A hug of hope, wisdom and gratefulness
This Baby Boomer (born between 1946-1964) loves to sit down with my senior friends and the greater generation at church, visiting in long term facilities and spending time with my older friends. I am truly blessed each and every day from my elderly friends with encouragement of “Let’s make the best of this day” as they greet me with a hug. As they express from their heart their in-sights and thoughts, I pick up the theme of truth that happiness and adversities are accepted as a part of life. We learn and grow from our experiences. With this contentment we understand that gratitude is an emotion which definitely interacts and relates to positive feelings of happiness, joy and wellness, all of which improve the quality of life. Readers, think of times in your lives when you had a need and assistance was provided with no strings attached. Only pure gratitude could be expressed. Through this expression of gratitude that we observe and glean from seniors is that we don’t work at aging, it just happens.
We Baby Boomers may see some gray hair, our bodies are changing, we may be a little stiffer, or a little forgetful, etc. Aging is not a failure of our bodes but it is part of the lifesaving process. In talking to my senior friends, they tell me that old age is some-thing we should celebrate while going through the cycle and sea-sons of life. As a citizen of Lee County, I am so very thankful for The Lee Russell Council of Government’s Agency on Aging, which provides wonderful programs for we Baby Boomers and seniors as we adjust to the aging process. This agency provides guidance to seniors with health tips, what agencies to go to for assistance, checking in with the seniors in the community, providing caregiver training programs for those who are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and dementia, scheduled transportation services, overseeing the Senior Centers and most of all encouraging for those of us who are aging with a purpose. The staff is so good in spending time with the community seniors.
Gratefulness is truly a heartfelt attitude. Here are some benefits that I have observed as I interact with my senior peers.
- Seniors who are grateful are happier and contented. They seem to have fewer physical symptoms and are not prone to depression which can affect overall health. They are thankful and happy with their lives.
- Grateful senior adults are more connected with other people, more social in outreaching to other people, joining in activities and being able to communicate their needs more clearly.
- Seniors who are grateful have healthy and positive ways of coping with stresses in their lives like having better nutrition, exercising more, sleeping better, focusing on the positive rather than the negative and enjoying a better outlook on life. They count their blessings.
- As I sit with my senior friends, they remind me that as you grow older, you grow more thankful for the simple things of life. “Their gratitude list includes friends, learning some-thing new from life experiences, appreciation of the beauty of the world around them and realizing each day is a gift from God. The elderly have modeled in front of me that even though they may not feel well, to practice gratitude helps them to extract the most out of life as well as caring for others.
- Our senior friends can cope with tough times. Many of them have been through the depression, wars, financial lean times, sad times and cultural changes. When talking one-on-one with my senior friends about what is happening in today’s world, I have asked many of them, “Are you grateful when circumstances seem to be uncertain and dire?” Their response to me is that a grateful attitude is necessary. I love spending time with my aunt, Josephine Teague, a senior who served as an art teacher, physical education teacher and elementary grade teacher in the Auburn City Schools. She has definitely painted on the canvas of her niece’s life the art of being grateful during tough times. She shares that same kind of gratefulness with all her family and all she meets.
So, Baby Boomers, God is not finished with us yet! Don’t give in to the old age stereotypes. If you enjoy doing something, keep on doing it!
Beth Pinyerd has been a classroom teacher for many years and has served as an activity professional in long term care. She holds a master’s degree in early childhood education.
