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 →

Leisure Time Choices

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The movie was about six boarded young adults with lots of time and money who were looking of a “different kind of experience”.

As I left the theater, a young employee smiled and said, “Thank you for coming to our theater. I hope you enjoyed your movie.” I told Him that I did not enjoy the movie and pleaded with him not to see it adding, “I don’t know why I made myself in to a garbage can for the last hour and paid for it besides!”

I like to work.  The tasks are clear when my time is spent producing desired results.  At the end of the day, no matter how tough the problems were, I feel great about what I was able to accomplish.  Sometimes it is just a piece of the problem was solved, but the feeling of make a valuable contribution to the project is very satisfying.

Last week I had a rare day off for a holiday and consequently, found myself with extra time on my hands in the afternoon.  I went to the local mall to look around and decided to take in a movie.  I chose the one that was starting just as I arrived, bought a small bag of popcorn… for a huge price, and settled in to a common entertainment experience.

The movie was about six boarded young adults with lots of time and money who were looking of a “different kind of experience”.  Continue reading →

Eternal Value

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This new venture with my son has me thinking about the importance of investing in the spiritual lives of children and in their character development. This morning I heard a speaker say... “Professional success without a successor is failure.”

This new venture with my son has me thinking about the importance of investing in the spiritual lives of children and in their character development. This morning I heard a speaker say... “Professional success without a successor is failure.”

Recently my youngest son asked me to join him on Sunday mornings for the whole summer to teach the bible to young children who are 6 and 7 years old. I was thrilled to say yes! Our teaching team will get together each Saturday morning for the summer season to eat breakfast together and to and plan for the next days lesson. Although I do not know all the adult who will be on the team as yet, I am looking forward to the whole process.

We will focus on the life of a Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus who began as a fisherman and became a great spiritual leader whose influence has impacted generations. 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 →

A Heart Song

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Find a place to “sing your heart out”… and when no one’s around, there’s always the shower.

Find a place to “sing your heart out”… and when no one’s around, there’s always the shower.

Remember when you were in a choir or glee club? It was all about singing a message with others using music as the communication vehicle. Whenever music is involved, be it singing or playing an instrument in a band, I think the participant is the real beneficiary. Add dancing or choreography and you had your whole body involved!

I always loved rehearsal… even more that the performance because I got to sing for a longer period of time. In the days and nights that followed, the music was going through my head while I was just doing every day activity. Continue reading →

A New Plan

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Management is problem solving every day and I have chosen to see this responsibility as a privilege.

Management is problem solving every day and I have chosen to see this responsibility as a privilege.

Retirement is not in my plan.  At age 65, I started a whole new career as housing has always been and area of interest.  After communicating on line with with Mary Peterson at The Hamilton in Savage, I came over for a visit to see the property for myself.   I asked Mary to describe in a nutshell, what it was like to manage a big apartment building.  She said, “It’s just like taking care of a very large home.”

Glendale Place was right next door, so I took a tour that same day.  Continue reading →