velvet cover for her iPad—the latest technology tool she’s been enjoying with gusto. I realize that even at age 84, Louise is the eternal student. I so admire her curiosity and hunger for learning.
I set my tools around me and wonder what she knows at 84 about feeling comfort- able in her skin that I could learn at 51. I ask her how she looks and feels so good at her age—what’s her secret?
“Well, to me it comes down to loving yourself, loving your body, and making peace with the aging process,” she replies. “You can’t do anything well or for the long term without loving yourself first. When you love yourself, you care about your body, and you care about what you put into it. You also care about the thoughts you choose to think.” So if we’re diligent about practicing what we’ve already talked about in this book, we’ll have a much easier time as we age?
She makes her way to the kitchenette and proceeds to make us each a cup of tea. While she re- moves the tea bags from their wrapping, she shares her ex- citement at having found a new black
“Yes. Life has gotten much easier for me because I’ve learned how to plan my expe- riences. My positive affirma- tions go before me, smooth- ing the way. I make a point to anticipate what I would like to experience in the future. For instance, today I needed to do three errands, so I af- firmed: This is a glorious day,
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and every experience is a joyous adventure.
“As I entered each of the three different stores, I found lovely salespeople who made friendly conversa- tion with me. One clerk and I even laughed and laughed over something silly. Each of these experiences was a small yet joyous adventure. Part of the wisdom of ag- ing is to find joy in even the simplest situations. When we live our lives to the fullest, we’re going to make the little things in life wonderful and good and important.”
I note that as we get older and lose friends or family members, it seems that we value our connection to oth- ers more, even the kind of connection Louise is talking about in these everyday situ- ations.
“We could, or it could make us bitter. We can choose to be bitter about losing loved ones, or we can choose to reach out to new people and fill the emptiness.”
The more I get to know Louise, the more I appreciate, on a deep level, the value of putting good thought habits in place early in life. When she talks about her approach to living, it’s clear that she’s invested a lot of time and en-
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