To me, healthy aging is doing what you love to do, with modifications depending on your ability level. For example, I love to knit. When I was younger, I had to use shorter needles and easier patterns because that was what worked for me at that time. Now I can use many different types of needles and complicated patterns. However, I am predisposed to arthritis, so in the future I may have to find a way to adjust my knitting to my ability level.
My thoughts on healthy aging have been molded by seeing my family members age. On one end, my older sister has graduated college and gotten married. I have seen her go through the experience of transitioning from being a teenager to an adult successfully. She planned for her future and overcame challenges and things she didn’t plan as they arose. I am entering that same period of time in my life, and I hope to adjust to the new challenges life throws at me as gracefully. On the other end, I have seen my grandparents age. They are adjusting to retirement and different limitations because of their health. However, they also adjust to the new things in their lives and keep doing what they love. My nana watches my cousins (ages 3 and 5) once a week. She cannot play with them like I would, but she finds other activities to do with them and ways to connect with them, because spending time with them is something she is passionate about doing. She is aging as gracefully as my older sister, as she is making adjustments to the challenges that her age brings!
As I age, going from being a young adult, to a middle-aged adult, to an older adult, I hope to adjust to the challenges that I face and continue to do what I love. That is what healthy aging looks like to me.
I agree with this assessment growing up I often watch how my family aged I learned from them. What ways are good and what ways are bad, and how to react as you are getting older.
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