LAUGHING ALL THE WAY ......

Hidden within all sorts of abysmal news in the national newspaper this week I came across this article which I'm quoting hereunder:

The prospect of ageing needn't be daunting as we're happiest at 85, according to new research.

An increasing number of wrinkles and getting undeniably close to death aren't enough to put the elderly off enjoying themselves - research confirms we don;t get sadder as we get older,

In fact, it seems that just the opposite is true.

A telephone poll of 340,000 people showed that after 50, people start progressively getting happier.

By 85, people were more satisfied with themselves than when they were 18.

While the results of the US Gallop telephone poll showed that happiness came with age, it didn't uncover the cause of this phenomenon, as reported in Live Science.

The survey showed that people start out at age 18 feeling pretty good and feel progressively worse until they hit 50.

But after that point, people begin getting happier.

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Looking at things fairly and squarely!

"use it up, wear it out, make it do ... or do without"

I saw this quotation just recently and it made me think - quite seriously, about what we see as important and what we do with our lives.

We all know people who as they realise they're growing older, think they have to sit in a corner and rusticate. They not only think it, but they do it!

And why's that? Is it that they see themselves as becoming a bit of a nuisance to others, just because of aging? And if so, is this because other people have suggested they're no longer quite as acceptable as when younger? Do a few wrinkles, grey hair and a slowing of our limbs, mean we lose our capacity to "be", and to contribute to our family as well as our community just as much, if not more, than we have during our younger years? Our experiences and our wisdom have been gained through persistence, determination and discipline. We should be proud of them.

As the quote says: "use it up - wear it out - make it do - or do without." And let's have lots of fun in using it and wearing it and making it do!

Getting up of a morning!

I found this cartoon of "Maxine", and thank her creator and mentor for such insights into the aging persona.

A professional woman's comment

In her reference to the corporate world (Australia) she says:

"What is scary
is the permanent relegation
of many older women to the sidelines."

Etiquette in today's society

Is it me, or are a lot of "growing older" people noticing both a lack of common etiquette in being dealt with by government agencies and such, as well as a growing incidence of younger people showing more respect? Sounds like a contradiction, and of course it is.

But recently I've noticed a common thread when dealing with many younger people by telephone (banks, real estate agents for rentals, and government agencies) where they actually ask you for permission to call you by your first (Christian) name.

Years ago of course we were brought up to show extreme respect to our elders, and everyone was given the title of Mr, Mrs or Miss. And we daren't budge from that expectation. But things have changed over the years, and of course we have learned to adapt to many of those changes quite willingly and quite comfortably.

To be given the title of Mrs or Miss or even Ms and then to be asked if one would mind being spoken to along the lines of one's first name is a little sign of etiquette that I haven't come across for a long time. But it's happening more often these days. And it's sort of nice. You are given an option of agreeing or not agreeing, and for a senior person that in itself is a form of good manners that we thought have flown out of the window with lots of other niceties that we remember.

Small circles of acquaintances

Even timid and shy women as they grow older can reach out and increase their small circles of acquaintances. Those acquaintances may well become good friends, which is an added bonus.

* Joining groups of other women across a wide range of interests and subjects can bring with it pleasurable times and interconnections. You don't have to like everybody there, and everybody there doesn't have to like you. Sometimes you can even sit at the side of things that are going on and still feel a part of it, even though you don't really participate. The sound of happy chatter going on over your head can sometimes cause you to feel as though you're importance to the group That sort of chatter going on around you is very therapeutic. Think of the National Seniors, the local CWA (yes, I know, everyone thinks they're old-fashioned, but they certainly have come of age, and now enjoy lots of younger women within their ranks); Neighborhood/Community Houses; some of the service clubs; church groups and clubs. The list of almost endless.

* Volunteering can be an understated form of relaxation, involvement and interest. It can take you out of your dreary dull boring daily existing and present new opportunities, at whatever age. Hospital auxilliaries, charity shops, visiting people in hospital, being on a small council within a church, local neighborhood house, Probus, and any of the service clubs, can open a whole new vista of enjoyment. Interaction with other people does a lot of good, even though sometimes you may feel it hasn't achieved anything. What it has achieved is that you have gotten out of the house, interacted with people, and forgotten your dull and boring existence.

(To be continued with other suggestions .........)