Category: Uncategorized (Page 20 of 40)

Ready to Spring?

03/20/2018 / Laura

It’s spring. Finally. Never thought it would get here, did you? And it’s early this year. Which could explain why it’s still (depending upon where you live), still cold. Rainy. Snowy. Dreary. Disappointing.

But wait. Even if all the above is true, chances are there are signs of spring everywhere. You just have to look harder to find them. Like purple crocus raising their heads. Or bountiful cherry trees quietly sharing their beauty. Or daffodils bending in the breeze. And of course, lots of allergens to fill your sinus cavities with seasonal splendor.

So if it’s spring, why does it sometimes feel like nothing’s changed…like the same old, same old is still here. You aren’t feeling younger. Or more attractive. Or like you could skip down the sidewalk with a new piece of chalk for hopskotch.

So what does Spring mean, anyway….when you get older?

We over 50 tend to hunker down during winter. It’s chilly and humid and makes our bones talk to us. We are wary of icy sidewalks and quite frankly, driving at night in a snowstorm isn’t our idea of a good time. Not that it ever was, but it used to seem easier. Or were we just more willing to take a chance?

Spring used to mean a break from school. Maybe pulling out the fun clothes and sandals and getting some sun. Planting seeds in the garden. Starting a new exercise regimen or giving up fast food (at least for a few weeks) so we might fit in the summer swimsuit.

Things change. I’ll admit to just being grateful to see the seasons change. To realize that spring represents new life, a shaking-off of winter doldrums and the promise of longer days and maybe lower utility bills.

Of course if you live where it snows through May, you’re still dreaming of that…and you’re tired of hearing how it’s 75 in Miami.

Here’s what a few famous folks had to say about spring:

“In the spring, I have counted 136 kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”

Mark Twain

“I am going to try to pay attention to the spring. I am going to look around at all the flowers and look up at the hectic trees. I am going to close my eyes and listen.”

Anne Lamott

“Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

“Spring is nature’s way of saying: ‘Let’s party!'”

Robin Williams

Spring can be a challenge in many ways, filled with mud and rain and cobwebs and long lists of what needs to be done. But it can also be a beautiful time to renew the soul.

Get some sunshine.

Breathe some fresh air.

Consider new possibilities.

Wait for a butterfly to float by.

Every season that passes becomes more precious…a treasure we hold in our hearts. Let’s enjoy this one.

“Spring is when you feel like singing even with a shoe full of slush.”

Doug Larson

Retiring or rethinking?

02/26/2018 / Laura

Now that you’re getting closer to retirement, or you’ve long since retired, you’ve probably faced the decision about whether you want to work longer, work part-time, try something new, or run as far as you can from anything resembling employment. Some are more fortunate than others in this regard, and some just aren’t sure.

It’s frustrating to work hard all your life and have in the back of your mind that soon you’ll be taking it easy…at least not punching a clock every day…and then economics change that scenario. Life is just expensive, no matter whether you stay in your same home, or you dream of moving to a new home by the ocean or in mountains. You may have been a saver, but you probably still wish you’d started earlier and saved more. Or, you could be like so many people, and only just now have the ability to save anything at all.

It’s the dilemma of the day and it’s only going to get worse. Baby boomers are living longer than previous generations and retiring later. About three in every four Americans plan to work past retirement age and almost two-thirds said they will continue to work part-time. About 10,000 turn 65 each day, yet fewer than half said they expect to retire by 65.

People are working later in life for a number of reasons. They are healthier and have a longer life expectancy than previous generations. They are better educated, which increases their likelihood of staying in the labor force. And changes to Social Security benefits and employee retirement plans, along with the need to save more for retirement, create incentives to keep working.

And whether you want to keep working, or have to, you might be thinking about a change. Maybe even working for yourself. Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics shows hat workers in older age groups have higher rates of self-employment than do workers in younger groups. Knowledge and resources gained through years of experience may put older workers in a good position to work for themselves. (Just remember this comes with its challenges as well…do your homework!)

Or maybe you’ve spent your career in an office and would love to get into the outdoors. Or perhaps you’re retiring a teacher and prefer giving tours of a local museum.

Then there are the challenges that come with being over 60 and wanting to be taken seriously by younger co-workers. Society is prone to dismiss us. Younger workers often don’t even “see” us, much less take our ideas and expertise seriously. It often leads to baby boomers doubting themselves, wondering if they are really out of touch and have anything valuable to contribute.

Yet the good news is science is on our side.

Research shows successful older people manage to use their brains differently, and by doing so are doing just as well as younger people. One interpretation is that we boomers and beyond have a larger set of knowledge and thus we can rely on our experience when processing new information. We use our experience as “filters,” dismissing some new information, but working more efficiently with the information we have and ultimately doing just as well as younger people with more powerful brains.

So, while the young person in the next desk can run faster, you know the shortcuts…so you might reach the finish line just as fast.

Bottom line? We aren’t doing things wrong, we are doing them differently. And even better…we score better in social conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability than do younger people. This is probably not news to you. Take the cell phone away from some young people and they lose the ability to communicate. BUT…you better be up on the technology you need to stay in the game.

So don’t let the headlines scare you…remember you are a reserve of knowledge, experience and sound common sense earned over a lifetime.

You have value.

Now get out there and rock it!

“It’s never too late to do something extraordinary.”

Anonymous

Vegetables our way.

02/05/2018 / Laura

Okay. Call me stubborn. Old-fashioned. Caught in a rut. But excuse me.

Aren’t certain rights guaranteed to us as human beings? Aren’t we free to decide how much is enough and what is worth keeping?

When did the way we choose to cook vegetables become something we have no say over?

It’s bad enough we become used to something and suddenly it’s gone, with no warning. Or we expect to find a certain size or flavor of something on the shelf and the next time we enter the store, it’s not there. Or it’s new and “improved”, or the size is different which just means there are now 4 potato chips in the economy size instead of the prior 24.

But the price is the same.

(And you can’t get the package open without a flame thrower and wrench.)

Now, there’s more. Now, you can’t go to the store and buy a package of frozen vegetables and choose for yourself if you want to boil, steam, or microwave them…and you can’t cook just a part of the package. Because some bored food technician decided that we must be sold a one-size package that must be microwaved all at once.

Excuse me?

Seriously. What’s up with this? A relative told me he thinks It’s because the millenials don’t know how to cook—or don’t want to. I hate to believe that. I know some very capable young cooks. And I know for many cooks, the idea of buying frozen vegetables instead of fresh is a crime. Yet research has suggested the nutritional value is about the same (depending upon how it’s prepared.)

But that’s not the point. The point is … are you freaking kidding me? Is this 1984 x 2000 and I will be told what I must do—and cannot do—in my kitchen?

It’s a small thing I suppose. Yet it just feels more and more like there’s one big conglomerate out there and they are in control of what we eat, what we watch, and how we think. We’ve all accepted we buy hot dogs and buns in different quantities. We ignore the “best sold by” dates and consume things in the back of our refrigerators that appear to be edible. We mutter incoherently as the grocery bagger puts the eggs below the watermelon and hands us the bag. We bravely decide we’re going to eat eggs/bacon/lard regardless of what the latest government survey says will happen to us if we do.

But I can’t find a regular package of frozen spinach???

If my mother were alive, she would be at the manager’s counter with that look on her face. And he’d be regretting he didn’t take the day off. She always insisted on double-bagging. And she often located the butcher, who might be hiding in the back, so she could get the cut of meat she was looking for. After all, she was buying food for her family, and it mattered.

Maybe no one cooks anymore…except me and most of my friends. Maybe we’re the exception. But I know this: we probably eat healthier meals than those who don’t. And I’ll bet we enjoy them more. And by golly, we should have the freedom to make them any way we choose.

And if this really is a “generational” thing, then consider this: baby boomers spend the most across all product categories. That includes groceries. Maybe it’s time we caused a ruckus.

Clean-up on aisle 7?

You ain’t seen nothing yet.

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

Julia Child

Mindful, creative living.

01/23/2018 / Laura

There’s a lot of talk about being more mindful these days.

Such as, instead of just going through the motions of a familiar task, we become truly present in that moment, making sure we are doing what we need to, and not misplacing our keys or leaving the refrigerator door open or trying to remember why we entered a room.

Easier said than done it seems, at least for many of us. There’s just so many things to deal with…even as you age. You’d think it might get easier, but at least in my experience, it hasn’t.

Harvard social psychology professor Dr. Ellen Langer has written several books on the subject of mindfulness. Known as the “mother of mindfulness” over her 35+ year career, she has also touched on how tapping into the creative part of ourselves can greatly enhance our ability to be mindful in the moment.

This can be any moment. Taking a walk. Bathing a grandchild. Preparing breakfast. Doing your taxes. Anything that calls for our attention…and our creativity.

In her wonderful book “On Becoming an Artist,” she explores how anyone—truly anyone—can be an artist. We all have creativity within us, and if we have the courage to get past the fear of someone laughing or being critical of what we create (and often that person is ourselves), we can discover a freedom and joy we’ve never experienced.

Some of her words from “On Becoming An Artist”:

“I believe that our natural, mindful creativity should be the way we experience most, if not all, of our days. By engaging in some new activity—whether it is art, music, sports, gardening, or cooking—on an ongoing basis, we can being to experience what it is like to be more mindful. Most of the time mindlessness comes by default, not by design, and when we are mindless we’re oblivious to being so. We need to find a way to cue us into our mindlessness. We need a bell that will sound for us, signaling that we are acting mindlessly. When we let ourselves fully engage a new task and see how exciting it feels, as soon as we feel otherwise the bell should sound. If we remove the roadblocks, we can begin to engage ourselves, again.”

Now if you are already saying, “I’m no artist”, Dr. Langer is very persuasive in her belief that you really are—you just haven’t let it come out. Fear most likely has blocked you, or at some time many years ago, a misguided teacher or supervisor chided you for your attempts.

It may feel scary, but you must quiet those voices and do it anyway.

As she says in her book, “Can you draw a reasonably straight line? A curved line? A thick bold line or curve? A think line or curve? Can you recognize different colors? If so, all that is left to be able to draw or paint is to learn how to see. To play an instrument, all you need to learn is to hear. It is that simple.”

And I will add, it can be that much fun. I know in the past few years I”ve left myself get past the “I can’t do this” mindset to just playing with pastel painting. Sure, most of it I wouldn’t hang in my house. But I did frame a few of my attempts, not so much because I think they’re exceptional, but because it was fun to do, I surprised myself, and they represent my being okay with my creativity.

Throughout her book, Dr. Langer explores some of the roadblocks that keep us from discovering our creativity, and embracing mindfulness. Things like social comparison, evaluation, making choices, and how we must individualize our experiences. How we stroll through a museum and just assume that the breathtaking works of art we see just “happened”…that because Rembrandt or Michelangelo or Renoir had so much inborn talent, they didn’t really struggle like we would. And that “everyone” agrees their work is awesome while whatever we do is frivolous.

Yet if you study these artists, you learn differently. They worried. They studied. They failed. But most likely, when they achieved their masterpieces, it was due to truly being mindful…putting all else our of their heads for a period of time and just being present.

Imagine the freedom!

Even if you’re not interested in developing your artistic side, mindfulness could be a wonderful exercise for other parts of your life. As Dr. Langer says on her online site:

“The simple process of noticing new things is the key to being there. When we notice new things we come to see the world with the excitement of seeing and experiencing it for the first time, but with the comfort that of our previous life experiences brings to the activity.”

Dr. Langer is definitely a boomer who is rocking the wrinkle!

Maybe give it a try….today….take a regular task and really be present in it. Feel yourself relax into it, breathe a bit more evenly, take care of it and then move on.

And maybe later, notice how the sun sparkles on the snow, or the bird that just landed on the windowsill. Pick up pencil and sketch it, just for a minute. Or write a few lines for a poem. Or take a photograph.