Tag Archives: growing old

Always grateful!!

16 Friday Jan 2026

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me

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“Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails into behavior. It almost always makes you willing to be of service, which is where the joy resides. It means that you are willing to stop being such a jerk. When you are aware of all that has been given to you, in your lifetime and the past few days, it is hard not to be humbled, and pleased to give back.”― Anne Lamott

2026 will be an amazing year!!

Why?  you may ask.

Because I said so! :–)

Well, this is the year I am turning 60 years old.  That thought it is hitting me like a ton of bricks.  It is daunting to think I will be 60.  What happened to 30, 40, and 50?  It feels like it all went so fast.

At moments I get a bit down about it.   60 feels heavy.  It feels like I have done nothing with my life.

Then I remember and realize how blessed I am, and how much I have accomplished.  Age is just a number. What is important is to live every moment to the max. It is important to not to waste this beautiful gift called life.

So the best thing to do is to live it up, no matter what the number is. 60, 70, 80, or 90 like my mom.

I have so much to be grateful for.  Everything is a matter of attitude and perception. Today I am choosing to remember all the beauty and blessings. My family, Michael, health, home, work, friends, a great mind and great heart.  My breath, the ocean, my bike, French bread with butter… and the list goes on and on.

I am even grateful for the hardships that made me strong and successful. 

What I have today is even more than I ever dreamed of.  Not to enjoy it and be grateful would be a sin!

Enjoy it all!

But remember, until March 28 I am still in my 50s! 🙂

 
An old Portuguese prayer of gratitude:
And what do you want the coming year to bring you?
Nothing, I don’t want it to bring me anything. The only thing I want is for it not to take anything away.
May it not take away the roof that shelters me, the food that nourishes me, the blanket that warms me, nor the light that illuminates me. May it not take away the smiles of my loved ones, my health—which is my treasure—nor the work that sustains me.
May friendship, companionship, hugs, and kisses remain.
May it not take away my dreams, nor the pieces of my heart—formed by the people I cherish—that I always carry within me.

 

Feeling broken…

21 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by in Daily Life, Finding Me

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I have to live as I preach and that means being positive and not allowing anything to bring me down. But lately is has been extremely tough to be upbeat.  I am guessing that is where the virtue lies, to be upbeat when times are difficult! To be upbeat and positive when everything is going well is easy, anyone can do it.

For somebody that never gets sick, this is a whole uncharted territory.  I am going through a terrible rough patch.   This is how I choose to look at it, just a patch that soon will be cleared.  As you know, if you follow me, I have been slowly letting go all of my physical activities because of hip pain.

It has now been months without Zumba, Yoga and Pilates.  The so anticipated spring tennis lessons will have to, hopefully, be summer lessons.   The effects of all this inactivity are starting to show;  I have no energy, I am moody and my clothes are too tight! 😦

I guess the consolation is that what I have is easily fixed.  The doctor promises that with 2 months of physical therapy I will be whole again, well at least functional again.  It is somewhat silly to be such a crying baby when others face so many other more critical problems, but this is severely limiting my life therefore I am allowing myself to be a cry baby today.

I am not sure if I should believe the doctor’s promise or not.  He also said that the cortisone shot right on the hip would take away the pain and inflammation, but unfortunately since the day of the shot I have been feeling progressively worse.

Physical therapy finally starts tonight – yippie!!  I know physical therapy is not a miracle cure and it will take time and effort, but it is just another right step on the road to recovery.

But in the meantime, my body feels broken and disconnected.  I feel broken and disconnected.  Is this what the future holds?  My eye sight is gone, my hip and back want to follow suit.  What other body parts will decide to go?

But then, right when I am feeling my 47 years of age weighing heavily on me I read of another octogenarian or nonagenarian ski diving or doing some other crazy adventure.  Not only that, I don’t have to look far, my 78 yr old mother is a non-stop dynamo.

I realize that growing old has some issues, but it doesn’t have to be the end of good, healthy, active life.  Growing old, like everything else in life, will be what I make it to be.  Growing old well will be the results of the choices I make today.  So it is all up to me!  I am the master of my destiny!

And since it is up to me, I am going to ignore this rough patch and use it as a time for internal growth and contemplation.  So, my body has to take it easy for awhile and regain strength, but my mind doesn’t have to go dormant, my mind has all the energy that it needs and more.

So here’s to more French and Mosaic while I get ready for Tennis and Zumba!