DREAM BIG...

BELIEVE

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A STAR. I SEE IT, FEEL IT, AND BELIEVE IT.

SLOWLY I LIVE INTO MY DREAMS, WORKING HARD, STAYING FOCUSED AND POSITIVE WHILE ALWAYS BEING KIND & COMPASSIONATE TO OTHERS. ONE DAY, I KNOW MY DREAMS WILL COME TRUE.

MY CHRISTMAS WISH FOR YOU IS TO KEEP BELIEVING...ALWAYS AND FOREVER! THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS LIES IN YOUR HEART. KEEP LOOKING UP... IT'S NEVER TOO LATE FOR EVEN THE BIGGEST OF DREAMS TO COME TRUE.

MIRACULOUS...

YOU COULD EVEN SAY SHE GLOWS

Ageless Aunty and I hope to give new meaning to the term “getting old.” Look at the photo above…Aunty doesn't look like she was born in the early part of the last century, does she? Aunty goes to yoga, college, parties, and just about everywhere I go. What is so astounding about this is Aunty has been told she has a little Alzheimer’s. Yet, by all accounts she is the happiest person alive. My aunt has become the toast of the town. I am not the only one in awe over her radiant spirit and selflessness humility. She is the best teacher anyone could ask for.

The most touching complement I have received is, “Your love for Aunty is a living example of what CHRISTMAS is all about.” It is MIRACULOUS what self sacrifice can do. This blog and any inspiration we can give, is our gift to you. Merry Christmas and the Happiest New Year! Follow us and stay happy, healthy, and Ageless.

I have to run…. Aunty is eating all the Sugarplums & hopefully Spiking the Eggnog…

May we bring a little JOY to your world.
SAT NAM

CELEBRATE LIFE...

BE MERRY!

Celebrate the holidays! We mean really celebrate! Ageless Aunty (born in the early part of the last century) dances daily. She bops around our smiling Christmas tree. While looking for some Eggnog, I found her dancing with a handsome young man in the supermarket! She assures me, “Dancing makes me happy.” And here we are merry making in the lobby of a museum (Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire after their Candlelight Stroll). I would like to thank piano player, Mr. Don Fancy, an ageless and talented musician.

With the longest to-do-list imaginable, I still find time to gambol. Aunty and I often begin our day with glee. We get up and dance (and count our blessings that we can)! This time of year we groove to Run Run Rudolph, and Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time. During the warmer months we promenade to Garth Brooks, with one of Aunty’s favorite songs, Two Pina Coladas. Dancing is undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to stay ageless. Get up and shake some good energy around. Ageless Aunty promises amazing results.

YOU CAN'T BOTTLE THIS...

PRECIOUS CARGO

Make friends, call friends, visit friends, gift friends, stroll with friends, listen to friends, support friends, and gather with friends. Make more friends.
If they are willing, put crazy, silly, funny hats, crowns, and tiaras on their heads. Laugh a lot. Take pictures. Get giddy….

We all have so much to do these days, but making the effort to stay in touch with our friends is a gift we give ourselves. Today is the beginning of the Christmas rush (at least for me), yet, I took time out of my demanding schedule to drive over the river and through the woods to a dear friends house for our annual Christmas Tea. She set aside time out of her even busier day, to prepare a wonderful luncheon for us. I brought her a special gift and she gave me a homemade Holiday Greens Basket and a gift certificate to Rishi tea…the company I raved about a few blogs ago. I feel so blessed. Connecting with friends and keeping tradition is like being the richest person in the world. As a matter of fact, as I admire the lovely holly berry arrangement she made just for me, finish gobbling the homemade Danish pastry she sent me home with, and think about how she honored our tradition and our friendship, even though one of her children was home sick, and her husband is preparing for surgery in the morning, right now, I am!

Since I am seeing more friends and family this week, I think I will return that eye cream I just bought. The balm of friendship is more effective than anything I can buy.

MAKE FRIENDS WITH SANTA...

DESTINATION AGELESS

I think this photo of my Aunty driving with Santa Claus exemplifies agelessness. Even Santa has fallen in love with her. Make that every Santa we see. And we see many. As it turns out, Auntyand I have an immeasurable amount of Christmas Spirit. Each December we make our way across New England to as many Christmas events as we can with Aunty usually wooing every Santa in sight. Joy truly emanates from our hearts and sometimes we find ourselves dancing in the street, once with Santa himself! We always bring our own music and our own stash of Tea (as mentioned in an earlier post, we prefer loose tea, but tea bags for the road). We wave to people. We smile at people. And hug old friends when we meet. All of this helps keep our blood pressure down and our spirits up. This past weekend Aunty and I were strolling down the street to Darlene Love’s Christmas Time is Here…The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. You really can’t get much happier and any more Ageless then that. Try it. All you need is some of your favorite Holiday songs, two AA batteries for a small tape player, or a charged I-pod with speakers, some cheery tea bags, and a winter coat. See what happens when you put one foot in front of the other with these accouterments. Experiencing pure fun like this actually makes that number that we refer to as our age SHRINK.

Bonus feature: When strolling, shopping, and out and about, try drinking your favorite beverage from one of those festive Starbuck’s cups, without spending three dollars. Just give them a quarter for a cup of hot water and drop a Christmas tea bag in. Try Sugarplum Spice, or Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride from Celestial Seasonings. The aroma alone is worth any effort. I de-age just by looking at the pretty boxes. Besides, I happen to know it’s what Elfs drink. And have you ever seen an old or unhappy Elf? I met one once. And don’t worry I have the picture to PROVE it! Things take a bit longer to develop up there in the North Pole. But I promise to share it with you soon. Until then….BE Merry, or try to for five minutes a day. And if it’s still a struggle, come back to look at the picture of our Ageless Aunty hobnobbing with Santa. If that doesn't make you smile, well….keep reading this blog, something will! That is my gift to you.

Tea Time

Miss Pekoe
Tea is one of the healthiest beverages in the world! And my friends don’t call me Miss Pekoe for nothing. I started drinking organic white tea over ten years ago. I continued because not only did I enjoy the entire brewing process, the taste, and the relaxing effect, but, my skin started glowing. So, now I can declare…,
“Why go for a nip or a tuck when you can sip tea from a cup!” There I am (above) in a real tea house praying to the Tea Gods to keep our cups warm and full!

White tea will help relax you and have a positive impact on your skin. This is a delicate (low caffeine) tea, and therefore you don’t want to use boiling water, allow it to cool for a minute or two before pouring. Follow the instructions and step into a whole new world, even for ten minutes a day. If looking, feeling, or staying young is something you seek then give White Tea a try. For those who may feel a little stressed out, or overwhelmed…. keep in mind, the ritual alone of preparing such a fine brew is enough to reap some health benefits. You can not be uptight while preparing loose leaf tea. Tea transports you to another time and place, or keeps you mindfully present if that is your intent. You may not be able to fly to Paris but you can buy a box of Hediard (black) tea (served in the most fashionable and exclusive places in the world) and feel famous. One of my teapots has Chandeliers on it. Using it makes me feel so luxurious and I forget that the word laundermat is still in my realm of living. Purchase a porcelain cup and saucer from Home Goods and carry on!

I also recommend Rishi Tea Company. You can trust that you will be getting only the finest leaves. Most of us don’t think about soil, climate and altitude when buying tea, they do! They also consider how it’s processed. They even have teas that come with a guide book with maps and photos showing where the tea originates. They elevate tea and tea drinking to a whole new level.

Another outstanding tea company is Upton Tea Imports. Their enticing catalog describes each tea in detail. They have an enormous/eclectic selection including Holy Basil Purple Leaf. Right now I am relishing their Christmas (Mélange Noel) tea. I buy it in bulk and store it in my empty Santa Claus Tea Tin (I bought the expensive Santa Blend from Hediard and now that it’s gone, each season I fill the can with Upton’s similar (less expensive) version. This treasure is composed with vanilla, orange peel, rose petals, black tea, cinnamon and cloves. I share it with friends and family all month long.

There is a fantastic tea that actually helps with weight loss and concentration, and happens to be my personal favorite. We’ll talk about that one soon. I speak from experience, over twelve years of daily sipping. I know that fine loose leaf tea truly is a little bit of heaven in a cup. If God is a drinking man/woman, I imagine there is tea in his or her cup.

I have to run... I am being beckoned with a whistle from my tea kettle!