Defensive Strategy

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Sometimes it is necessary to “go into the game fighting” so to speak, but most of the time the issue at hand I not a big deal.

Sometimes it is necessary to “go into the game fighting” so to speak, but most of the time the issue at hand I not a big deal.

Football season in here and grandparents are often making sure they are in the stands to cheer for the young people who are “in the game”.

As aging people, living in close proximity to a variety of people, we need to choose a position as well in the games of life that play out all around us each day.   We can choose to play “defensively” when an offensive comment or encounter is hurled our way, seemingly from out of nowhere. Continue reading →

Readers Theatre

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My hope is that we can produce a program that will serve as our holiday entertainment at Christmas time. The story I am hoping to use will of course be, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

My hope is that we can produce a program that will serve as our holiday entertainment at Christmas time. The story I am hoping to use will of course be, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

“Readers Theatre” is an idea that I want to introduce as a new kind of community enjoyment to the friends and neighbors here at Glendale Place.

Readers Theatre connects oral reading, literature, and drama in a group setting. Using only voices and facial expressions, each reader interprets the emotions, beliefs, attitudes, and motives of the characters in a story. A narrator conveys the story’s setting and action and provides the commentary necessary for transition between scenes. 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 →

Uninvited Knock

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I want everyone to VOTE!

I want everyone to VOTE!

I am all for voting and I make it my personal business to find out about the people who are running for office and the issues that are going to be decided by the voters.  As the resident manager of a large apartment complex, I include voter information regarding registration and our poling location for residents in my newsletter that goes out to the people who live in my community here at Glendale Place.  I want everyone to VOTE!

Dealing with the campaigns however, has turned out to be a huge disappointment.  Continue reading →

Eagle Project

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Everything about scouting is handled by volunteers, and the Scouts working on these projects are young developing future leaders of the community.

Everything about scouting is handled by volunteers, and the Scouts working on these projects are young developing future leaders of the community.

This week I met with a young man who is working to become and Eagle Scout.  This soon to be 10th grader is interested in pursuing an Eagle Project, which I have learned is no small undertaking.

A quality Eagle project takes time.  The Scout must do all pre-planning, design, any fundraising, and go through a multi-step review process with the end user of his work, property owners, his scout troop and the scouting district. Most Scouts plan 6-9 months for an Eagle Project, taking it from a concept to a fully fledged plan, getting it reviewed (which often involves changes), reviewed again until it is fully ready, and then to implementation. Continue reading →

The Financial Pinch

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Feeling the financial “pinch”? If so, you have lots of company.

Here’s the thing… we all have some money, but that is not the only “spendable” thing we have to work with.

Feeling the financial “pinch”?  If so, you have lots of company.  When you start talking to people there is never any shortage of complaints and the old adage if often heard, “The money ran out before the month.”  We’ve all been there.

I recently heard of a cost cutting measure that is working like a charm for some of my elderly friends.  Granted, these folks are already living in a financially affordable apartment home, having left the big expensive setting behind as their children grew up and established their own families, but the “pinch” is still felt, even by these careful proactive people. Continue reading →

Cut To The Core

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You’ve seen it happen. When life circumstances cut you down, what’s really “under the hood” shows up and sometimes it is pretty ugly.

You’ve seen it happen. When life circumstances cut you down, what’s really “under the hood” shows up and sometimes it is pretty ugly.

You’ve heard the saying… “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”.  True or not, it is my practice to eat an apple every day.  Recently, I noticed that the top was showing some spoiling, so I thought, “I’ll just cut that part off and eat the rest.  When I cut off the part that was visibly offensive, I found that the whole thing was rotten to the core with only the surface areas appearing to be yet unspoiled.  It was clear, that given a few more days, even in the refrigerator, the whole apple would have been spoiled. 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 →

Alone, Not Lonely

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Some love the constant give-and-take of the company of other people, but in my world, alone is good.

Some love the constant give-and-take of the company of other people, but in my world, alone is good.

Alone-ness is typically equated with loneliness, but that is just not the case with me.  I like being alone!  It is during the time I spend with myself and my own thoughts and feeling where I find the best refreshment and regain perspective on every topic.  I live alone and I am almost never lonely. I am also rarely bored or at a loss as to how to use my time.  In fact, I am convinced that my life will run out before I have the opportunity to pursue all my interests.

Maybe you are like me and actually need hours alone every day. Continue reading →