“You have to want to live long. You have to view living with grace and acceptance.  And you have to have a purpose.”

“Grieving is like splashing your face with cold water. It awakens your senses to reality and opens the path to healing. But you can’t go through it alone. Pouring out your heart isn’t just a release for you; it’s also a relief for friends and relatives, who often don’t know how to help.”

“You make the best decisions when you go slowly, set goals, and have a plan.”

“You can maintain your sexuality as you age. I’m 94, and I’m not celibate. If you want a relationship, it doesn’t have to be intimate or with someone your own age. But it’s important to get out and mingle with people of both sexes. If you’re a woman, make sure you have lots of women friends.”

“It’s not easy to change from being a negative person to being a positive one. So work on it. And want to.”

“I’m happy with my body because I’ve taken care of myself. Every morning, I walk a mile and a half with my dog and exercise a half hour every evening, and twice a week I take balance lessons. Even if I don’t improve, at least I’m not going backwards.”

“If plastic surgery makes you feel better, then go ahead and do it. But be cautious.  You know what really takes years off your face? A smile.”

 

Victoria D. Schmidt DC’42, a resident of Oldwick, New Jersey, has lived a colorful life. While married to Ralph Schmidt AG’42 for 58 years, she raised a daughter, worked as an editor at Woman’s Day, ran a public relations agency, and, as the director of travel and tourism for New Jersey, spearheaded the memorable  campaign “New Jersey and You: Perfect Together.” After her husband’s death, she wrote the novel Triumph in Exile (Syracuse University Press, 2002) and two self-help books, Finding Solitary Contentment (Victoria D. Schmidt, 2013) and Remembering the Loved One You Lost (Book Baby, 2013). Schmidt, who helped found the Victoria Dabrowski Schmidt Career Conference for Douglass Women, is working on a series of inspirational volumes about aging entitled Move On. Read her blog at victoriadschmidt.com.