Accentuate the Positive
What’s positive about aging?
Everything, according to a recent article in the online site nextavenue.org. Writer Richard Eisenberg describes The Power of Positive Aging, a new book by David Alan Lereah, Ph.D.
At age 62, Lereah was diagnosed with stage 3 esophageal cancer, Eisenberg writes. “The doctor looked at me and he didn’t say, ‘You’re going to be fine, we will beat this.’” Instead, the doctor said it would be “the most difficult challenge of your life and and I don’t have any guarantees.”
Needless to say, Lereah was stunned—and scared.
“As he left the room the nurse l0oked at me and said: ‘David, if you beat this cancer, it was only an inconvenience in your life.’ And that really rang a bell for me.”
Lereah reveals his six building blocks for positive aging: “Your inner spirit; mindfulness; positivity; the Four As (acceptance, adaptation, appreciation and attitude); social support and balance.”
A year and a half ago, I took a mindfulness meditation course offered at my local library. Each morning, I spend 25 minutes meditating and being mindful of my breathing
I see the peace and calm I’ve achieved in everyday interactions, and, most especially, coping with the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptions and inconveniences.
I am kinder to myself and to others, and less judgmental. I believe that mindfulness helps maintain a positive attitude and acceptance of “it is what it is.”
Appreciation is another behavior I’ve developed recently. One of the positive aspects of social isolation is the opportunity to slow down and to discover treasures in art, architecture and design with online programming.
One of these new discoveries is Cocktails with a Curator, a weekly video feature in which a Frick Collection curator highlights a work in its magnificent Manhattan collection paired with a recommended cocktail (or a non-alcoholic equivalent) suggested by the art’s locale and theme. The segments are less than 20 minutes long, but are full of detail and insights that only a curator can offer. I highly recommend it.
What are you doing to remain positive and follow the Four As? Please feel free to share in your comments.
