When people talk about aging gracefully, I conjure up images of elderly people looking stylish, being comfortable under their own skin, and radiating an aura of confidence.
I usually listen to Chinese radio whenever I stay in Vancouver. There is abundance of beauty salons ads claiming that some small painless procedures can make people look 10-20 years younger. Supposedly the largest group of customers for the beauty salons is middle-aged ladies who are anxious to get rid of their first wrinkles and double chins. I ponder about the necessity of such procedures. Unless you work in appearance dependent fields such as show business and sales, it is actually more advantageous to look mature with laugh lines, wrinkles and eye bags.
Decades ago when I was growing up in Vancouver, Canada, seniors would dress themselves in pastel colours or bold patterns. These days seniors choose to wear more revealing clothing such as mini skirts, short shorts and shirts with low necklines. Well, unless we are blessed with well toned bodies, wearing such clothing would only accentuate our sagging skin and body parts. Being fashionable can never surpass personal style and elegance.
It is still a myth to me how seniors can have spouses decades younger than themselves. More often than not, younger companions would not be able to understand their thinking and life experiences. For an older man to have a trophy wife, it can be explained that his trophy wife is a status symbol. It is analogous to an older person cruising around in a red convertible. Yet I still see a lot of these archetypes in developed countries.
Recently I heard that Queen Elizabeth II has banned the use of plastics at the royal estates. I applaud her effort in becoming more environmentally friendly. While I value age old wisdom, I embrace new discoveries and knowledge. Some seniors hesitate to try out hi-tech products such as cell phones and internet. Our physical and mental abilities decrease with age; however, that should not stop us from trying something new once in a while.
In summary, we would do the following to age gracefully:
1) Embrace wrinkles, sagging skin, age spots, etc. as signs of maturity.
2) Dress age-appropriately with your own unique style.
3) Marry someone who can understand you, and not someone just to turn heads.
4) Always be aware of the changes around you and try something new occasionally.
Happy Aging!
I usually listen to Chinese radio whenever I stay in Vancouver. There is abundance of beauty salons ads claiming that some small painless procedures can make people look 10-20 years younger. Supposedly the largest group of customers for the beauty salons is middle-aged ladies who are anxious to get rid of their first wrinkles and double chins. I ponder about the necessity of such procedures. Unless you work in appearance dependent fields such as show business and sales, it is actually more advantageous to look mature with laugh lines, wrinkles and eye bags.
Decades ago when I was growing up in Vancouver, Canada, seniors would dress themselves in pastel colours or bold patterns. These days seniors choose to wear more revealing clothing such as mini skirts, short shorts and shirts with low necklines. Well, unless we are blessed with well toned bodies, wearing such clothing would only accentuate our sagging skin and body parts. Being fashionable can never surpass personal style and elegance.
It is still a myth to me how seniors can have spouses decades younger than themselves. More often than not, younger companions would not be able to understand their thinking and life experiences. For an older man to have a trophy wife, it can be explained that his trophy wife is a status symbol. It is analogous to an older person cruising around in a red convertible. Yet I still see a lot of these archetypes in developed countries.
Recently I heard that Queen Elizabeth II has banned the use of plastics at the royal estates. I applaud her effort in becoming more environmentally friendly. While I value age old wisdom, I embrace new discoveries and knowledge. Some seniors hesitate to try out hi-tech products such as cell phones and internet. Our physical and mental abilities decrease with age; however, that should not stop us from trying something new once in a while.
In summary, we would do the following to age gracefully:
1) Embrace wrinkles, sagging skin, age spots, etc. as signs of maturity.
2) Dress age-appropriately with your own unique style.
3) Marry someone who can understand you, and not someone just to turn heads.
4) Always be aware of the changes around you and try something new occasionally.
Happy Aging!
