ComputerHunter.org

 

Aging


Aging is a matter of the mind.

The years may creep upon us, and the seasons come and go, but we all have a choice how we age in our mind and heart.

In physical terms, I am now in my fifties. Mentally, I rarely pass beyond my twenties. The statement, so often spoken, "The mind is willing but the body refuses to respond" becomes ever more true as we get older in years. But we don't need to age mentally or emotionally.

I have crossed paths with so many people I have known in my life, and there are so many that have not only aged physically, but mentally, as well. There is often no sparkle or light in their eyes. They not only "look" old, but their very presence "feels" old.

Combating age is really a two-fold process:

1) Physical Aging

2) Mental and/or Emotional Aging

Of course, we all know the rhetoric on dealing with physical aging: "Diet, exercise, adequate sleep". So many of us know what to do. So many of us intend to do well. But so often we just don't get around to it. But take heart. It's never too late to start! But you must start, and start now. Begin gradually, of course. Don't try to become an olympic contender overnight. Gradually work into a physical routine and get plenty of rest and eat properly. My wife and I began our regimen when I became sixty pounds overweight. The kicker was that my blood pressure went from 120/80 to nearly 160/95! My wife found some books on healthy eating and lifestyle, and we began. I have now lost 40 pounds and am well on the way for the rest.

Then there is the question of mental/emotional aging. For the most part, this is an aging of choice. That may seem like a harsh statement, but it is true. In fact, it is a daily choice that we consciously make. We react, for the most part, to the circumstances around us. We adapt and adjust to the circumstances of life as we perceive them. Acting "old" is the easy way out. It is a reaction of surrender. But beware, for it is a choice of addiction and eventual debilitation of the mind...and the heart. Mental aging will cripple you faster than any physical complication or challenge will.

"Age is a cage
We forge for ourselves
With shackles and chains
We keep on it's shelves;
The gatekeeper's key
Is hidden from view
For the secret to freedom
Is only within YOU!

So make the decision, and don't put it to committee. Decide to be happy, regardless of your physical circumstances and limitations. The conscious choice of being happy may not cure your physical ailments due to aging, but it will make your life so much more bearable.

Bob Curtis has been writing articles, short fiction and poetry for over thirty years. He has been a lay family and individual consultant for a number of years. He is currently the managing director of people4people.blogspot.com and is the president of Nexus Publishing, nexus4u.blog.spot.com in Midvale, Utah.







Google News - Top Stories

Voice of America

As Palin Brings Up Ayers, Obama Team Cites Keating
Washington Post - 1 hour ago
By Anne E. Kornblut and Michael Abramowitz The presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama for the first time criticized Sen. John McCain for his role in the "Keating Five" savings-and-loan scandal yesterday, saying the issue was fair game after a ...
Video: AP Campaign Minute AssociatedPress
Obama lead forces McCain on to attack Financial Times
Los Angeles Times - Minneapolis Star Tribune - Chicago Tribune - Palm Beach Post
all 4,745 news articles


Boston Globe

Tear gas fired at mass Thai rally
BBC News - 1 hour ago
Police in Thailand have fired tear gas to disperse a demonstration by thousands of anti-government protesters in Bangkok. Dozens of people were injured as police intervened in the dawn protest in front of parliament.
UPDATE 3-Thai police fire tear gas at parliament protesters Reuters
Thai Police Fire Tear Gas to Disperse Protesters, Several Hurt Bloomberg
Aljazeera.net - The Associated Press - AFP - Bernama
all 406 news articles


ABC News

Senator Warned a Friend That Jail Was a Risk
New York Times - 1 hour ago
By NEIL A. LEWIS WASHINGTON - The day after the FBI confronted Bill Allen, an Alaska oil services millionaire, with evidence that he had tried to bribe state lawmakers, he reached out to Senator Ted Stevens by telephone to discuss how their ...
Sen. Stevens on tape: "might serve time in jail" Reuters
Stevens, contractor on tapes made public at trial The Associated Press
San Jose Mercury News - ABC News - CNN - The Miami Herald
all 164 news articles


The Associated Press

Host of woes linked to bus company involved with fatal crash
San Francisco Chronicle - 31 minutes ago
(10-06) 20:03 PDT -- The 41 Laotian senior citizens who piled onto a bus Sunday for a night of fun at a Colusa County casino entrusted their lives to a bus company whose corporate registration had lapsed, a bus with invalid license plates and ...
Video: Driver Arrested After Deadly Calif. Bus Crash AssociatedPress
Many of dead, injured in bus crash were Laotian San Jose Mercury News
New York Times - KHSL - ABC30.com - Bloomberg
all 2,036 news articles


Washington Post

Suit on Tobacco Ads Sparks Feisty Debate
Washington Post - 25 minutes ago
Former solicitor general Theodore B. Olson, second from left, leaves the Supreme Court after morning statements. The court began another term yesterday.
High court likely to side with cigarette-makers USA Today
Supreme Court rejects appeals, including Mumia Abu-Jamal's CNN
Los Angeles Times - San Jose Mercury News - The Associated Press - kypost.com
all 435 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base