Let's end February with some encouraging thoughts on aging! There are a lot of people over the age of 50 who are still going strong and have positive attitudes about growing older. A lot of growing older is our attitude towards it. Do we look at the number and let it get us down? Do we look at the number and think to ourselves "I'm doing pretty good for a gal my age"?  Only you have control over your attitude.

"Growing older is not for sissies" as Bette Davis once said, but it's not all bad. There are a lot of things to be thankful for as we live another year of life.
Hope you enjoy the following quotes and they provide encouragement as you age:
Enjoy!

    Sophia Loren:        There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.
     (My take: If we stay involved in our lives and keep doing, we can defeat the old age syndrome. We control how we age by how we think and our attitude towards it.)

    Sting:     I want to get old gracefully. I want to have good posture, I want to be healthy and be an example to my children.
 (My take: Our children and our grand children are looking to us to see what getting older is like. We are setting the example for them. Do we want them to be sad, broken, and give-up as they get older? Of course not!)

    Samuel Ullman:    Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
 (My take: The Bible says "as a man thinketh so is he", (Proverbs 23:7) if you think like an old person, then you will indeed be old. Continue to live with enthusiasm.)

    Maurice Chevalier:    You don't stop laughing because you grow older. You grow older because you stop laughing.
(My take: A sense of humor is a necessity as we grow older. Laughter has been proven to extend our lives because it releases certain   endorphens that aid in good health. Proverbs 17:22 - A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.😊)

    Ann-Margret:        I've always tried to do my very best, and I want to be the very best age, whatever age I am.
 (My take: We should always stive to do our best and live our best life. Getting older is no excuse!😊)

    Diane Keaton:         I never understood the idea that you're supposed to mellow as you get older. Slowing down isn't something I relate to at all. The goal is to continue in good and bad, all of it.
(My take: Pretty straight forward.😊)

Jane Seymour:      People say women shouldn't have long hair over a certain age, but I've never done what everyone says.
 (My take: Who makes all these rules for older women? Certainly not older women! A woman should wear her hair anyway she likes it. This also goes for wearing clothing that you want to wear and make-up, if you choose. We make our own rules---PERIOD!)

Hope you  find encouragement in these thoughts by people who are in the over 50 years. Some are way over 50 or at least they were over 50 when they made the quote. Remember, a lot of how we age is our attitude towards it. Stay positive and active!😊    
Embrace your age! Every age has it's own issues and challenges, that is true, however, every new year also brings its own rewards and blessings!

Did you find any inspiration in any of these quotes? Do you make your own rules or do you live by the rules of others? Tell me your thoughts, share them in the comments, they may help someone else.
​
XOXO

There's a new yogurt in town and it's really good - Dun Dee Aussie-Style yogurt. The flavor I tried was the strawberry fruit on the bottom.
While it is thicker than traditional yogurt, it is not as thick as Greek. The flavor was really good and the texture was really smooth. Some other information:
⦁    Walmart sells 8 oz for $1.98
⦁    Non-GMO
⦁    Probiotic
⦁    Milk and cream used in this yogurt is produced from cows NOT raised with rBST (rBST is an injected hormone to increase milk production)
⦁    280 calories per 8 oz, with 90 fat calories

NOTE: This is an Aussie STYLE yogurt not an Australian yogurt. It is manufactured and packaged in the USA. There are other brands of Aussie-Style yogurt on the market, although not as well known as traditional or Greek.

In my opinion this is a good yogurt, better than some; however, the cost seems a bit high unless you compare the cost to that of Greek yogurt and it's about the same.
Remember, as we age it is really important to keep our digestive system in good running order. If you can tolerate dairy products, yogurt is a good, healthy choice. There are so many choices in yogurt, you shouldn't have any trouble finding one you like.

Have you tried an Aussie-Style yogurt? Was it Dun Dee or some other brand? What is your opinion of Aussie-Style yogurt?

XOXO

When I was a young teenager, I remember feeling left out when my girlfriends were getting valentines from boys and I didn't. When I was a young teenager, Valentine's Day was about romantic love. Of course, when I was really young, it was about getting as many valentines as possible from girls, boys, and teachers. It was about the valentine heart candy that had the little words printed on them. It was about making a container to hold those precious valentines.
So what happened? Now that I am an adult, how do I see Valentine's Day? A romantic day, a day of love, a day of loneliness, or just another day?
I see Valentine's Day as a day of love - all kinds of love. When I give my little granddaughter a valentine, she doesn't question why she is getting it, she just accepts it. When she gives me a valentine, I know it is because she loves me. I give valentines to my children, my friends, my famiy, and yes, my romantic love interest - my husband. 
Many of my friends don't have romantic loves in their life. They may not have ever had them, may have lost them through divorce, or through death. Should they stay hidden away and accept the lie that Valentine's Day is only for romantic couples or should they embrace the love of the day and spread it around?
Valentine's Day did not orginate as a romantic holiday. It started out as a celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. It was not associated with romance until Geoffrey Chaucer's poetry about valentines in the 14th century.
The reason for this lesson in history is this, Valentine's Day is not just for couples. It is about love and showing love through gifts of cards, sweet candies and treats, and flowers. It doesn't matter if you are alone or surrounded by people, Valentine's Day can be fun.
I have spent my share of Valentine's Days alone and I made the most of that time. Sometimes I would line up several romantic comedy movies, pop some corn, and curl up on the sofa. Sometimes with or without my dog to cuddle with. Sometimes, I would call someone that I knew would also be alone and talk or go out with them. One time I took that time alone to make a valentine wall hanging quilt that I gave as a gift. 
There are lots of ways to spend this holiday, with someone or alone. Don't let Valentine's Day be a day of loneliness or regret, let it be a day of love (for yourself).

How do you view Valentine's Day? Do you ever give valentines to your friends and family just to say "I love you"? Do you have one special Valentine's Day that you remember with joy?
If you are alone on Valentine's Day, how do you celebrate? If you don't celebrate, why?

XOXO

Every day I read or hear about someone over the age of 50 who is crushin' life. They are on fire for living and even though they may have obstacles in their lives, they are living their dreams and following their passions. You don't have to want to start a business, climb Mount Everest, or learn ballet to follow your passions, just do them. 
Whether they are running marathons, catching the big fish, making a family heirloom quilt, or anything else you want to do but you are letting your age hold you back -DON'T! This year is going to pass whether you accomplish your goals or not. Would you rather finish the year with regret or finish the year with a completed masterpiece and one goal accomplished? 
Here are a few over 50s who are on fire for their own life! Join them!
1.    Diane Keaton - still going strong and just celebrated her 70th birthday. She is still acting and has two young children to raise. Her last movie "Finding Dory" just came out in December 2015. She also had "Love the Coopers" that ran in theatres during the Christmas holiday 2015. You can't stop this chick!
2.    Agnes Zhelesnik - the oldest employed teacher in America turned 102 years old on January 12, 2016. She didn't start teaching until she was 81 and her husband had died. He didn't want a working wife, so she was a stay at home mom. She teaches home economics. What an inspiration!
3.    John Lowe - Brittains oldest professional ballet dancer. He didn't start ballet dancing until he was 80 years old. He turned 95 in 2014, was still dancing ,and I believe he is still living today. What a powerhouse dreamer!
The next two are no longer with us, but they were on fire all the way to the end. You have to admire their gumption!
1.    Mary Wesley - sold her first adult novel at the age of 71  after her husband had passed away. She  had many successful novels until age 84 including ten best sellers in the last twenty years of her long life. She was asked why she quit writing at age 84 and her response was "if you haven't got anything  to say then don't say it." She passed away at age 90 (in 2002).
2.    Norman Maclean - wrote and published his first novel when he was 74 years old. The book was about fly-fishing and titled A River Runs Through It. He died at the age of 87 in 1990. Before he passed away, he wrote another novel Young Men and Fire. It has not been published yet.

All of these over 50s did not let age define who they were. They pursued their passions when others would have given up. They didn't let a number limit them, they shot for the moon and ended up among the stars.
We should never allow a number to hold us back. Age may prevent some dreams, but everyone has more than one. Keep learning, keep moving forward, keep making contributions to your world, and to your life. 
If you are over 50, you have so much to
offer the world. You have experience, knowledge, wisdom, and stories. You owe it to yourself and to the world to stay engaged and live the life you choose. As we age we have to make changes in our lives and sometimes deal with illnesses that we would rather not deal with, but even then we are valuable. The take-away from these few successful over 50s is don't give up! 

What is your dream? Are you involved in your hobbies, art, interests? Do you love to travel and yet, you think you are too old? Are you staying involved and engaged in the world around you? The Bible says "as a man thinketh, so is he." So, what are you thinking?

XOXO