Kindness, Positivity & the Art of Aging Well

Aging Gracefully with Heart: Enthusiasm, Kindness, Joy & Vitality
 

VIDEO INTERVIEW:

For this special episode of Victoria Moran's internationally acclaimed Main Street Vegan podcast, we go beyond audio and connect face-to-face in an engaging video interview on one of today's most important topics: Aging Gracefully & Living Vibrantly.

Victoria and I have shared a friendship spanning decades, and together we explore the habits, mindset shifts, longevity tips, and wellness practices that can help you stay youthful, energetic, and passionately enthusiastic about life at any age. 

Watch Working WONDERS on Your Wellness: 7 Steps to Vibrant Living now, and see me in action as I share practical, life-enhancing strategies you can start using immediately. Whether you're 40, 60, 80, or beyond, this uplifting conversation will inspire you to thrive. To watch the video now, please click HERE.

Just like this little yellow bird, small daily habits can help you soar toward a long vibrant life. Victoria and I cover the most important daily habits and why it's essential to be consistent.

 

Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.
~ Sir Winston Churchill

The secret of aging gracefully is simple: Keep your send of humor. Everything else sags.
~ Susan Smith Jones (Excerpt from UPLIFTED)

💛  💛  💛

Most of us are living on the fast track these days—talking fast, eating fast, driving fast, and generally moving through life at warp speed. What a different world this is from just a few decades ago. Many people even feel guilty when they're relaxing, as though every moment must be productive.

We want to do everything, and we want to do it all at once. The result? More stress. Less peace. And often, a growing sense that life is rushing by too quickly. Yet aging gracefully was never meant to be a race.

To me, aging gracefully means growing older with dignity, confidence, gratitude, and joy. It means embracing the natural changes that come with age while continuing to nurture vitality, purpose, faith, and self-worth. It means understanding that although our years may increase, our enthusiasm for life never has to diminish. (With each passing year, I become more enthusiastic about simple, nutritious, and resplendent fresh fruits and veggies. How about you?)

Unfortunately, many people today are caught in what I call a "spin-cycle lifestyle"—constantly busy, constantly distracted, constantly rushing.

The faster we spin, the easier it becomes to lose perspective. We have less time to appreciate life's blessings, less patience with ourselves, and less compassion for those around us.

But every now and then, someone reminds us what truly matters.

Grace in Transit: The Power of Kindness & Patience at the Airport 

One such reminder came to me unexpectedly at London's Heathrow Airport. As I waited for my flight to Los Angeles, stormy weather had delayed or canceled many departures. Tension filled the terminal. Nearby, a frantic businessman raced toward the gate just as final boarding was being announced.

Unfortunately, the flight had been overbooked and his seat had already been reassigned.

His frustration was immediate and understandable. He had an important meeting in Los Angeles and desperately needed to arrive on time. His voice rose. His disappointment was obvious. Many of us watching silently could relate.

Then something remarkable happened.

A woman in her early eighties quietly stepped forward and offered him her seat.

"I’m not in a hurry," she said gently. "You can have mine."

The entire atmosphere changed.

The man's anger melted into gratitude. He apologized to the airline staff and thanked the woman repeatedly. His eyes filled with tears as he boarded the flight.

Kindness had accomplished in seconds what frustration never could.

The man never learned that the airline later placed the woman on another flight just three hours later and rewarded her generosity with a complimentary first-class round-trip ticket anywhere they flew.

Even better, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with her afterward over a meal in the airport restaurant. Her name was June. Although she was in her eighties, she looked decades younger. Her eyes sparkled. Her smile radiated warmth. Her energy filled the room.

When I asked her secret, she didn't mention expensive creams, cosmetic procedures, or miracle supplements. She spoke instead about maintaining a positive outlook, nourishing her body with healthy foods, staying physically active, keeping joy at the center of her life, and strengthening her relationship with God each day. Most importantly, she chose kindness.

June reminded me that some of the most powerful people in the world are not those with wealth, titles, or influence. They are the people who quietly look for opportunities to lift another human being.

That is aging gracefully. That is aging with heart.

There are a few simple ways we can slow down our daily pace and make conscious choices to be kinder and more compassionate toward our fellow humans, and maybe become someone’s angel.

Make Good Sleep a Priority

Getting a mere six hours (or less) of sleep each night can make you feel more stressed, depressed, and impatient, as well as increases your blood pressure, and makes you more irritable.

Not only that, but when we sleep, we allow our brain and body to rest. Lack of sleep also promotes inflammatory markers, which can affect heart diseases such as heart attacks, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure. It can also lead to increased risk for cancers, affect our immune system’s ability to fight off infections such as the common cold, as well as affect hormones that are involved in obesity and diabetes. It also affects the speed at which our brains function.

What’s more, it's hard to feel compassionate or to count your blessings and live with gratitude when you are just trying to get through the day with a short fuse and not enough time to accomplish all you need to do. Research has shown that when you get more sleep on a regular basis, your stress level abates and you become a more compassionate person.

Meditate & Pray

Here’s one simple way to meditate: find a special, quiet space in your home. Spend at least 15 minutes there first thing in the morning (and if you can fit in a second session, also do this before going to bed). Sit and close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply, focusing on the sound and rhythm of your breathing. Mentally visualize peace and calmness. By doing this your day will start and end on a stress-free note, and you will feel calmer and more compassionate.

Here's what I do often: I will take a passage from the Bible and focus on it during my meditation. For example, one of my favorite passages is “Peace, be still” from Mark 4:39. I will slowly and deeply breathe in to the word “Peace” and then slowly exhale to the words “be still”. I do this for a few minutes. This simple practice helps me to feel calmer and more relaxed knowing I am doing something kind for my body and mind and also fostering my connection to God. 

Choose a Healthy Diet

What you eat affects your mood. If you want to be kinder and more compassionate, eschew foods made with white sugar and white flour and avoid foods made with artificial flavorings, colorings, and preservatives. Focus on a plant-heavy diet full of foods as close to the way nature made them as possible; these are the foods teeming with antioxidants, nutrients, and fiber. Choosing to eat a healthy diet is the best healthcare money can buy. If you are carrying extra weight on your body and need to lose extra fat, make that a priority for your lifestyle by making sure you don’t overeat, choosing healthier foods, staying physically active, and getting enough sleep each night.

Being overweight or obese puts so much extra stress on your body, increases inflammation, and also suppresses the immune system. God has blessed each of us with a miraculous body and one of our gifts to God is to take lovely care of our body temple. When you take care of your body with a healthy lifestyle, just like June did, whom I met at London’s Heathrow Airport, you inspire everyone you know and with whom you come in contact. Take loving care of your miraculous body because it also reveals your inner sense of self-worth.

Exercise for Life

“Mens sana in corpore sano” is a Latin aphorism usually translated as "A sound mind in a sound body." In a British four-year study on 200 people, Dr. Malcolm Carruthers found that most people could ban the blues with a simple but vigorous 10-minute exercise session three times a week. He found that just 10 minutes of exercise doubles the level of norepinephrine in the body, a chemical key to happiness. It was also discovered in another study that people became more compassionate after exercising outdoors in nature as opposed to indoors.

Make it a priority to get in at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. That might be divided into 30 minutes, five times a week or 50 minutes, three times a week. And if you desire to lose some weight, find a way to get in one hour of exercise six days a week. Not only will this physical activity help you easily shed the extra weight, but exercise also makes you more positive. It unlocks your mental power and physical stamina, gives your skin a youthful glow, and puts wings under your confidence.

Here's one of my favorite quotes about exercise by Henry David Thoreau: “An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day”.

Look at Nature

Here is a simple and inexpensive way to become more compassionate: view a photo or an image of a nature scene. You can put it in your home or office and look at it a few times a day. In one study, it was revealed that those people who spent a few minutes a day viewing images of nature, especially expansive views of nature such as an ocean scene or the mountains, became more compassionate.

Nature always wears the color of the spirit. 
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Even better than viewing images of nature is being outdoors in nature and experiencing it firsthand. In my workshops and private practice, I talk about a disease I call NDD — or Nature Deficit Disorder. When you have the choice, exercise outdoors — take a hike in the mountains, walk in your local park, enjoy a brisk walk on the beach, ride your bike, or even play pickleball outside. Not only does too much time away from nature drain our body's energy and throw off our "physical-mental-emotional balance", it also wrinkles our soul and deprives us of a cost-free "visual valium" experience. The more time we spend outdoors in nature on a regular basis, the healthier and more balanced we become.
 
Our moms were right when they said "Go outside and play". To this, I will add... Go outside to play and pray!

Live with Enthusiasm

The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek meaning “filled with God.” Isn't that a beautiful thought?

Enthusiasm lives in the heart. It is the spark that brings life to our dreams, purpose to our days, and joy to even the simplest moments. Ralph Waldo Emerson wisely observed, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

Start with being enthusiastic about your living space -- your home, no matter its size or location. I choose to live in a haven of order in an unpredictable world! No matter your age, circumstances, or challenges, you can choose enthusiasm. It is one of God's greatest gifts—a renewable source of energy that helps us greet each day with faith, hope, and gratitude.

Think of enthusiasm as the pilot light within your heart. When it burns brightly, it illuminates your path, inspires others, and helps you approach life with courage and confidence. Let that heart-light shine through everything you think, say, and do.

The Gift of Aging Gracefully

Do you see how beautifully it all comes together? When we choose gratitude over complaint, kindness over judgment, faith over fear, and enthusiasm over indifference, something extraordinary begins to happen.

We don't simply grow older—we grow richer in spirit. We become more patient, more compassionate, more resilient, and more deeply connected to what truly matters.

Aging gracefully is not about chasing youth. It is about embracing life. It's waking up each morning thankful for another day to love, learn, laugh, serve, and grow. It's understanding that every wrinkle is not a flaw but a footprint of a life fully lived. Every silver hair reflects wisdom earned. Every birthday is a reminder that we have been given another year to make a difference.

And let's be honest—while we may occasionally walk into a room and forget why we went there, we can still remember what matters most: to love generously, laugh often, forgive quickly, and live with an open heart.

Besides, sometimes we discover something useful while we're standing there trying to remember!

I've also discovered that with age comes a wonderful freedom: you can spend ten minutes searching for your reading glasses only to discover they've been sitting on top of your head the entire time.

The happiest people I know are not necessarily the youngest, the wealthiest, or the ones with the fewest problems. They are the people who have learned how to find joy in ordinary moments, beauty in simple things, and blessings hidden within life's challenges.

Choose Wisely

So let your enthusiasm shine.

Let your kindness become contagious.

Let your faith be stronger than your fears.

Let your smile brighten someone else's day.

Remember, growing older is mandatory.

Growing wiser, kinder, healthier, and more joyful is a choice.

Choose joy.

Choose gratitude.

Choose wonder.

Choose to age with heart.

My wish for you is that you greet each day with enthusiasm, cherish your health, strengthen your faith, embrace gratitude, and discover new reasons to smile.

May your journey ahead be filled with vibrant health, peace of mind, joyful purpose, and abundant love.

And may you continue to grow younger in spirit, brighter in purpose, and richer in love with every passing year.

Because it's never too late—and you're never too old—to create a life filled with joy, purpose, vitality, wonder, and grace.

Before I Say Good-Bye

If you've enjoyed this article and are thinking, "Okay, Susan, what's next?"—I'm glad you asked!

The ideas we've explored here are just the tip of the iceberg (and thankfully much warmer than an actual iceberg). In my books UPLIFTED, A HUG IN A MUG, and JOY & THE BUTTERFLY, you'll discover more inspiration, practical wisdom, uplifting stories, and actionable steps to help you live with greater joy, confidence, purpose, and well-being.

Think of these books as a personal coach, encouraging friend, and cheering section all rolled into one—without taking up an extra seat at your dinner table.

Investing in yourself is one of the wisest decisions you'll ever make. The life you want may be closer than you think. Enjoy!

Closing Thoughts to Inspire You

These closing thoughts are from my books UPLIFTED, A HUG IN A MUG, and WIRED FOR HIGH-LEVEL WELLNESS and can be found in the  humor and Intermission sections.
 

Click HERE for the detailed descriptions on these books.
 

~ Aging gracefully is realizing that when you walk into a room and forget why, you've earned the right to make up a better reason.

~ Growing old gracefully means accepting that your body now sends error messages more often than your computer—but at least you're still running.

~ Age is just a number. Unfortunately, it's the same number that now appears in your password, blood pressure, and the noises you make getting out of a chair.
 

May your journey be filled with sunshine, laughter, vibrant health, meaningful connections, endless curiosity, and the deep contentment that comes from living each day with purpose and grace.