May 2020, Volume 41*
Volume 40 was not published. See below
Photo by Huy Phan
Source: https://unsplash.com/@huyphan2602?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText
Thriving: As We Live With Intention
by
Linda Repka, Lucas County Board of DD Provider Support Specialist
I once stumbled onto a senior web site with the mission, "To empower seniors to live their later years with vitality and purpose." That sounded like a great mission to me! You see, I, too am a senior and I love living a life where I am thriving, not simply surviving. I believe that I live a vital and purpose-filled life because I make a difference in the lives of others.
Anne Frank said, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Making a difference in someone else's life leads to making a difference in our own lives. It doesn't have to be on a particularly grand scale. Offering a smile or a listening ear to someone who needs it can make just as much of a difference in one person's life as a motivational speaker can make when speaking in front of thousands. A big difference can be made one person at a time.
To care about others so deeply that we want to make a difference in their lives, we must live with intention, not on "auto-pilot."
Routines can be helpful, but when we attach so much importance to routines that we become inflexible and set in our ways, we end up focusing on ourselves much of the time. And we can't be a light in the darkness others are experiencing when we are self-focused for most of our time. As any airplane pilot will tell you, there is a time to utilize auto-pilot and there's a time for the pilot to intentionally fly the plane him or herself. Balance is key in all things.
Let's look at the differences between surviving and thriving as these words are defined in Webster's dictionary:
- Surviving: "to remain alive"
- Thriving: "to grow vigorously"
If you decide to thrive, rather than just survive, you need to look for those things that set you on fire with energy and enthusiasm, the things that light up your eyes and your spirit. Once you determine what those things are, write them down and set large, long-term goals using those areas that bring you joy as your primary goal targets. Once you have set your larger, long-term goals, set smaller, more manageable goals to help you achieve the larger ones. As you move forward working on your life goals, always remember to celebrate the small victories along the way - if you don't, you will find yourself, as I once heard, "Always striving and never arriving."
We have the ability to share our deep-seeded joy with others just by showing up. Self-care is an essential part of this, and the way to help others thrive is to thrive ourselves. Once you begin thriving, those around you will wonder what you're doing that causes you to live with so much joy so much of the time. When you are asked about your joy, sharing what you've learned about thriving is another way to help others do the same.
But we must remember that, in the end, it's up to each individual to choose whether to live a thriving life or a life that's caught up in constant survival mode. Thriving means living in the moment, and experiencing the joy of doing so. Living to just survive causes untold mental, spiritual, and physical stress, which translates into mental, spiritual, and physical illness. In the end, the choice of whether to "just remain alive" or to "grow vigorously" per Webster's definitions, is a personal one, but remember, if you don't know what path you're taking, you might not like where you end up. May you choose to live a joyous, thriving life as you live purposefully and with intention.
May Activity
Crayon Art
Supplies
- Blank canvas
- Crayons, old or new.
- Hot glue gun
- Hair dryer
Directions
- Cover your work surface with newspaper.
- Decide on a color scheme
- Decide on whether to use the crayons with or without wrappers, and remove the wrappers if you choose.
- Lay the crayons along the top edge of the canvas until you are happy with the color scheme and pattern.
- Hot glue each crayon to the top of the canvas and right next to each other
- After the crayons are glued down and dried, prop the top of the canvas up at an angle. Make sure there is plenty of newspaper at the bottom edge.
- Use the hair dryer on low, or use a diffuser. Keeping the hair dryer on low helps to avoid crayon wax spattering.
- Begin the melting of the crayons by putting the hair dryer over the crayons.
- Watch the crayons - they will quickly turn sweaty and start to drip down the canvas.
Special Note: You can change the angle of the canvas to control how fast and far the drips will go.
Reference: https://www.instructables.com/id/Melted-Crayon-Art
Keep up with the Area Office on Aging Calendar
for the latest on
Spring Fling 2020
The Spring Fling is usually a May event. Due to the current restrictions on large gatherings, Spring Fling 2020 has been
TENTATIVELY RESCHEDULED
for
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Sylvania Tam-O-Shanter
7060 West Sylvania Avenue
Sylvania, OH 43560
90 or more exhibitors with information about programs, products, and services for people 60 and up, plus health and wellness demonstrations and screenings.
Admission is FREE.
Boxed lunches are $5 each for those 60 and up.
More information, lunch tickets, and exhibitor information and contract available at https://areaofficeonaging.com/event/5. Keep up with this site or contact the Area Office on Aging staff listed on the contract flyer for information about booth availability, and for any developments or changes.
If you're new to Aging Gracefully, past issues can be found at the Lucas County Board of DD's web site, http://lucasdd.info/, under Publications.
Please note that no issue of Aging Gracefully was published in April of 2020, due to the need to focus on communicating about the coronavirus crisis.
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