How to Adjust to Aging and Make the Most of Those Years

"Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be." That's the poetic way to look at it. Actually growing older can cause lots of changes in people’s lifestyle. These can be coped with, if approached with some preplanning or by taking advantage of any opportunity that comes along. I would like to show you how we handled these difficult times and even shared with our six children as they grew up.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. 
   Record family history

   FOLLOW YOUR INTERESTS WHEREVER THEY LEAD YOU - It took quite awhile for all six to grow up enough to get married or at least out on their own to raise families or follow their careers. By 1981 the youngest was married, and my husband and I were only 56 years old. Needing something to occupy my time until Clyde retired, I became interested in tracing family’s history. What I found in military and census records was so interesting I wanted to share with our children. So one by one I made family notebooks of the first four generations. I fancied up the notebooks with padded coverings and added an appropriate photo in matching padded frames on the front. The notebooks made great birthday gifts. You can continue making copies of the family books for your grandchildren as they get married.

2. 
   We loved fishing

   MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME WHILE HEALTHY - Retirement age really isn’t so very old. At 62 or 65 years of age you have lots of years to have fun. Fishing was our first choice as we had missed doing that a lot during our working years and raising a big family. We also couldn’t seem to stop making a big garden because any garden thrived under Clyde’s watchful eye and tender care, developing into too much produce that even our family, neighbors and friends couldn’t use it all up.

3. 
   Farmer's market days

   KEEP ACTIVE UNTIL IT ISN'T FUN ANYMORE - We enjoyed the garden so much that we didn’t want to give it up, leading us into another enjoyable pastime when we joined a local farmer’s market. At the market we made many new friends who enjoyed our fresh produce, preserved products and baked goodies. After twenty years even that type of activity became more drudgery than fun.

4. 
   Noting what's important to you

   PREPARE TO PASS ALONG YOUR HERITAGE - Old age was gaining on us and who wants to read or watch television all the time? We decided to use our computer skills and label our family heirlooms, accumulated over the 63 years of marriage, for our children’s information after we are gone. Typing or writing the details (from whom & year received) on address or shipping labels and placing it in an inconspicuous place on the object passes on the history of precious items.

[joanhaines]

on 7/28/2009 I honor your wisdom as a mature adult. What a great thing to pass along your advice via the internet! This way, your audience is huge.

[writesource]

on 3/27/2009 This is very good advice, especially labeling and categorizing things, 5*!

[AllFYB]

on 3/3/2009 What an amazing article with so much positive information to make the most of your life at any age..

[sanderdoe]

on 3/2/2009 Thanks for your great article and all of your wonderful suggestions. Aging is another time of change and your carefully crafted articles does much to encourage people to meet it with a positive approach.

[Susanh]

on 2/4/2009 Your family notebooks sound like a wonderful keepsake for your children. 5*****