Category Archives: Aging

The God Walk

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Here’s the thing… It is never too late to develop a personal walk with God and old age is as good a time as any to begin.

Here’s the thing… It is never too late to develop a personal walk with God and old age is as good a time as any to begin.

I grew up in the early 50’s and my parents like many of their friends believed in making it a practice to attend church as a family.  For them, church was a core item in our home and not an addendum that would be discarded by other distractions.  Quite the opposite… Other distractions were discarded or never considered on the basis of what they were learning and becoming as a result of their devotion to personal growth in their faith walk with God. Continue reading →

Smile Anyway!

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Smiling is a good idea for lots of reasons. A sunny disposition and demeanor favorably colors the interactions of my days for the most part… but not every time.

Smiling is a good idea for lots of reasons. A sunny disposition and demeanor favorably colors the interactions of my days for the most part… but not every time.

“Hi Smiley” was the greeting I recently received from a business associate while attending a lovely event in glamorous surroundings.  It was early in the day and the mood was festive and pleasant.  It was interesting to think about the notion that I must come across as a person who is smiling and cheerful a good bit of the time.  As I considered this thought, the words to a song taught to me by my parents came to mind.

Let the sunshine in, face it with a grin.
Smilers never lose, and frowners never win,
So let the sunshine in, face it with a grin.
Open up your heart and let the sunshine in. Continue reading →

Grow Some Money

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I like working and having a job puts me in touch with some interesting people. There are jobs for those who are willing to put their passion and experience to good use.

I like working and having a job puts me in touch with some interesting people. There are jobs for those who are willing to put their passion and experience to good use.

I am hearing from some of my peers that they are definitely not living the comfortable retirement lifestyle they always imagined because the needed money is just not there.  Complicating matters, things keep getting more expensive, while incomes remains fixed. Something’s got to give.

The solutions are that same as they have always been.  Cut spending and increase income at the same time. Continue reading →

My Story

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I wrote my own story in 500 words, making sure I did not leave out the failures and mistakes that were also part of the tapestry of my life so far.

I wrote my own story in 500 words, making sure I did not leave out the failures and mistakes that were also part of the tapestry of my life so far.

No matter how old I feel, I know that I am in the final quarter of the game.  There is a lot of living left, but I think often about what I want to leave behind for the people I love.  The essence of connection to other people is “being known” and I want those I love to know who I am and what I am about.

Obviously, I will leave behind all my stuff and whatever money I have accumulated, but what I really want to leave is the ideas and beliefs that have driven everything along the way.  Continue reading →

Food Is My Medicine

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For about the last year, I have been eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. OK… so my grocery bill is high, but it occurred to me that there has been a good trade-off here.

For about the last year, I have been eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. OK… so my grocery bill is high, but it occurred to me that there has been a good trade-off here.

My peers are a group of aging people.  I hear plenty of talk about the cost of medications that seem to be prescribed like a “mixed cocktail” that sometimes necessitates elaborate plans on the part the patient to make sure it all goes down at the right time, in the right dose.  In fact, this is so common that one might assume that it just has to be that way.  I disagree. Continue reading →

Pay it Forward

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Find a younger person that is living in the storm of life right now that you have lived in the past. There are no NEW problems, just recycled ones!

Find a younger person that is living in the storm of life right now that you have lived in the past. There are no NEW problems, just recycled ones!

As we get older, there is a natural drift toward isolation. Senior men and women begin to feel marginalized as their world shrinks and the choices are not as wide open as they were in the past. So how can we find meaning and purpose for our lives during the final season? How can we invest ourselves during the final season?

We live our lives forward, but we understand them by looking backward. Continue reading →

Change is Hard

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The fire started in the kitchen which is often the case in apartment living for seniors who for a variety of reasons find the kitchen to be less manageable as they age.

The fire started in the kitchen which is often the case in apartment living for seniors who for a variety of reasons find the kitchen to be less manageable as they age.

I know a woman whose home was damaged in an accidental fire. The fire started in the kitchen which is often the case in apartment living for seniors who for a variety of reasons find the kitchen to be less manageable as they age. Independent living including the regular tasks of housekeeping can create fire hazards as we age. In this case, cloth items were on top of the stove. While emergency personal were taking her out of the apartment for a medical need, the stove was inadvertently turned on resulting in the fire which started while no one was at home. Continue reading →

Small Furry Friends

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Although I could never imagine myself living with a dog of any kind, I can see that for my brother, his small but lively dogs are a very bright threesome in his life and a real necessity for this season.

Although I could never imagine myself living with a dog of any kind, I can see that for my brother, his small but lively dogs are a very bright threesome in his life and a real necessity for this season.

Having a pet requires a decent amount of dedication and commitment, but seniors sometimes find that pets are extremely beneficial friends and just a pure bundle of joy. The companionship that his trio of little dogs provides motivates my brother to get more involved in daily activities and socializing.

Most fascinating of this threesome is Augustus Valentine.  He is a lively Yorkshire Terrier that could jump almost to the top of the small fence enclosure that held him close to his teammates on the patio when I came for a visit.  As I inquired about his name, I learned that at first glance, he just looked like a little guy named “Gus”.  Believing that name was too casual for his special breed, the name was formalized on the spot to…… Augustus Valentine. Continue reading →

Marriage

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It is beautiful to see and hear from lovers who are still devoted to one another after 50 years together.

It is beautiful to see and hear from lovers who are still devoted to one another after 50 years together.

My son in-laws parents celebrated 50 years together today as family, friends and coworkers gathered to congratulate and honor this much-loved couple. We heard the same songs that were part of their original wedding ceremony and ate a copy of the wedding cake that was part of their first special day together.  I for one enjoyed looking at all the posted pictures of Paula and Jim’s family over the years.

All three of their sons have families of their own now, and each one was introduced including all the children which included new baby. Continue reading →

Learn it & you own it!

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The class was full of young people and the teacher and I were the only older folks in the class, but I loved it!

The class was full of young people and the teacher and I were the only older folks in the class, but I loved it! 

When I was 10 years old we got our first TV set, not because my parents needed more entertainment, but because a family friend gave it to my dad. The only reason he wanted to get near a TV set was to find out “how” it worked. He had already disassembled a few of them to discover what made it work. He was also a ham radio operator conversing with people all over the world and we had a big towering antenna attached to our house to bring in the signals. Continue reading →