One-A-Day
Friends,
We are just back from 4 days in Colorado, our third trip this summer and the second wedding this year. It was beautiful and so fun!
Eric's nephew got married, and we celebrated with him, his new bride, family, and friends.
One of the most impressive people I met was the bride's great aunt, Mae.
Mae--a direct descendant of Laura Ingalls Wilder-- is 90 years young and a total firecracker! I had the privilege of sitting beside her at the rehearsal dinner and was fascinated by her stories of growing up in a different era. While she only had an operator-assisted rotary wall phone when she was a teen, Mae was quite adroit with her Android smartphone. In addition, she was practically the unofficial photographer of the event.
Mae generously shared tips on how she stays so vibrant and opined about society and culture nowadays.
Then, learning that I am passionate about Ayurveda, she confided that she did have one issue and asked me what to do about chapped lips, so I shared with her the health benefits of coconut oil, both internally and externally. If chapped lips are your top-of-mind issue at ninety, then you go, girl!
When I enquired further about her health and longevity secrets, she said she takes zero medication (again, she is 90!) and only one supplement--a "One-A-Day" vitamin. Although, she told me, "doctors always want to prescribe me a pill, but I say, save your money and buy beer." Then she laughed. I believe it is more the latter (her laughter) than the former (the vitamin) that is the single best barometer for her spunk and joie de vivre. It's all in her attitude.
She also has an excellent support system of people who love her. Mae attempted to answer the phone at the wedding amid the DJ's hip hop medley. It was one of her sons. Without missing a beat, she swiped up and left on her phone, and told him that she would call him later because she was still at the wedding and couldn't hear him over the music. She then shared that her son calls her every night at 10:30 to say goodnight. And that her other son calls her 3x/day.;). Mae's other two children are also close to her, as are her many nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and her surviving brother-in-law. She is part of a great network of love and a role model for all of them. Importantly, it is easy to see that Mae is so loved because she gives as much or more energy than she takes. And she's feisty. Her nephew wanted to pick her up to bring her to the airport as they were flying together, but Mae declined and instead took her suitcase on the bus, to the train, to the airport and met up with everyone there.
I am totally inspired by this woman and want to be like Mae! I, too, want to continue to be pharmaceutical-free at 90. She takes a One-A-Day vitamin, a vitamin made famous back in the 70s, and Mae has been taking it ever since then. That is her daily ritual to ensure she gets what she needs nutritionally, even if she eats angel food cake and drinks a beer. However, you might share my opinion that Mae's real daily vitamin is a fantastic sense of humor and her nutrition is love--both giving and receiving. "Attitude determines altitude."
My acquaintance with Mae inspired me to write this newsletter about one choice we can make daily to bring us greater health and wholeness--positive mindset.
Health and wellness is a state of being that is achieved through the small individual choices we make daily.
It includes the physical, mental and emotional health and, importantly, our connection to something greater than ourselves, our spiritual wellness.
Mae has all of that in spades.
What will be your One-A-Day analogous choice today? What mindset can you cultivate to keep or get you back on the road to total and embodied health?
with so much love,
Kari