Thanks to everyone who participated in last month's survey. Many of the responses were eye-openers. One suggestion I found helpful was this one:

"You need to start with making a passionate statement abut what you believe and why you are doing this (in every edition).

What a great suggestion!

So, what am I passionate about when it comes to aging?

I wish I'd coined the phrase, "Success comes in Cans."

Its accuracy was on my mind as I spent time with two people in Can't Mode. One of them was open to reframing thoughts and statements; the other was not.

One is currently in a funk and has been paying rent to live in Funkville for a couple of years. Ask him what he wants to do and he'll tell you. Ask him what he might do to get started or offer to connect him with someone doing it and his response is, "No one will hire me."

Wrinkle Cream Reviews: In this review, one of the creams given an unsatsifactory review is a product called "Deception." I have tried the product and found it worthless. Ditto for Hydrodem. On the basis of what appear fair reviews, I assume other product reviews are believable. As always, it's buyer beware." Here's another review to check out. And one more here.

Beverage Reviews: Reviews of 3621 products. Each product has photos, a write up, ingredients, and ordering information. A good place to check out ingredients of beverages you may be buying in your whole foods market.

Here are links I've found during January that I think you will find helpful. Of particular interest might be the the prescription medication nutrient depletion chart. If you are taking even one medication, check out the chart.

From someplace on AOL:

"Sit outdoors at a café or have a drink at a bar with a view of passersby and you'll quickly notice something strange - grown ups in children's clothing. While women are guilty of this sin too (pigtails anyone?) men tend to be particularly prone to wearing clothes they should have thrown out a decade ago."

Here are the clothing sins men are said to commit, and the AOL suggested alternatives:

Sin: Oversize clothing
Preferred alternative: form fitting shirts, knee- length or just above the knee shorts that fit well and pants that suit your body type.

I shall never forget a front-page article in the Los Angeles Times, November 13, 2005, "When a Family Matter Turns Into a Business". It presented a horrific account of what life can be like when someone you don't know, never met, and without your knowledge or consent, decides to be your legal guardian. This nightmare may not be possible in your state, but it's smart to be aware of a type of abuse you may encounter once you enter elderhood.

The article tells what happened to one 87- year old woman when her life was taken over by a professional conservator.

If you ask most 50 year old women if they are old, they will indignantly reply, "Of course not!" They are right -- chronologically, they are not old. Fifty is no longer middle aged, let alone old. But can you talk yourself into being old? Absolutely.

My friend Tammy is a good example. She's fifty- ish and works really hard at "staying young." She spends a lot of money on clothes and cosmetics and she tries every diet that's guaranteed to help shed fat fast.

But Tammy is talking herself into oldness. For example, when she has a memory lapse, she panics and shrieks, "Oh magawd, I'm losing it. I'm having a senior moment! Every time she does that I assure her she isn't losing it, she just needs to calm down. "But Barbara", she wails, "you don't know what it's like not to remember things."