One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

Chapters in our lives open and close as we move through our lives.  For example, moving on after a divorce, after a death of a spouse, after the kids have left home, when you retire, etc. etc.
When a phase of our lives moves into our past memories, there is a mourning period for sure.  As time moves on, others may encourage you to move on.  
At the same time, we are bombarded with information on how to live longer….”magic potions”, miracle serums, medicines, surgeries.  
But we all know that it isn’t just about hitting more birthdays, it is about quality of life…living life to the fullest.
One choice is to not see other opportunities to experience in life, and settle into a poor me mode….watch TV, go out just for the necessities, answer the phone, but never make the calls yourself, and generally feel sorry for the losses and changes.
Another choice is to look for opportunity doors to other experiences. Change it up, experience something new, do things differently and enjoy.  
Staying healthy is not just physical well being by exercising and eating healthy.  It is also about taking care of our mental, emotional and spiritual health.
As I have a family history of Alzheimers, only one form of dementia, I have been seeing a new senior’s Doc about being pro-active about keeping my brain going. 
There is an old story about a Convent in Montreal.  A study was done over a number of years, as when the Sister’s got older in this particular facility, they developed Alzheimers prior to their last years.  The fact was that the Sister’s had been doing the exact routine for most of their lives, with little difference, and developed some form of the disease.  
The question was raised, “What if the Sister’s changed up their routines and used different parts of their brains…would the history change?”  So Mother Superior oversaw the Sister’s starting to change up some of their daily routines, and also to use their brains differently.  She also enrolled the Sister’s in taking Violin Lessons.   
During the course of the study, the testing showed dramatic differences in their brains and a diminishing onset of the dementia.
So I challenge you to consider a few things:

• If you are driving somewhere, take a different route to stimulate your brain.  
• If you walk or cycle daily, take a different route, change it up and smell different roses along the way
• On the Canadian news a few days ago, a woman went skydiving for the first time….she was 100
• Try life long learning.  Keep the brain agile by learning something new.  If you are savvy with the internet, perhaps there is a course on line.  Or take out a book from the library on a subject that is new to you.  Senior Centres in most cities have short courses to take.  My husband went to one a few years back to learn Tai Chi
• If you read mysteries, change it up and read a memoir, or a historical fiction (Sarah Ferguson has written a few that are excellent)
• Volunteer…a hospital, a food bank, your place of worship, help a friend is no longer able to do certain things
• Travel if you are still able, to meet new people, to try something different

Watch for new Doors, and step inside….you never know what you will discover   The number of Birthdays you have experienced has nothing to do with your ability to peek into a new doorway.
“Time does not change us.  It just unfolds us.”  - Max Frisch