By this time, I am used to the passage of time and coping with the mental picture of the calendar pages flipping and the years rolling past at the speed of light.
But there was something about it being the beginning of a new DECADE (I am NOT going to get into an argument about whether the century began in 2000 or 2001 and whether this decade should begin next year....)that brought me up short.
Because I could have sworn we just celebrated the millenium.....
Remember that? In my case I was with five of my closest friends and we rang things in with a bang. I had just turned 50 and discovered that it was the best stage I'd ever been in. My daughter was in college, my son in law school and life was good. I started a new job on January 13, 2000. I still have the same job. Is that progress?
So I could deal with the idea of a new year. But then all the commentators stated talking about the DECADE. What do you mean, it was just yesterday.....and then I realized that both kids were now married, I had grandchildren and my Uncle Bob had died. The world had changed profoundly. I hadn't kept up with technology and now I was....well, s*x*y. And still lots to look forward to.
In her usual timely way, my sister-in-law Hilary sent me this post of the last column that Ellen Goodman, one of my favorites, penned. It seems to sum it up pretty well. Peace.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/letting_go_20091231/
Friday, January 1, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Reflections of ....the way life used to be.....
This past weekend we attended an engagement party for our friends Rebecca and Brent. It was great for us, especially, because it looked like a PTA reunion of parents from the '80's. All my daughter's friends' parents were there and it was lovely.
So this of course obviously led to a discussion of what it's like to be a certain age. (Rebecca's dad turned s*x*y on November 29th....) My friend Erica opined that it was like a Renaissance. You could embark on a variety of new paths in life and experience them in the fullness of time. Which of course provoked Mort to say that, to have a Renaissance, you have to go through the Dark Ages. After death there is resurrection and all that.
Well, that's true. For me, my 40's were the dark ages. But what is also true is that to truly embrace being 60, one has to acknowledge the "death" of certain things that simply are not going to happen. I am not going to be the first female Supreme Court justice (one of my early goals.) Not only have we had three, but I never did go to law school so it's a nonstarter. I also never did start my project of hiking the Appalachian Trail in segments. It's not that I COULDNT not start this project, but having hosted through-hikers this summer, I think it's a project best left to the young. I am content to hear their trail stories.....
So having said all that, we wish our friend Ellen a very happy 60th birthday tomorrow. Ellen is best known in some circles for two things: inventing the concept of "martyr points" as in "I have enough martyr points for a washer-dryer combination" and washing strawberries VERY THOROUGHLY in college (which necessitated rinsing them even MORE THOROUGHLY). Since that time she has distinguished herself in fields of endeavor too numerous to count.
For my part, I have decided that this decade will be dedicated to fomenting revolution in unlikely places and enjoying being part of the background of history....
So this of course obviously led to a discussion of what it's like to be a certain age. (Rebecca's dad turned s*x*y on November 29th....) My friend Erica opined that it was like a Renaissance. You could embark on a variety of new paths in life and experience them in the fullness of time. Which of course provoked Mort to say that, to have a Renaissance, you have to go through the Dark Ages. After death there is resurrection and all that.
Well, that's true. For me, my 40's were the dark ages. But what is also true is that to truly embrace being 60, one has to acknowledge the "death" of certain things that simply are not going to happen. I am not going to be the first female Supreme Court justice (one of my early goals.) Not only have we had three, but I never did go to law school so it's a nonstarter. I also never did start my project of hiking the Appalachian Trail in segments. It's not that I COULDNT not start this project, but having hosted through-hikers this summer, I think it's a project best left to the young. I am content to hear their trail stories.....
So having said all that, we wish our friend Ellen a very happy 60th birthday tomorrow. Ellen is best known in some circles for two things: inventing the concept of "martyr points" as in "I have enough martyr points for a washer-dryer combination" and washing strawberries VERY THOROUGHLY in college (which necessitated rinsing them even MORE THOROUGHLY). Since that time she has distinguished herself in fields of endeavor too numerous to count.
For my part, I have decided that this decade will be dedicated to fomenting revolution in unlikely places and enjoying being part of the background of history....
Monday, December 7, 2009
Well, I DID IT!
Yep. For real. Not practice anymore.
I am officially s*x*y.
So what, do you ask, does it FEEL like?
GOOD!
Because my new hobby is looking at other people who are around my age and realizing that I stack up pretty well. Not in the "beautiful" category but in the "gee, you sure don't LOOK s*x*y!" category.
One reason it is feeling pretty good is that my four children (two biological, other two married to the two biological) gave me a SMASHING bday party! Most of the people in the room had known me at least half my life. And they still showed up!
Now that (optimistically) I'm two-thirds of the way to the finish line of life, what do I plan to do with the next 30 years?
1. Hug my granddaughters
2. Visualize whirled peas
3. Eliminate teeth-grinding and other outward manifestations of stress
4. Be thankful for what I have (no materially but spiritually and emotionally...)
5. Be careful what I wish for
6. Stay hopeful
7. Love my family and friends
8. Try to make the world a better place
9. Keep checking things off on my "I've always wanted to...." list
10. Keep moving
We'll check back on this list from time to time. No promises.
I am officially s*x*y.
So what, do you ask, does it FEEL like?
GOOD!
Because my new hobby is looking at other people who are around my age and realizing that I stack up pretty well. Not in the "beautiful" category but in the "gee, you sure don't LOOK s*x*y!" category.
One reason it is feeling pretty good is that my four children (two biological, other two married to the two biological) gave me a SMASHING bday party! Most of the people in the room had known me at least half my life. And they still showed up!
Now that (optimistically) I'm two-thirds of the way to the finish line of life, what do I plan to do with the next 30 years?
1. Hug my granddaughters
2. Visualize whirled peas
3. Eliminate teeth-grinding and other outward manifestations of stress
4. Be thankful for what I have (no materially but spiritually and emotionally...)
5. Be careful what I wish for
6. Stay hopeful
7. Love my family and friends
8. Try to make the world a better place
9. Keep checking things off on my "I've always wanted to...." list
10. Keep moving
We'll check back on this list from time to time. No promises.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
OK, OK, OK (and I apologize if I've used this title before.....
My "constant reader" SEB has pointed out to me that it's been almost two months since I've posted to this blog.
I suppose one could say "there are reasons for that."
a. Once the autumnal equinox hits, you really don't want to have much to do with me...
b. "Open enrollment" for Medicare D ramps up about October 1st. How would YOU like to be 103 messages behind at work?
c. How many ways are there to rhyme "f*cking lazy....."
Anyhow here I am and especially given the fact that I'm NOT QUITE 60, you'll have to forgive me.
So, hot off the presses:
1. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (again....)
OK, so he forgot he was in Michigan instead of Ohio. Have you ever BEEN to Michigan or Ohio? Add in Indiana and they all look alike. Except for the Terminal Tower in Cleveland there are no "landmarks" to give you a sense of place. And he's 60 years old for gosh sakes. We should be glad he's still standing.....
2. JUMPING UP AND DOWN!
Did you hear that one of the BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR BONES is jumping up and down? Who knew? Forget all that weight lifting and swimming. Get a jump rope or better yet (in these recessionary times) just stand in place and JUMP UP AND DOWN! (Probably not wise on an empty stomach or full bladder, however. We are, after all, over 60....)
3. MEALS ON WHEELS!!!
I received my very first "senior" meal on wheel today. It is a tradition in my agency that when someone turns 60 (which officially makes one an "elder" under the Older Americans Act of 1965) the staff brings you a "home-delivered meal." We will talk about congregate meals in future posts but trust me, the best deal going is the manicotti in Berkshire County.....
4. MAMMOGRAMS
I'm not sure I agree with this new decision giving women between 40 and 50 a pass on mammography. I personally had a benign cyst removed at age 37.5. I have always been glad that I had an early baseline mammogram. If the healthcare system can't handle it, the heck with them!
5. AND I'M SURE YOU WON'T AGREE WITH ME.....
but as upset as I am about the abortion restrictions in the healthcare reform bill, I think we NEED TO PASS HEALTHCARE REFORM and then fix it later.....the devil is in the details and the perfect is the enemy of the good and I'm sure I could think up more cliches if it weren't so late.....
And so it goes.....
peace
I suppose one could say "there are reasons for that."
a. Once the autumnal equinox hits, you really don't want to have much to do with me...
b. "Open enrollment" for Medicare D ramps up about October 1st. How would YOU like to be 103 messages behind at work?
c. How many ways are there to rhyme "f*cking lazy....."
Anyhow here I am and especially given the fact that I'm NOT QUITE 60, you'll have to forgive me.
So, hot off the presses:
1. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (again....)
OK, so he forgot he was in Michigan instead of Ohio. Have you ever BEEN to Michigan or Ohio? Add in Indiana and they all look alike. Except for the Terminal Tower in Cleveland there are no "landmarks" to give you a sense of place. And he's 60 years old for gosh sakes. We should be glad he's still standing.....
2. JUMPING UP AND DOWN!
Did you hear that one of the BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR BONES is jumping up and down? Who knew? Forget all that weight lifting and swimming. Get a jump rope or better yet (in these recessionary times) just stand in place and JUMP UP AND DOWN! (Probably not wise on an empty stomach or full bladder, however. We are, after all, over 60....)
3. MEALS ON WHEELS!!!
I received my very first "senior" meal on wheel today. It is a tradition in my agency that when someone turns 60 (which officially makes one an "elder" under the Older Americans Act of 1965) the staff brings you a "home-delivered meal." We will talk about congregate meals in future posts but trust me, the best deal going is the manicotti in Berkshire County.....
4. MAMMOGRAMS
I'm not sure I agree with this new decision giving women between 40 and 50 a pass on mammography. I personally had a benign cyst removed at age 37.5. I have always been glad that I had an early baseline mammogram. If the healthcare system can't handle it, the heck with them!
5. AND I'M SURE YOU WON'T AGREE WITH ME.....
but as upset as I am about the abortion restrictions in the healthcare reform bill, I think we NEED TO PASS HEALTHCARE REFORM and then fix it later.....the devil is in the details and the perfect is the enemy of the good and I'm sure I could think up more cliches if it weren't so late.....
And so it goes.....
peace
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Who's the Boss?
Of course the big news in the world of demographics is that Bruce Springsteen is also my age. But this presents an interesting conundrum....
I have never BEEN to a Bruce Springsteen concert. Does this mean I am not representative of my generation? One of my friends, Becky, has probably been to over 100 concerts but she's a mere 50 plus....I have the feeling that by the time people were paying attention to Bruce I was the mother of at least one and perhaps two children and listening to "Free to Be You and Me" rather than rock 'n roll.
I do own an iPod however and have at least one if not two BS songs....does this count?
Unlike my friend Kay, who is the world's living authority on popular music, I stopped paying attention to what was going on about 1971. At that point we lived in Washington DC and there was a wonderful classical music station on AM radio which we listened to every morning on the way to work. I can tell you what was popular -- John Denver (and even I know that that is not rock music!) -- in 1974 because that was the year my husband and I took a three month trip around the country. That was also the summer of the Barbra Streisand/Robert Redford movie, the title of which now escapes me, and so they played the theme from that movie a lot too.
But once I stopped commuting to work all that came to a halt. And even though I went back to work, our town was so small that my job was literally down the street. So no long drives listening to the Boss, or heavy metal or rap or any of those other things that were going on.
I guess this is also where I should confess that I know nothing about the Grateful Dead, even though my husband's name sounds like one of the members of the group....
I really am out of it. Or was. Now that I'm almost 60 I'm on the cutting edge of social change. Just don't ask me who won the Grammys this year.
I have never BEEN to a Bruce Springsteen concert. Does this mean I am not representative of my generation? One of my friends, Becky, has probably been to over 100 concerts but she's a mere 50 plus....I have the feeling that by the time people were paying attention to Bruce I was the mother of at least one and perhaps two children and listening to "Free to Be You and Me" rather than rock 'n roll.
I do own an iPod however and have at least one if not two BS songs....does this count?
Unlike my friend Kay, who is the world's living authority on popular music, I stopped paying attention to what was going on about 1971. At that point we lived in Washington DC and there was a wonderful classical music station on AM radio which we listened to every morning on the way to work. I can tell you what was popular -- John Denver (and even I know that that is not rock music!) -- in 1974 because that was the year my husband and I took a three month trip around the country. That was also the summer of the Barbra Streisand/Robert Redford movie, the title of which now escapes me, and so they played the theme from that movie a lot too.
But once I stopped commuting to work all that came to a halt. And even though I went back to work, our town was so small that my job was literally down the street. So no long drives listening to the Boss, or heavy metal or rap or any of those other things that were going on.
I guess this is also where I should confess that I know nothing about the Grateful Dead, even though my husband's name sounds like one of the members of the group....
I really am out of it. Or was. Now that I'm almost 60 I'm on the cutting edge of social change. Just don't ask me who won the Grammys this year.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Scenic South Hadley....
was the setting for planning my 40th college reunion this weekend. WHAT? 40???? It feels like just yesterday when we arrived with our suitcases and walked up to the fourth floor of the dorm. It was one of the few times that men were allowed upstairs...just fathers and brothers carrying stuff!
Lots of the discussion this weekend was how things had changed for women beginning just about the time we went off to college in 1967. A woman was there from the Class of 1963 and talked about how the five years after her graduation had been a time of change and turmoil, and yet the day they had graduated they didn't have an inkling of what was to come. They had gone to college planning on looking for husbands....two decades later people were discussing "displaced homemakers."
But in addition to all the fun we had, the best part was hearing from older women that Turning S*x*y was, in fact, something to be looked forward to and savored. My friend Liz, with whom I was working, has become a vegan. She is totally committed to it and convinced that animal protein in one's diet can lead to bad stuff like cancer. I was intrigued....not sure I'm ready to become a vegetarian but I'm sure going to start Googling the "broccoli theory" which supposedly is the work of an MHC physician alumna in the same Class of '63. Who knew?
Lots of the discussion this weekend was how things had changed for women beginning just about the time we went off to college in 1967. A woman was there from the Class of 1963 and talked about how the five years after her graduation had been a time of change and turmoil, and yet the day they had graduated they didn't have an inkling of what was to come. They had gone to college planning on looking for husbands....two decades later people were discussing "displaced homemakers."
But in addition to all the fun we had, the best part was hearing from older women that Turning S*x*y was, in fact, something to be looked forward to and savored. My friend Liz, with whom I was working, has become a vegan. She is totally committed to it and convinced that animal protein in one's diet can lead to bad stuff like cancer. I was intrigued....not sure I'm ready to become a vegetarian but I'm sure going to start Googling the "broccoli theory" which supposedly is the work of an MHC physician alumna in the same Class of '63. Who knew?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
THIS NEWS JUST IN!
I always suspected that moderate drinking was "the way to belong." Thank God that has been confirmed by none other than The Paper of Record.... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/health/research/01aging.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=Aging&st=cse
I try to drink moderately every single day. As I sip my moderate drinks I chant my mantra, which is "my brain is not aging....my brain is not aging...."
Of course I am just about to leave on vacation. The rule on vacation is that the definition of "moderate" is slightly modified. Moderate means "not before noon if you can help it...." and "remember you don't know any of the neighbors so if you do something silly who cares?"
What you have to know is that when I get back from vacation I am in my BUSY SEASON at work, so any moderate drinking I do will not be for enjoyment but for restoration. So vacation is my last time to really be able to savor my moderation rather than crashing onto the couch and roaring "Give me a drink!" I've tried to train the dogs to mix a martini but so far my efforts are for naught.
There is also research that shows that your liver gets more effective after the age of 60 and can handle pretty much anything....well, most anything....and the additional gain is that we usually fall asleep before we can do too much damage.
Bottoms up!
I try to drink moderately every single day. As I sip my moderate drinks I chant my mantra, which is "my brain is not aging....my brain is not aging...."
Of course I am just about to leave on vacation. The rule on vacation is that the definition of "moderate" is slightly modified. Moderate means "not before noon if you can help it...." and "remember you don't know any of the neighbors so if you do something silly who cares?"
What you have to know is that when I get back from vacation I am in my BUSY SEASON at work, so any moderate drinking I do will not be for enjoyment but for restoration. So vacation is my last time to really be able to savor my moderation rather than crashing onto the couch and roaring "Give me a drink!" I've tried to train the dogs to mix a martini but so far my efforts are for naught.
There is also research that shows that your liver gets more effective after the age of 60 and can handle pretty much anything....well, most anything....and the additional gain is that we usually fall asleep before we can do too much damage.
Bottoms up!
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