In August we are traveling to upstate New York for a reunion of a number of my friends from SUNY Binghamton, the undergraduate school I attended. I would bet that similar to you, when reunions are attended, LOTS of old stories are rehashed from our bygone days of youth: the memorable parties we attended, the pranks we played on others, dorm activities and many other great memories.
If I asked you to write out a list of your most memorable times, I am certain you would be able to jot down MANY great times from the past:
- Graduation from school
- Weddings
- Birth of your children/grandchildren
- Memorable holidays
- Vacations to exotic destinations
The list of great memories would contain many, many more events.
Unfortunately, our list of memories from past days also include negative events:
- Loss of a spouse, parent, sibling
- Medical event such as a surgery or day you were diagnosed with a serious health issue
- A catastrophic event such as 9/11
It is very common for people above age 60 to get caught up in dwelling on past memorable events. The photo albums, VHS tapes (yep…still have some of them) and souvenirs from these great memories conjure up images of incredibly fun life events that define us.
When I find myself getting too caught up in old memories, my new mantra is: “Time to Make NEW Memories”. Here is what I mean: Although for people 45 and above, there may be less years in front of them than behind, there still are great opportunities to make new, great memories. Rather than dwelling on the past, planning and then moving forward with new travel destinations, “bucket list” activities such as sky diving (hey, President Bush did this at age 90, right?) and in many other ways, creating new, fun events will help keep us positive and more youthful
Of course, HEALTH is the most important factor allowing all of us to create new, FUN memories. Without good health, we are resigned to laying around dwelling on the past. Stay focused on your health and wellness efforts and you will be rewarded with many more, NEW and great memories to come.
Enjoy Elvis singing “Memories”
