Attitude is Everything

Attitude has a lot to do with how we live our lives. One 96-year-old man still plays golf, reads with the help of a device for the blind, and lives independently. “My hope is to stay as young in spirit as I can,” he says, inspired by Ashley Montagu, the British scientist, who said. “The goal in life is to die young as late as possible.”

Many older people fail to have an optimistic  attitude. They feel that they cannot learn to use new devices because their minds have deteriorated or they cannot see well enough. Or they have too much pain to be active. Or they are confined to a wheelchair and need a caregiver to take them to simple exercises. 

While many elderly have legitimate reasons for their dependency, some have grown into negative or “poor me” thinking. They may refuse to make use of physical therapy to keep their bodies flexible. Or it takes too much time and patience to learn something new. Or they refuse to take medications that would reduce their pain. They would rather complain about  all they cannot do anymore.

What we elders need to do is focus on what we can still do and make an effort to learn something new each day. I learned to use an IPad and an IPhone to keep in touch with family and to play mind-stretching  games.  I try to do physical exercises to keep my bones strong.  I can still see well enough to read, but I will make use of talking books when my eyes deteriorate.  My goal is “to die young as late as possible.”