We all know what happens when we get older!

I’ve have not written in a while. My mind has been focused on family members that are ailing with one in a wheelchair suffering with Parkinsons, another sibling that has been falling and losing balance, two others with hip replacements, and one that is bedridden, and one that had a bad fall.

And very recently, my adorable niece just lost her husband and a young age of 55 from cancer. So very sad! All live out of state so I feel helpless living here in Florida and they are all in the Boston area. As you must realize by now that I come from a very large family!

Where have all the years gone that my siblings and myself are getting older and we all know what can happen as we get older: memory loss, aching bones, weight gain, diabetes, heart problems . . . But the real culprits aren't the problems per se; the biological mechanisms that cause them in the first place are. They are called the major agers.

Your genes determine how you age -- and what conditions and diseases you're most vulnerable to getting. You can't change your genes, but you can help control the way they take over your body. I’ve learned to protect myself from sunburn, I quit smoking four and a half years ago and I try to meditate almost every day to reduce my stress, I have become a Vegan (modified) and I exercise.

So…..

STOP SMOKING!

EAT HEALTHY!

EXERCISE!

I purchased a DVD to try Chi Gong, a series of meditative movements that help calm the immune system to reduce chronic inflammation. It really helps me a lot and I continue with my Silver Sneakers Classes at my gym three days a week.

We live in a world with chemicals -- from cars, cleaning products, pesticides on our food and fumes from factories. Some of the toxins make themselves obvious (for instance, they smell bad), but many are colorless or odorless, so you may not notice that they're seeping into your world and your body.

A few years ago, I purchased a floor steamer to steam my tiled floors and my rugs; I’ve also purchased special cleaning cloths to eliminate the constant use of paper towels for cleaning. Going Green is not that hard and it will save you tons of money as well.

I think it is important to detox your home the best you can.

Right now my mind is spinning with so many concerns and foremost the pain my young niece is experiencing right now with her loss. I know only too well that going from widowhood to selfhood is more than coping and overcoming. We are dragged unwillingly into this so-called life passage, as always there will be good days and bad days and all the little inequities that comprise life at any time.

I know that acceptance is the final stage of recovery for widows and when you reach that stage you will be able to function independently and to make a new life. I wish I could lighten her burden but unfortunately, it’s a road one has to travel by yourself to accept the final stage and it is not easy and I say this from experience.