Make plans each day to do something meaningful. Meet a friend to join an exercise class, take up painting or teach someone how to bake bread. Writing in a journal is another uplifting experience that will help the brain fire up and yearn for more. 

Your goals at age 85 are not the same thing as your goals at age 35. But you still need them. I get it that your week may include doctor visits, or that you can’t dance like you once did or navigate the elements for a full day of hunting. 

What can you do? Create a list of five things that bring you joy, then make them happen. No excuses; just put the effort forward. You will age the way you think you will, and that is all that matters.

Cathy Graham is director of Graceful Aging Wellness Center of Bethlen Communities, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and a District 3000–HRFA member.