Taking Care of Your 95-year-old Self

Some of us have had the privilege and the responsibility of taking care of a loved one in their old age. Whether or not anyone is prepared for being the caretaker or the elderly in this precious life situation, elder care is going to become a significant life passage experience for almost everyone.

If you reflect for a moment how you feel about being taken care of in your own old age, there are probably a few adrenaline rushes and worries that flood your system. I know this is my immediate reaction. I am an independent woman who likes to live My Way. I love my home, my community and my lifestyle. Will these cherished elements of My Life be taken away from me in old age?

Here's my thought: Vitality in your 90s and later begins today!!

Did you know that you can join me in the Self-loving Lifestyle that lets you be your own caretaker in the last decade of your life? The way you take care of yourself this very day honors your later years. Here's a few things for you to think about: know that I am here to support you.

• Did you feed yourself today to create longevity?

• Did you exercise your body today to create and maintain balance, strength, vital operating systems, and to minimize pain?

• Have you ever learned how your vital lifestyle adds to your social lifetime?

• Do you use your passions and interests to create meaningful experiences at every life stage?

• We can join forces with others to safeguard the future vitality of our Planet! It is important to have a place to live.

• Are you supported by relationships that withstand the test of time?

• Would you like to take one financial action today on behalf of your 95-year-old self?

I am 54 years old. I have attended seven funerals in the past five months. Some of these delightful friends, family, and neighbors died in unexpected ways, and others suffered months or years of decline. All of this has truly empowered me to reflect on how I can care for myself during the next 40+ years so that my final months are filled with sacred moments of loving connection and enlivened experiences. It's my life and my choice. I can make powerful efforts today to safeguard that choice for myself and my loved ones.

You may be 20 years old, or perhaps you are already raising grandkids and downsizing -- there is never a wrong time to begin caring for your one, true, precious self!

Will you join me? I would love to hear from you and we can begin brainstorming together your options for being your own primary caretaker. My work as a health coach is centered on hearing your ideas and helping you move in the direction of your choice.

Comment to this post and I promise, I will be in touch! Follow this blog and learn many ways you can create a Self-loving Lifestyle.

Until then, thanks for stopping by,

Georgianne Holland

Nestle And Soar!
Creative Health Coaching

Are you Well Educated? What are you Afraid to Learn?

Garden of Eden, by Georgianne Holland

Fiber artists are often educated in fields other than art. Like actors and artists of all mediums, our creative output as artists is often supplemented by another field -- endeavors often unrelated to the fiber art we create. Singers wait tables in fancy restaurants to pay the rent, photographers teach history in high school, and so on it goes. Some of these supplemental jobs require a huge investment in education and others do not. What is your educational status? Do you consider yourself to be well educated in the field that is your primary source of income? Are you a creative entrepreneur who considers herself to be self-taught? Are there lifestyle situations you face today that, if time allowed, you'd benefit from some additional expertise?

Creative people like me are often self-taught through many hours of experimentation, trial and error, and good old book-learning. The textile and fiber arts communities of Great Britain are inspirational to me because they have many influential college and guild programs to help fiber enthusiasts become professional practitioners. In the spirit of that example, I recently researched where in Colorado a fiber folk artist like myself (self-taught), could pursue a college-level education. Have you ever looked into this option for yourself?

Artist Tom Lundberg is my new fascination on this topic of higher education and fiber art. Since 1979, Tom has been a Professor in the Department of Art at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He is the coordinator of the BFA and MFA programs in fiber media. It makes my heart sing to think of a program such as this in a neighboring town! Tom has accomplished what so many of my contemporaries dream about: he has established himself as an artist who uses embroidery as his medium. Extensively exhibited in solo shows and select international venues, this award-winning fiber artist is someone I study today as a source of inspiration.

What do you study today? Are you a lifetime student, or did you hang up your number 2 pencil and notebook years and years ago?

There are so many topics a creative person can study and add to the ways in which we are educated. I recently heard about Babs Didner in Texas. "Babs Didner never learned how to cook. She grew up the youngest in a large family in which her mom and oldest sister ran the kitchen. 'I was always totally intimidated by cooking,' says Didner, 50, a school administrator in Austin, Texas, in a recent issue of Experience Life! Magazine. "My friend Michelle loves to cook, so we’d get together and she’d explain cooking basics to me while we fixed our food. Sometimes we’d follow recipes, but she knew how to cook without recipes, too, and she’d explain ways to do that, like how to thicken a mixture or what spices went with what type of food.”

I love this example of facing the fear of learning something creative and important like cooking healthy food. It has been said that cooking is the only art form that you consume. What have you been putting off as a new skill? Think about your circle of friends for a minute. Not everything you desire to learn requires enrollment in a bachelors' program in a university (however exciting that would be!). When I think about the wide variety of people I am happy to call friends, I know that there is boundless expertise and kindness they are willing to share. For instance, I have a great friend who is a professional photographer, and he has tirelessly helped me understand how to improve the photographs I use on my online Nestle And Soar shop. What could you teach a friend that would add to their success at home or on the job?

I am a strong believer in Adult Education. I didn't finish my college education until I was 39 years old, with a 15-year focus on raising my children in between my first attempt and my final diploma. I loved going to college with other adults who were on a mission to learn something important and knew exactly what field they wanted to master! And my continuing education continues. I am in the process of becoming an Integrated Health Coach, pursuing my education through the Institute of Integrated Nutrition in New York. This year-long program will enable to me to add Health Coaching to my art practice here in Colorado and share my message of a vibrant, balanced lifestyle to new friends and old. So like Tom Lundberg, I will be an exhibited artist and helping folks learn at the same time...it is a wonderful combination!

I would love to hear what area of expertise you are studying today! Please leave a comment and let me know.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne