“Fishing Boats at Sea”, by Claude Monet, 1868
As elders, sailing on this uncharted sea, we need all the help we can get! Here are some of my favourite quotations to help us navigate the waters.
Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.
—Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher, 4 BCE-65 CE
Don’t die before you’re dead.
—Rachel Wolchin, American writer
It ain’t over till it’s over.
—Yogi Berra, American baseball player, 1925-2015
I’ve had a ball. And as I get older, I just become an older kid.
—Jonathan Winters, American actor/comedian, 1925-2013
For those of us who have endured (and survived!) long enough to be called “elders”, sometimes there is a need for encouragement. Fortitude is a word which comes to mind, and strength. These are two attributes that help us to keep on, one step at a time.
Here’s a video of a beautiful, inspiring, and graceful elder, Maia Helles, a retired ballet dancer. Filmed at her cottage on Fire Island in the U.S. when Maia was ninety-five years of age, it shows some of the exercises she practiced regularly.
Maia passed away in 2016 at the age of ninety-nine, leaving a wonderful legacy of hope and encouragement.
It may seem cloyingly upbeat, but this blog’s stated purpose is to “focus on the good”, and on the positive. Years ago, when some health challenges came into my life, I decided to do whatever I could to be my own best coach, my own best advocate. I do experience setbacks on my “positivity” journey at times, and have to get back on track with gentle but firm reminders to myself (and with much patience from my husband!).
A dear friend once said to me, while we were on a brisk exercise walk in the neighbourhood, “Just keep walking, Val!” She meant that I should keep walking rather than stopping to look at gardens every few feet! We were supposed to be exercising, after all. As it turns out, I frequently say those words to myself, especially when experiencing the occasional bout of loss of balance. Boarding city buses can be challenging at times, so I use the mantra, “Just keep walking, Val!”, to gain momentum as I climb aboard.
“Counting” also helps, particularly when going up or down stairs. Just plain counting, 1-2-3 etc., provides a steady rhythm, a sense of security, especially to those of us who have challenges with our vision. Better to count silently to oneself than to take a tumble!
In the depths of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.
—Albert Camus, French philosopher, author, & journalist, 1913-1960
Forget-me-not flowers in our back garden. I love their simplicity.
Take Heart!
