TWENTY LIFE HACKS FOR OLD PEOPLE

-

  

 

1.  If you want to put off accepting that you are old, avoid mirrors.

2.  Wear comfortable shoes.  Always.  No matter what they look like.

3.  Talk to yourself, especially when you need good advice about things like what to wear or what to eat or what movie to watch on Netflix.

4.  ALWAYS hold handrails when going up or down stairs. (Yes, you can fall upstairs.)

5.  Offer to take a grandkid out to eat if you want to chat. Also offer to give them rides when they need them. (NB, enjoy this while you can because it will not be as effective after they learn to drive.)

6.  Be very careful not to offend your friends by calling them “old folks” even if you think of them that way.

7.  Do something constructive every day before you read or watch TV. This is how you avoid feeling guilty when you sit down.

8.  Go to bed early and get up early. Your best sleep comes before midnight.

9.  Go out to run errands early in the morning, before all the young ones wake up and get in your way.

10. Buy things in small containers. You will be able to use them up before they spoil and they will be easier to lift.

11. Put things you use often at waist level and, whenever possible, in plain sight.

12. To avoid unnecessary tripping, be very careful around cats.

13. Use a nightlight on the path to the bathroom.

14. If you live alone, put a baseball bat under your bed and make a plan to use it in case of emergency. (NB: you will rarely need to activate this plan but it will make you feel safer to have one.)

15. Write lists of things you need to remember and try to remember where the lists are.

16. Do only one thing at a time to maximize the pleasure of the experience: do not eat and watch TV at the same time; do not play spider solitaire while engaging in small talk with a friend on the phone; do not cook things on the stove and walk away to do something else (for obvious reasons).

17. As much as lieth in you, discover and use whatever communication application the people you love will notice. Update this info regularly for maximum effectiveness.

18. Find a comfortable pace and think, move, and live in that rhythm. This will lower your blood pressure, help you avoid accidents, and allow you to smell the flowers along the way.

19. Pray without ceasing. At this stage of life you need that more than ever. (Actually, that’s not quite true. Prayer has always been essential, but now you are wise enough to realize that.)

20. Enjoy memories and anticipate heaven, but discipline yourself to live in the present moment.


Otherwise you will miss those lovely flowers along the way.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Mystery of Growth

-
Image
When I pray about a problem or a struggle, too often I find myself expecting God to simply step in and fix things.   I expect the fixing to be immediate, and I expect it to be painless and effortless on my part.   I watch for a flash of lightning at the end of my prayer that either gives me the solution or whips me out of the situation I'm unhappy with. This flash of lightning rarely comes. I've been working in my garden this spring.   I don't know what I'm doing.   I've never had a green thumb.   But I figure since I have some space now and extra time on my hands I might as well see if I can do something constructive with it. But it's discouraging.   I planted nasturtium seeds, sweet peas, and marigolds, which I've heard keep out the garden pests, but none of them have sprouted.   I put in three tomato plants two weeks ago and they haven't grown an inch. Other people have zucchinis already and I only have wisps of green shoot
Read more

Four Types of Besetting Sins and Three Reasons to Avoid Them!

-
Image
--> What is a besetting sin? A besetting sin is anything that dethrones the legitimate ruler of our hearts.  Basically, a besetting sin is an idol.  If you are a believer, you have chosen to allow Jesus Christ to sit on the throne of your life.  He is the only rightful ruler of any human heart, and any attitude or action that disturbs His presence there, at the center, is a sin.  When that sin is allowed to remain, it becomes a habit, or a besetting sin. Besetting sins begin with an  attitude .  Sometimes a heart attitude, itself, is the sin, and other times the attitude leads to  actions  that are sinful.  In any case, when the attitude becomes engrained in our spirits, it becomes a besetting sin. Ø Pride  is the mother of all sins.  Pride puts the self on the throne, and so is the ultimate expression of sin.  It's the sin that was, and still is, Satan's downfall, and it's the one we have the most trouble with.  Pride is probably t
Read more

A Risky Business

-
Image
  My life seems to be a constant growth cycle.    I go from an initial place of trusting in God, to an insurmountable problem, to worry and anxiety, to remembering His faithfulness in the past, to choosing to believe once again, to one small encouraging sign of His love—a sign that grows the faith even before I see the answer, to praise for Who He is and what He is going to do, and then, finally, to the miracle. Then we begin again, with a slightly more insurmountable problem.   This faith walk is like following stepping stones across a raging river. I step out, jump onto the next three stones that are nearby, then look around for another foothold. I see none at first, then one that is close but requires a bit of a stretch, then another that is no bigger than the size of my foot. This one seems too far to hazard a leap but there is no other option. I cannot go back. So I leap, and then keep on going as far as I can, taking chances, and a
Read more