On Aging.

If you want a long life, be prepared to grow old. How many times have I heard this when I complain of the limitations age brings in agility, alertness or mental acuity!

But I don't feel old! I still want to be energetic in my garden, but oh the backaches and sore muscles! I love to hike but tire way too soon. What about shopping, a woman's delight, usually? Now I go for what I need, roam around to see what's new and very soon that is the end of that. Museums, art galleries and botanical or ornamental gardens, so interesting and informative, now have the same effect.

I love travelling and somehow I still find the spark to do more when travelling than usually, but roughing it is now out of the question. After a day's sightseeing, all I want is a large warm jetted tub and a comfortable bed.

What can one do to deter the limitations of age? As a young person, I took good care of my skin, washing and cleansing and moisturising and going very easy on make-up. But where food was concerned, I loved to cook, eat,dine out, try exotic foods, anything that has savor and flavor. Too late did I come to realise that you are what you eat, to quote another old cherry, and quite a few pounds later I find out that I could have enjoyed all I ate but tweaked my eating pattern by giving more importance to antioxidants first and foremost, and devoting a few days a month to resting my digestive system by eating whole unprocessed foods, lots of greens, preferably raw, legumes and nuts. By thus doing, I would have given my system a break and a flush and helped to avoid as many free radicals as possible.
Maybe doing so, I would have had more supple joints and a lighter step in my walk.

Maybe, maybe, in my next life I could remember my own advice.