a few words about that but they are her kids and she will raise them her way. But not in my home. I will not tolerate being disrespectful of adults and I bow my head in prayer before meals and they follow suit. I have explained that when they are at my house they go by my rules, what they do at home is something their parents will have to deal with. I am hoping that in some way i can instill at least a few healthy thoughts and habits and that when I am gone they will remember what I have tried to teach them. I don't force prayer on them because mom is a self proclaimed atheist, and doesn't want me to encourage religion of any kind,soooo I teach by example. I always say grace before meals, they do it because I do it. One of the boys ask a lot of questions about God and I answer him to the best of my ability, one day I was at their home for dinner and he bowed his head and prayed all on his own. mom didn't say anything, he also likes listening to our favorite preacher and will ask for me to turn the station to what he calls "The Man". I try to live my life in a way that honors me. one that I can be proud of and one day pass on to my grandchildren, also to honor others. I do not judge, I do not hate, I use words that reflect quiet ,peaceful intentions. I love you is something that is said very often, randomly and intentional. We cuddle and watch movies and I still tickle and play with them. There is an abundance of hugs and kisses shared , and a simple and random " are you okay" can mean a lot. Just today, I paid for the meal of the car behind me in the drive thru at McDonalds. my grandson was with me and just looked at me and smiled. He knew it was in my heart. Sometimes saying nothing at all can speak volumes. Teaching by example is something that will be remembered. Sometimes the words that are heard the loudest are the one not said. My favorite saying is this..".When you were born, you cried and the while world rejoiced, live your life in such a way that when you die, you rejoice and the whole world cries." I don't remember who wrote it but I I would like to think that I can live that kind of life. My goals are to do God's work by helping others in need, to write a book, and to be the best grandmother I can possibly be. From one " wise old woman to another" Thank you

Glad to meet you, @barbb. Yes, you got my "deeply offended" sentiment exactly! I'm laughing because like you, until covid reports began repeating age as a vulnerability factor, I never gave my advancing years much of a nod much less that they meant I was well into The Sr. Chapter of my life. Of course those zillion aging guidebooks never applied to us! Maybe we could collaborate on just one more: Aging for Dummies, When You Topple Over Picking Up the Newspaper and Wonder Why You Can't Get Back Up...what do think, possibilities??? Smiles

Enjoyed your post so much, @jeanie26. I think an Aries and a Leo share a lot in common. My mom used to groan that I came out of the shell, stubborn, opinionated and fiercely protective of others..Hmmm, while my shelved book of Heloise Hints grows dust, my passion for being outdoors and gardening is my bit of heaven where I forget everything and have laser sight when a weed appears. Window washing? Not so much. Like you, I gave 150% to my career in education and absolutely loved my work and associations. However, when two close administrator friends died suddenly in their 50's, one from heart attack, the other from brain aneurysm, I determined that I did not want to die on the job. I'd been carefully planning financially for retirement for years. What I had not given any thought to was how I would wake up with no calendar crammed full of appointments, meetings, deadlines. In TX, full retirement meant hitting the magic number 80, based on age and number of years in the system. What I didn't prepare for was not realizing that the majority of my friends were still employed or happily married with bridge, book clubs, or other couple pursuits in place. After the first week or two of my retirement "vacation", I thought, oh my word, how am I going to spend the rest of my life??? At a book club I joined I mentioned that I was considering approaching our college continuing ed. dept with the idea of a course for: Preparing for Retirement. They all laughed; thought that was absurd...Of course they were either still working or juggling full calendars of diversions that kept them busy and fulfilled. I was lost at first until gradually gravitating to the yard where I began converting a very bland landscape into one that eventually led to both yards being professionally landscaped for flower and veggie gardening. As I made new friends and others retired, they teased that they knew not to call me until mid-afternoons because they knew I'd be outside. Until retirement, cooking had been more of a necessity and chore than pleasure. Eventually I became interested in trying new recipes. Although I had a bakers shelf devoted to cookbooks, I'd rarely explored them. Far more gratifying to find online recipes because they include enticing photos! When three diagnoses of pre-diabetes, stage 3 chronic kidney disease (ckd) and diverticulitis struck last year, I was so grateful that adopting new diets could improve my lab numbers. I discovered the Connect group because Mayo had long been my first search in exploring maladies and their treatment. So glad I did because the kidney group proved invaluable in learning more about how to maintain and make adjustments based on lab values. Reflecting back on that initial retirement adjustment, I wonder now why the goal setting, list making me didn't give thought or planning to what would become the happiest, least stressful period of my life.

What I've noticed lately with getting older is that I heal more slowly. I recently hit my hand against a surface (not very hard) and a few days later saw a big round bruise that's still there. I also still have a red mark from a minor burn. In the past, this would not have happened. I'm 75 and able to get around okay, but when I walk outside, I'm careful so I don't trip on anything. I know falling now could cause problems. Not like in the past!

Thank you Beatrice for making me aware of something that I was only subliminally aware of - healing more slowly. Although I had heard about that....of course it didn't apply to me! 🙂 But hearing that from a peer makes it register! It is helpful to be crystal clear about that! I had a fall on April ! which resulted in a fractured wrist/arm. And since then, I try never to take my eyes off of the terrain I am walking on. I guess the fall was like a "shake awake" to the realities of my "elderliness"! - at age 81

@jeanie26 I also taught CNA classes I worked in every area of the hospital ,nursing home , home health, ended up in private duty also but thats when I fracture my back . I could,nt even do my med. ins. exams anymore it hurt to lug the briefcase I had so had to quit . It was sad for me I was,nt ready . Your right it takes a special person to do this work . I still give advice here at the Sr. building I life in. One guy teases me all the time about hanging out my shingle . lol. I moved to Calif. from Pa when my grandson was born to take care of him . As you grandchildren are blessings in our lives If I only knew then how to raise my son as I did my grandson . and what pleasure they give us right .One thing as I,ve gotten older I can,t spell anymore . @fiesty76 and I have talked about this . I love this group we are all over the world I,ve met people. I began in the 70,s studying holistic meds. My first book was by Earl Mindell but now I love the book be Phyllis Bauch this is her 5th edition. I use a lot of herbs that help me with my problems. Now I,m studying about essential oils and even mix my own . There are some good ones for massage for pain I use , energy ,sleep and others . IT,s interesting . If your into holistic you would like to study this also I,m sure Have a good day Jeanie Linda

@beatricefay Hi Im Linda and never thought about falling . But yes now I do The other night I passed out and fell hurt my lower half ,haha Since then I am more careful and can,t walk for long distance without a walker as my lower back is not as good as it use to be . To much working on my feet at nursing didn't help I have found I have to move slower which I'm not use to but am learning I need to do this . As someone said old age isn't for sissies

Hi Linda, Sorry about the wrong name! And sorrier about your fall! I hope you feel you can do something to prevent that from happening again!???