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The topics and opinions expressed on the
following show are solely those of the hosts

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and their guests, and not those
of W FOURWN Radio It's employees or affiliates.

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comments should be directed to those show
hosts. Thank you for choosing W FOURWN

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Radio. Welcome to Fearless Fabulous You. I am your host, Melanie Young,

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and today i'd like to talk to
you about the privilege of aging.

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You know, many products out there
talk about anti aging, not pro aging,

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like it's evil to age, like
you're in your downfall as you age,

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But just think about it. Aging
is a privilege. I love this

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quote by the Jamaican photographer Charlie Phillips. Do not regret growing older. It

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is a privilege denied to many.
My mother lived at eighty eight, my

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father lived in seventy nine. I
hope I live that long, but I

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hope, more importantly than living long, that I live well and I think

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that's important to understand. Don't focus
on the fear of aging. Focus on

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the joy of now and appreciating what
you have and not worrying about what you're

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going to look like or feel like
later. Just take care of yourself,

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investing yourself, and hopefully you will
live to have a ripe old age.

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But don't think of as old and
no longer relevant. You're relevant at every

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age. The privilege of aging,
the privilege of aging is a very powerful

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statement. Just think about what those
words signify. Just think about it.

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We live in a world where a
high value is placed on antiques and aged

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wines, and where old homes and
prewar apartments carry a higher price tag.

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We've been high and hard for classic
cars, ancient vases, vintage jewelry,

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and artwork by old masters. Yet
we can't bear the thought of growing old

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ourselves, and we're not always comfortable
being around the elderly. Employers retire their

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older staff when they're ready to go
on or not they're put to pastor whether

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they want to be going or not. Employers look for young, fresh talent.

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I mean, it's hard looking for
a job when you're over fifty.

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Trusts me and entire industry caters to
making you look and feel young. They

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focus on anti aging, not pro
living. We spend a small fortune on

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those products each year. Think about
it. Do you remember when we spend

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our allowances trying to look older when
we were teenagers. That's right, I

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just wanted to look older, and
then one day I just wanted to look

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younger. What's going on? We
fight growing old because we live in a

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society where wrinkles and aged spots are
considered blemishes not beauty marks, where an

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elderly mind may be referred to as
feeble instead of enlightened, and where employers

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who lead decades old companies producing brands
beloved by generations hire fresh young faces to

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give their own corporate image a youthful
facelift. The US Congress debates medicare and

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the challenge of our aging society,
as if growing old as a burden to

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be lifted instead of an honorable milestone. But other cultures put a high value

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on aging. Respect for elders is
a national holiday in Japan, where seniors

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are respected for achieving age and wisdom, and we're asking one's age as a

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sign of etiquette and respect. I
would give anything to have my father and

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grandparents back in my life so that
I could hear their voices and their time

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tested knowledge and their childhood stories.
And recently I lost my mother at eighty

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eight, and while I understand and
respect that she was ready to leave this

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world, I often wish that I
had spent more time talking to her about

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her youth, instead of arguing about
what she was going to eat, or

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if she was going to bathe,
or why she wouldn't get out of bed.

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Aging is a privilege sadly denied to
those whose live's face a premature death.

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It is especially hard to see a
young person robbed of the right to

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grow old. Think of it,
growing old is your right. So if

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your life is cut short by a
major illness or a terrible accident or a

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crime, you've been robbed of the
rest of your life and even sodder as

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if you choose to end your life. It breaks my heart to realize how

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many young people are committing suicide rather
than choosing to work out their problems and

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enjoying and embracing the privilege of growing
old. But it's also equally abhorrent to

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see people who have their health and
have all the potential in the world,

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disrespect aging and waste the opportunities they
have. We fight it with prescriptions of

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procedures, when we should focus on
staying vital and vibrant by keeping mentally and

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physically active and fit. It is
inevitable that with age, our eyes may

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blur, our bones may weaken,
our hearing may dim, and our body

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parts may betray us. But we
are all still gifted, and we should

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all be grateful for this. When
you face your mortality, as I did

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after my cancer diagnosis, having years
to grow old and experience life is a

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gift you long for more than anything
else. That was fifteen years ago.

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Now I'm sixty four, I'm getting
ready to face the medicare years. I'm

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excited about it, like I think
this is a whole other level and chapter

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of my life. I don't consider
myself over. I don't consider myself retired.

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I consider myself being able to take
advantage of all sorts of wonderful things

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that people reserve for the older people, the senior citizens. I don't consider

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myself senior. I consider myself senior
in a better way. I'm a silver

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girl, and I'm going for the
gold when it comes to growing old.

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So aging is a privilege that I
embrace now with more purpose and pleasure.

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I travel more, I don't worry
about the calories. I don't worry about

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what other people think about me.
I dress the way I want. I

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don't need to be trendy. I
love what I have. Life. I

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still want more, Yes, I
want more time to enjoy the life I

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have. I definitely want less stress
about money, because the only problem is

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when you get older, it seems
like your income goes down, your age

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goes up, your income goes down
because it's harder to find work. And

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I'm saying that to all you employers
out there. You hire people who are

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older. Don't just say let's get
somebody young for a fresh new look.

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You know all your people have fresh
perspectives too, because they see things with

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wisdom, and wisdom rocks. Aging
is a privilege to accept an abrace.

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Growing old means you have more years
to experience life. You can take a

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class, learn a hobby, mentor
someone, get married or remarried. You

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can travel or stay at home and
entertain. You can do anything that your

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strong mind, wills and your financial
means allow. Being aged specific and I

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say that in quotes is up to
you, because, as my mother always

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would say, rest in peace.
My mother would always say, you're as

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old as you feel in the day
you are in. And that was when

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she celebrated her eightieth birthday at a
zoo, raising money to bring giraffes to

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the zoo. She raised millions of
dollars. You know, I think about

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my mother because she passed away in
the last four months, and I think

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about how she embraced her age with
grace and dignity even as her body started

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to betray her. But she kept
her mind active. She read books,

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she watched theater on television, she
watched the opera. She loved to have

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discussions with people about current affairs.
You know, it's important to keep your

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mind active no matter what. It's
important to keep your body active, no

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matter what. It's important to say
I accept the age and stage I am

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in because you can't really reverse it. People say you can, but at

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the end of the day, biological
aging is biological aging. Go for that

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vintage wine, go for that great
meal, take that wonderful trip, do

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whatever you are over because every year
we advanced should be one to be celebrated.

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When the party's over. You can't
dance on your own grave. So

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think about that, and let me
leave you with these five tips about celebrating

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the privilege of aging. One,
be ageless and timeless. Don't let anyone

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say you are too old or too
young. You are fabulous at any age

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you are, and you know what
you can choose to be mentally any age.

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E one you may be sixty,
but if you feel like you fill

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thirty, go for it. Two
you are never too old to change your

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mind, change your life, or
change the world. I mean, gosh,

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we have a president in the seventies. Julia child I wrote her first

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book in her fifties, mastering the
Art of French cooking. Think about Ruth

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Vader Ginsberg on the Supreme Court.
You can do it anything you choose at

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any age, and don't let anyone
feel you're too old or irrelevant, which

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brings me to point three. Age
should never be a barrier when it comes

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to acts of kindness or appreciation.
Be considerate of anyone at any age.

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Never talk down to an elderly person. Always speak to them with respect,

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and be patient. If I did
one more thing more for my mother,

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I probably should have been more patient. It's hard, but you know what

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they deserve it for. Stay curious. An active mind is your best asset

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for aging. You can have a
childlike curiosity at any age. I know

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I do. And finally, but
not astley. If your outlook is ageless,

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your opportunities can be endless. That's
right. You can have endless opportunities

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at any age and stage of your
life. So I toast to you if

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you're in your forties, fifties,
sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties.

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I don't know if I'll live to
be ninety, but I know I'm

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going to live to be the best
person I am at whatever age it is,

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because you never know when that privilege
will end. I'm Melanie Young,

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and this is fearless, fabulous you. I toast you and remind you that

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you have the choice to live life
on your terms, your way, not

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other people's ways. So stick to
your guns and always stay fearless and fabulous.

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Thank you, used the team