Social and print media are all abuzz with the news of a talented actress of Indian Cinema ringing in her seventy fifth birthday with a gala bash of non stop singing, dancing and of course partying including a rekindling of romance with her hubby.
The adage age is just a number is too oft-quoted to be repeated. But what makes me wonder is how age can actually be defied. Is it just pretending to be young and spectacular? Is it by putting up a spirited nonchalance ? Is it by accepting daunting challenges ? Or is it just continuing to do what you have always done quietly like any other day?
For us, ordinary people, achieving personal milestones are perhaps not that remarkable because we hardly talk about it or be talked about. My mother underwent a mastectomy at the age of 82. She had many chronic ailments. We were worried about her recovery. But she bounced back and took charge of the household in no time till dementia sneaked in.
She fought with it as well in her own way. In her progressively reducing lucid moments she kept performing her motherly duties with a robustness which was as heartening as bewildering.
My sister got both her knees replaced, a medical requirement, at the age of 65 and painstakingly went through rehabilitation for almost two years. She now shuttles between Metro cities fulfilling duties of a mother and mother-in-law.
There are many septuagenarians in our society who live alone and take care of themselves without any external support. There are many who look after their spouses and even grandchildren if their children are in job.
My haiku mentor travels the world over spreading the joy of haiku enthusiastically through workshops, seminars, readings. My former Head of the Department tends to her nanogenarian mother bed ridden after a paralytic stroke.
My school buddies are my role models. One, a computer scientist, suffering from sleep apnoea, has not stopped trekking at high altitude. The other, a Kathak exponent, lives her dream of dancing and teaching. Another is an engineer recently turned practising lawyer.
Are they not defying age ? Is it less commendable if it’s sans pomp and show?
One of my mother’s erstwhile attendants, an elderly lady with a pulmonary disorder, still hopes to continue with patient care which is a strenuous vocation.
One may say that there is a difference between survival and defiance. In this age of all intrusive complexities, I’d say survival itself is defiance. Living healthy, following your passion, conscientiously doing your duties towards family and near and dear ones and refusing to be a burden on anyone or to yourself is what defines aging gracefully.
Thank you, Geeta, for the inspiring guidance on how to deal with unwelcome illnesses with courage and resilience, and with the “mind over matter” mantra.
Joanna
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Thank you Joanna for being with me.
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You are more than welcome, Geeta!
Joanna
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My view is that it is just arthritis, not age
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My mother too suffered from chronic arthritis. It is a very handicapping ailment.
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I agree with Geeta, arthritis can happen at any age.
My mother suffered with it from 30 of age and I had a friend who suffered with it from the age of 14 years, doesn’t get better, you learn to manage it.
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Indeed
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Kudos to all the people living life to the fullest, no matter what their age is or the circumstances are.
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Yes, Sadje. I agree with you 💯
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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Absolutely.
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♥️
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This was inspiring
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My mother departed to heavenly abode at the ripe age of 93 last December.
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oh – wow – and I hope the dementia did not get too bad. My MIL has just started showing symptoms and she is in her 70s
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There is no U turn for dementia. It always worsens.
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Yeah, we do not hear much about reversing it when it appears – even though I think EDTA cleansing and other things might help ptients – but it seems the research is hghly focused on “prevention”
And heard a radio show talk about the long-term use of anti-amyloid drugs like gantenerumab can delay the onset of dementia by about 50% in people genetically predisposed to early-onset Alzheimer’s, especially when treatment begins before symptoms appear. Studies also suggest that activating the brain’s immune cells (microglia) or enhancing the brain’s waste-clearance system may improve amyloid removal.
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This is very informative Yvette. Thank you very much 👍
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hugs to you my friend
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and that reminds me of Jeff Iliff’s awesome research – and how sleep is also helpful with possible prevention—
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Good sleep is necessary for the total recovery of body and mind 🙏
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😉
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And your mother sounds like a tough lady – and to have had surgery like that at 82! Well even to reach 82 is a great.
Also, your post reminded me of some folks I used to quote when I got on a rant about age – because when I taught college – I saw so many students felt old at 30 or felt “washed up” at 40 – wow!
Satchel Paige famously said:
“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?”
As for Colonel Sanders, he was 62 years old when he started KFC, after facing years of personal and business failures.
Both Satchel Paige and Colonel Sanders serve as powerful reminders that age doesn’t define potential. While society often associates youth with success, these two men show that it’s never too late to pursue new dreams or achieve greatness.
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Absolutely correct Yvette. There is no age for achievement and no age to follow your passion.
My contention is to do something worthwhile for yourself and society or community to celebrate age rather than just being pretty and glamorous.
Also those who are continuously defying not only age but every kind of stereotype do not make an exhibition out of it. They just keep on doing what they have been doing quietly which again does not mean their contribution is meagre or meaningless.
It’s my personal opinion. Everyone has their own way of enjoying years spent on planet earth.
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Yes, yes, and yes!
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An important point to remember is that we can be ill at an age such as 60 or 70 and be much healthier five or ten years later.
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That’s true Mary. Thank you
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Such a charming scene, Fernanda! You made me smile imagining the rain becoming a playful guest inside the house—what a joyful twist on a leaky roof 😂
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Well written. As life expectancy is increasing, it is better to have various hobbies and a healthy lifestyle. Even more when families are becoming nuclear. One is not always surrounded by a lot of family members.
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Yes, isolation is one of the banes of modern society. Being healthy is totally an individual effort.
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Yes.
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This is great!
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Survival itself is defiance. I agree with you.
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Thank you Shail for the agreement.
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Aging can be a blessing too – my big sister and her 2 daughters look like siblings and I used to have a client back in the day, Adesua who was much more beautiful while pregnant.
I’ll never forget the morning I turned up at her office for a meeting and I was told she put to bed yesterday evening, the exact same person I’d met with the previous afternoon.
A huge surprise to me . Lol !
😆 🤣 😂
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Yes age gives wisdom and respect.
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Brings along a bagful of maturity . . .
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But I believe it’s also the time to give back to society or the community. Transmit your experience, intuitive knowledge, and wisdom gained.
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This is so true . . . Actively involved to move the society forward, in the right pathway.
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Well we’ve all the famous saying ” Health is Wealth “, and it is true.
One cannot defy age . . .maybe the appearance of age on your face and body, for which there are many treatments, be it facial creams or plastic surgery.
And yes age is just a number. If you have good health and not forgetting mindset, you can carry on with your lives as you wish, maybe a little slower than usual but still managing.
There comes a time when we all sit back and revaluate and reflect on our lives, making little changes here n there but whats important is that we do our best for us.
At the end of the day, age means something different to us all. For me it is a number, I dont use age defying products, I just eat n drink what I want in moderation, exercise as much as I can . . . .encouraging my husband along the way who is a couch potato . . . .and simply do the best I can. Bodily mechanisms are going to slow down, your taste in clothes, how you do your hair or make up changes, Im not an outrageous dresser or a fashionable one, I dress neatly, boring for some but it is me.
Only you are responsible for you, so you are the best person to take care of yourself.
Bless your mum n sister Geeta, there was an issue, they were told treatment and then just got on with it.
Hope your health is keeping well.
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Thank you so much Meenu for your detailed comment. I had somehow missed it.
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