This past Saturday I had the amazing pleasure and joy of attending Dolly Parton’s debut performance at The Hollywood Bowl! It was a perfect summer evening in Los Angeles…the Bowl was abuzz…the company was great….and everyone was excited for the long-awaited, much-anticipated Dolly concert! At 8:30pm sharp she appeared on stage singing “Walking on Sunshine” and indeed, she does walk on sunshine! She is an absolute breath of freshness and light radiates from her. Just to be clear – Dolly Parton is 65 years young! She looks incredible! Her voice is still like that of a sweet angel and she is bubbly and full of life. She is an inspiration and she should be the poster child for life after 60. I suppose she gets a senior citizen discount, but she definitely has the energy and passion for life of a 20-something.
Now why am I writing about Dolly Parton? As we age, it is often common to lose the zest for life we once had. It’s easy to get caught up in the whole, “I’m getting older mentality,” and buy into the notion that somehow, magically at a certain age, your body starts falling apart….you become forgetful….weight gain is now your friend and you should just accept it as such and society is finished with you. There’s that whole energy to buy in to, or there’s the person who says, “Nope…not me…I’m living life!” And this is Dolly Parton. Taking a lesson from her storybook is not difficult. Yes, she’s very successful, but that’s not what makes her so radiant. So what is it? It’s her roots. It’s her history. It’s the fact that she came from nothing and found light and joy in each day. She took adversity and turned it into something we can all share. She created her own outcome. Dolly Parton is loved around the world, because she’s the real deal.
This is your journey…this is your life. What do you want that to look like? There are simple things you can do to change your attitude about aging…really simple things.
- Delete all emails that joke about getting older or that make fun of old age!
- Spend time doing something you love! Really love – who cares how crazy it is!
- Be inspired by your own story and record it for your family.
- Write your own story. So many families are left with just photos. Hearing your voice is a magical gift especially it’s accompanied by your writings. Put your thoughts and experiences on paper. Treat yourself to a beautiful journal.
- Volunteer. Being of service to others brings joy to our soul.
- If you’re retired, make yourself valuable to your community.
- If you’re still working, make yourself heard. You have wisdom and that has value.
- Take vitamins. Take fish oil. Take whatever supplements you can to keep yourself healthy. Your body will love you.
- Do some sort of exercise.
- Rescue an animal if you can.
- Spend time with your family or a friend’s family. Don’t spend all of your time alone.
- Don’t believe everything you read about getting older. It’s just not true.
Be the best you can be. Be present each and every day. Savor your life…and you, too, can be “Walking on Sunshine!”
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