By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
If you are looking for some inspirational insights on how to age well, I recommend that you pick up a copy of “Don’t Write My Obituary Just Yet,” a book written by Missy Buchanan that was published by Upper Room Books earlier this year.
Missy has also written “Living with Purpose in a Worn-Out Body” and “Talking with God in Old Age: Meditations & Psalms,” both of which are best-sellers. She writes a monthly column called “Aging Well” for The United Methodist Reporter.
What I love about “Don’t Write My Obituary Just Yet” is that the book is filled with wonderful stories about ordinary older adults who are experiencing the typical trials and tribulations of aging, but are living life with purpose.
The first story is about a woman who had moved into a retirement community after her husband had passed away, leaving behind the house they had built as newlyweds. Rather than whining and complaining about her circumstances, the woman has chosen to embrace life.
Given our recent heat waves, the story toward the end of the book about the 87-year-old woman who married her high school sweetheart in an un-air conditioned church on a day when the temperature reached 103° was especially timely. It was so hot all the candles melted.
There also are stories, just to name a few, about a man who was told several years before talking with Missy that he had only 15 minutes to live; a former history teacher with an endearing streak of independence; and an 85-year-old who works at a bank several mornings a week, welcoming customers.
As I read the stories, I learned about the importance of the following:
• Living with a sense of purpose.
• Interacting with family and friends.
• Staying active.
• Dwelling on the positive.
• Faith.
• Being content with one’s circumstances.
• Volunteering.
• Humor and laughter.
As a woman named Nelle so aptly noted when asked by Missy about the realities of aging, “There is no excuse for older adults to sit around and feel sorry for themselves. Longevity is a gift.”
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
