Conscious Aging Because Your Life Matters Session 7

Conscious Aging: Because Your Life Matters Session 7 Plans for Our Elder Years (Continued)

Three Components of Successful Aging (From Successful Aging by Rowe and Kahn) • Avoiding Disease • Active Engagement with Life • Maintaining High Thinking and Physical Function

The Myths of Aging • • To be old is to be sick You can’t teach an old dog new tricks The horse is out of the barn The secret to successful aging is to choose your parents wisely • The lights may be on, but the voltage is low • The elderly don’t pull their own weight

George Burns’ Ten Don’ts for a Long Life • • • Don’t Smoke Don’t Drink Don’t Gamble Don’t Eat Salt Don’t Eat Sugar • • • Don’t Eat Fats Don’t Overexercise Don’t Overeat Don’t Undereat Don’t Play Around

George Burns’ Ten Don’ts for a Long Life • • • Don’t Smoke Don’t Drink Don’t Gamble Don’t Eat Salt Don’t Eat Sugar • • • Don’t Eat Fats Don’t Overexercise Don’t Overeat Don’t Undereat Don’t Play Around (You may not live longer, but it will seem longer)

Only one thing made him happy and, when that was gone, everything made him happy. -Leonard Cohen

Acting as Elders of the Tribe Pointers from some well-known Elders: Barry Barkin “An elder’s work is to synthesize wisdom…. ”

Joan Halifax “Elders function like old cobblers…”

Dr. Martin Luther King “An individual has not started living…”

Reb Zalman “When Elders model voluntary simplicity…”

Thich Nhat Hahn “We need the vision of inter-being…”

Gaia Consciousness

Mohandas Gandhi “We must be the change we wish to see. ”

Margaret Mead A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. . .

The Elders of the Oraibi Hopi Nation “. . . We are the ones we have been waiting for”

Acting as an Elder of the Tribe • • Guided meditation Written exercise

Acting as an Elder of the Tribe • • • How can you best serve the planet? How can you best serve the nation? How can you best serve your community? How can you best be of service to your family? How can you best serve those who are in the process of becoming an elder? How can you best serve your soul or your spiritual nature?

Rachel Naomi Remen “Days pass and the years vanish…. ”