Encouraging and equipping women over 60 to live their best life!
If we are “frail and fragile,” we can’t live our best life. Get engaged in staying fit. You can do it on your own. You can watch YouTube videos, do a Peloton program, or something similar. But most of us find that the friendship and accountability we get from a group fitness class keeps us doing it. If you are not currently involved in a class, Silver Sneakers may be a good place to start. Many Medicare programs offer no-cost classes for adults who are 65+.
Sometimes in life we can get stuck in a place of scarcity and fear. We start playing the game of life to not lose instead of looking at this incredible life that is a gift and create an offense. I believe that’s how God has designed us. I believe he wants us to be optimistic, grateful, and confident. He wants us to use the gifts and talents that make us unique. When you look at your children, don’t you want the best for them. I believe that’s what God wants for us.
Ask yourself the question: If my marriage were everything I would want it to be, what would that look like? This is going to be very important. We can be our own worst enemies, giving up hope and getting stuck in an old mindset. The new year, is the perfect time to take a fresh look. It’s your life. The same-old is always available.
I work out. I eat well. I take a joint supplement and use a daily moisturizer. I do the same things most of you do to look and feel your best. Like my friend Jacquelyn told me while discussing this topic: “I can’t stop aging, but I am hoping to look the best I can for the age I’m at—and that makes me feel better.” That is probably the goal for all of us!
Are you feeling sad? Feeling lonely? Have you built a facade in your marriage? You need the truth here, the real down deep feelings about how you are really feeling about your marriage. I was truthful with you. I felt dead inside. I couldn’t see the future. I didn’t know how it was going to happen. But I wanted more from my marriage.
Contemplating the year ahead has given thought to the advantages and blessings of being the age I am. I say advantages because I choose to look at the positive side of life! After all, there really isn’t anything I can do to change what stage of life I am at, and it’s a lot better than listing all of the unfortunate maladies, doctor’s appointments and issues of aging!
Are you having fun with the person you have chosen to do life with? Fun will look different for each and every marriage. What I think is fun in my marriage probably won’t appeal to you. But I will say, the more fun I have with my husband the more in love with him I feel. Learning to laugh at myself, even when I blow it and admit my mistake—but have the courage to snicker about it, this has been huge for me.
What is going on in your brain about your marriage? Only you know these thoughts. Our thought life comes out in our actions. Really think about this. Here is a little example, if you are mad at your husband about something, how do you treat him? With love and affection, probably not. You probably pull back emotionally. Or, maybe you lash out over something small. Your heart-life matters. It comes out in our actions.
As 2023 ends, what I simply want to convey to this “Living Your Best Life” Sixty Plus audience, is that I am going to continue to look for, abide in, cling to, bring as much as possible to others, but mainly, choose JOY in all circumstances as I am barreling through my sixth decade—and, I pray, for several more beyond.
We can love our imperfect husbands! God can show us how! God has given you this gift of marriage to show you who you are, and He’s given you a person to love and to love you; to teach you and train you to love—even when you don’t feel like it. Marriage teaches you to stop building a self-protective exterior. The world teaches you to build barriers, create boundaries, love yourself, build your self-esteem—which is the opposite of God’s design for marriage. Our goal is to get you back to that loving, thriving relationship with the man you married.
