Jodi’s (alleged) Fountain of Youth
07.14.11
I posted this photo to Facebook this morning and a friend asked: Jodi, how do you stay so young [looking]? I tossed off a quick facebooky answer but have been thinking about this excellent question all morning. First of all: I’m as old as the rest of you! I have wrinkles and lines, and a chicken waddle that makes me wish I liked turtlenecks (HATE them). My metabolism is sluggish, my joints ache, I go to bed way too early, &tc, &tc. All of that established, here is a more thoughtful answer (and this is really personal, not a prescription… this is sort of me talking to me, if you will), and it really has nothing to do with putting a lot of weird colors in one’s hair, although that can be a fun diversion, no doubt. In no particular order:
1. Learn something every single day.
2. Have sadness, anger, frustration, grief but don’t let them have you.
3. Break a sweat, daily if possible and stay hydrated.
4. Vegetarianism and foods as close to their natural state as possible. Favorite pleasure/junk food(s) occasionally!
5. Rock ‘n roll music (or insert your choice of tunes here).
6. Forgive your parents, your ex’s, your kids and YOURSELF. And I mean really forgive, no matter what. This does NOT mean condone.
7. Be an expert at: Looking backward, treading water, moving forward. Cycle thru each mode many times daily.
8. Gratitude. For every little thing and every big thing. Freedom. Fresh food. Choices. Toothpaste. Loved ones.
9. Face cream, a good haircut, good dentistry.
10. Wear something a little outside your comfort zone, stylistically.
11. Choose your life every day and take full-on responsibility for the results you are (or are not) producing.
12. Have a young person in your life. Respect that they may well be smarter than you’ll ever be. Listen to their music when they offer, even if you don’t like it much. Ask them for fashion advice but don’t always heed.
13. Ask for help when you need it and find an expert. Give help when asked.
14. Have no expectations and thus, no disappointments. And, good luck with this!
15. Fail. Try again. Repeat.
16. Be the best and the worst at something (anything) and laugh at yourself for both.
17. Laugh. If you can’t make yourself laugh, surround yourself with very funny people.
18. Be high-tech and low-tech.
19. Fall in love with a cat, dog, horse, cow, chicken. Spend time daily adoring this creature and spend at least a few of those minutes really trying to see the world through their eyes.
20. Go outside. Notice things. A bug. A building. Shift your focus between large and small.
21. Try a week of saying yes to everything you are asked of others. If you can’t say yes, renegotiate so that the other person is satisfied.
22. Fight the good fight, and don’t let it make you old. Let it keep you young.
23. Even during the worst day, find joy in something(s). If you can’t, make sure you do so tomorrow, non-negotiable.
24. Consider harmlessness.
25. Be childish, once daily at least but NOT when you should be being adult!
26. Realize that some of these ideas might become part of your life immediately, others take a lifetime to master. Fall off the wagon and jump back on.
26. Excellent posture! No slouching or hunching. Shoulders back, open your heart to the world!
28. Open heart, open mind.
Anything you want to add? Please do! I’d love to know what keeps YOU young.
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