Let’s look at these 4 C’s again and explore them a little more…
Creativity Connection Commitment Challenge
When I was sixty years old, I looked in the mirror and saw a sad, bitter, isolated old woman. When I was sixty-one years old, I went back to school for my Masters Degree. I traveled from Birmingham, AL to Oakland, CA two weekends a month for classes, and I studied and wrote papers in between. There is nothing like going back to school to make one feel young again. I was called to be creative, and I was challenged to be more than I thought I could be. I was connected to a whole new group of people from all walks of life. I made the commitment to graduate. It was the perfect way to move into my sixties.
By renewing their intention to live active, purposeful lives, many older people can dramatically improve their motor abilities, strength, agility, and mental responses. The decline of vigor in old age is largely the result of people expecting to decline. As long as new perceptions continue to enter the brain, the body can respond in new ways. New knowledge, new skills, new ways of looking at the world keep mind and body growing.
Creativity
It is important to recognize and celebrate your own creativity. Do you make the best Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, or Cherry Pie? You are creative! Do you knit Christmas stockings, or do needlework? You are creative! Do you send thank-you notes, write letters, compose emails to your friends? You are creative! Every person alive is creative, but many don’t recognize the things they do on daily basis as being creativity. Why is that important? Every time you notice that creative spark within you, it launches a feeling of newness, of freshness. We are either old—and stale, or we are new—and fresh! The cells in your body recreate themselves regularly. You can recreate yourself by recognizing and enjoying your own creativity, and by letting change happen.
Connection
One of the serious side effects of aging is isolation. It is very easy for older people to become isolated, even when they live in retirement communities where there are many people around them. It takes more effort to stay connected. I teach in a retirement community. One of my newer students said to me, “I’ve decided not to come to class anymore. I’m just going to walk on my own.” As we discussed her pros and my, mostly cons, of her decision, I finally got to the root of the decision. It seems that she had infringed on someone’s “territory.” Everyone has their favorite place to take class and being new, she had moved into someone else’s place. Of course, they let her know about it, and she decided that it would just be easier to walk the halls on her own rather than finding a new spot for herself. Unfortunately, I don’t think that I convinced her that there was any real important reason for continuing the class situation. She is on her way to isolation. We have to have the courage to continue to connect with others or we will find ourselves at home…alone.
Commitment
- Synonym: dedication
- Antonym: indifference
Whether you are a tween, a teen, a young adult or older adult, you are aging! Dedicate yourself to aging well, or you will soon become indifferent and you will think you have no control over the process. It is a daily, moment by moment, choice. Of course, you will age, but how you age is up to you. Many of the most dreaded aspects of aging like poor health, loneliness, depression, fear, anxiety, are brought on by simple indifference. Aging well is a choice.
Challenge
How we decide to meet new challenges is important to aging well. We can simply avoid new challenges. We can say something like, “if I couldn’t do this when I was 12, then why would I think I could do it now that I’m 80.” Or we can meet challenge head on with something like, “Well, I couldn’t do this when I was 12. Maybe I’m ready now!” We are continually being called to stretch out of our comfort zones. It can be very frustrating, or we can be fascinated by the process. We can be humiliated by the challenge or exhilarated by it. Put yourself in the path of new challenges. Move toward them, and you will be moving toward health…one step at a time!
