Remembering

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Blog Mavens

My Meandering Mississippi
By Jerry Harris

The meandering Mississippi of my mind,
Flows southward, carrying with it,
A name of the person
My wife lunched with yesterday.
A small matter, to be sure.

My family keeps track of such things,
Perhaps posting them on a notepad somewhere,
Along with emergency numbers, grocery lists,
The date of my sister-in-law’s birthday party.
(Need I wear a suit?)

Whatever personal flotsam,
Has collected along the way,
It sails offshore from Natchez, Hannibal,
And Cape Girardeau,
Along with yachts, barges and dinghies.
(Perhaps my 2011 calendar will be found,
Inside a catfish filled with Chicago detritus.)

Are alarm bells ringing, or is it just a bother.
Folks say, “Oh, it happens to all of us.”
Shall I take up bridge?
Join the chess group in the park,
Do cross word puzzles or sudoku?

If it happens to all of us,
Then apologies to you.
These lines may lack gravitas,
Not to worry,

They sail for New Orleans in the morning.

Posted in Our bodies, our health, Poetry | Leave a comment

Trying to understand

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Blog Mavens

Phyllis, Age 70

I began my turn at 69 though I did not know it at the time it was happening. And for nearly 2 years now I have been browsing over my experiences living from childhood to now, trying to understand on a very deep level the choices I made, what I have done and how I got here. It is almost as if I am rebuilding my foundation. I began autobiographical writing, and then stories based on my experiences, started looking for my long lost meaningful friends. I became a self-published author and archived all my writings. That was hard enough but the hardest part was watching the women my own age timing themselves out and settling, while I feel I am just getting warmed up.

Suddenly I realized that I don’t fit into the society immediately around me, and I accept that as part of my new life path. I had to stop doing what no longer serves me and distance myself from the negative influences of those aging around me who are not optimistic, living out their same story, only talking about medications, doctors, pains and getting old. With those people out of my social life now I find myself wondering where my tribe is, who my people are. I spend a lot of time alone, writing, reading and loving it. It is better than the alternative of trying to relate to negativity and patronization about age. I look forward to what will be new and wonderful, what will move my heart and what will bring tears of joy to my eyes. I have no time for sorrow about getting older. I am merely doing it and trying to love it deeply as I go.

Posted in About turning 70, Looking ahead, Stories | Leave a comment

Feeling blessed and optimisitc

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Blog Mavens

Diana, Age 70

Some 70th birthday reflections

Well, the BIG DAY came, and went, last Friday 4/20/2012 and I believe I will declare it all good! I had spent the prior week near Austin, TX with my sister, first of all enjoying a lovely body-bending, mind-expanding gentle yoga retreat (the “lotus” of this birthday report), and then just relaxing and drifting through the Austin area and the green and lush Texas hill country. The spring wildflower display was glorious, with color splashing the roadsides and open fields. We explored the lovely Lady Bird Wildflower Center one morning, joined by countless butterflies who were also attracted to the dazzling color and variety of the display.

Returning on April 19th from Texas to late spring in the rocky Arizona desert, one of my April birthday gifts has been seeing the flowers on the huge saguaro cactus here at home. These plants are the iconic armed giants. Here’s what happens when they bloom: little marble-like buds begin to pop out of the top surfaces of the “head” and “arms” of saguaro, and then gorgeous white blossoms open for just a few days.

So-lotus, Texas Bluebonnets, Arizona cactus blossoms, I suppose I could tie it all up with metaphoric glee, but I prefer to leave it where I started: its all been good. And I feel blessed. And optimistic.

Posted in About turning 70, Gratitude and Spirituality, Stories | 1 Comment

Seeking companions in the arts

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Blog Mavens

Willa, Age 75

Excellent article in the Times Beacon Newspapers. I am a retired Antique Furniture Dealer, single for the past 23 years and looking for a group of women with like interestes, such as the Arts, Architecture, Antiques, News, stimulating conversation etc. I attended SUNY for years upon retiring, traveled some, got involved in Hospice Fund raising, volunteering @the Hosp. etc.

Posted in Stories | Leave a comment

HUMOR

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Blog Mavens

There are so many situations that make us smile, and so many life stories that make us laugh out loud, that we thought we ought to add a humor page to our blog.

We welcome contributions about the world as seen from our point of view, and about ourselves, as others seem to see us.

This morning’s Bizarro cartoon in the local newspaper, for example, had one woman saying to another…”Facebook is for kids, I’m on FaceLiftBook” It made me chuckle.

Maybe this thread will cheer up some of our readers who are feeling blue. Maybe it will make us all LOL.

Here we go!

Posted in HUMOR | 3 Comments

Purplelocks

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Blog Mavens

Eileen, Age 70

HE NOTICED

Just as I was going through menopause, at age 51, my hair seriously started to change color, from dark brown to a certain shade of grey particularly on the top of my head. I was desperate. I could not use permanent dye because I knew that I was allergic to some of the chemicals in the brown dyes. What to do? I decided to use semi-permanent dye, and I did so for about four years.

At one point my husband, Fred, used to help me with the process. Henceforth, to all who knew about his help, he was called “Mr. Fred.”

I was very happy with my new hair color, which at the beginning, resembled my real dark brown hair. But, over time, I began slowly, but not totally, to realize that the semi-permanent hair color I was using was doing strange things to my hair. This change in my hair color was brought home to me by an experience I will never forget.

One Saturday, I went with my husband and a few family members to see a show in New York City. I remember that I was wearing a two piece dress in a deep shade of purple. After the show was over, one of the actors came scurrying off the stage and came right up to me. I wondered why he was staring at me. Then he said with a big smile on his face, “I noticed you, while I was performing. You are such a hip woman. Do you always color your hair to match your outfit?”

I was not angry. The way he phrased it, did not make me feel foolish. Quite the contrary. I started to laugh. I responded, “I guess so.” I had not realized the extent to which the dye had oxidized my hair. My family and friends were also kind. They used to say to me that my hair would look so nice, if I only let it naturally turn grey and then white.

My hair went from salt and pepper to purple, and eventually to pewter. I love it. People stop me all the time to tell me how lucky I am to have such a beautiful color hair. As it was, when I was younger, it is my crowning glory!

Posted in Ageism anecdotes, HUMOR, Our bodies, our health, Stories | 1 Comment

Not a rosegarden

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Blog Mavens

Jenifer, Age 71

i have been divorced since age 49 have always been blessed with good looks. feel wasted years in bad marriage, but had 2 sons and a fear of being alone. my son decided to join the israeli army, and i planned to follow him. i did this and loved it. being in a different culture, i was shocked at the romantic side, couldn’t handle it. loving the country and fearful of transition to return to the uk, i stayed and bought a beautiful penthouse- age 69 [feeling very young]- uk property prices dropped. here was my chance. sold the penthouse, stayed with my kids in uk, bought a large apart, [fully decorated]. after 2 months, such lonliness! felt so cold [externally, and internally]. decided i would have to return to tel-aviv. couldn’t sell. economy in pound sterling. meanwhile, apartmts in tel-aviv rose 27% the pound sterling dropped to an historical low, so i decided to rent my apart in london, and live in 2 rooms in tel-aviv.

i ask myself now, does anything really matter? just wish my marriage could have been even bearable . i dont want to recognise my age. yes, i have grandchildren, and i love them, but this alone is not a life. turning 70 is frightening alone. wish i were richer. even phonecalls from friends are all health complaints. i try to think back to the fun years. for one who has always been good at maths, it hasn’t been a rosegarden. i am healthy, still look good,
but tell me there’s something more than this! PLEASE!

Posted in About turning 70, Financial Challenges, Stories | 1 Comment

What we’re reading

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Blog Mavens

As we explore all aspects of our lives in this eighth decade, we’re eagerly reading some of the many books and articles that are starting to proliferate on this topic, especially as as the mass of boomers marches forth.

We’d like to begin to describe some of that literature here, on our blog, and to engage you blogsters in conversations about it. We’d also love to hear what you’re reading on the subject, and what your thoughts and reactions are to those narratives.

Jane and Ellen

Posted in 70candles, What we're reading | 10 Comments

Restless at seventy

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Blog Mavens

Anonymous, Age 70

I just turned 70. Traumatic. Just reading the number 70 and what it means, thinking of all of the people I have been, of the people I have known, of the decades I lived through is sobering, frightening, a cup of ice water in the face. I lived my life as though there could be no end; falling in and out of love, living through each fad (beatnik, hippie, political activist), raising children, having the pleasure of knowing my three grandchildren, convincing my husband to move to Mexico with me, teaching English as a second language, contemplating an affair with a man 25 years younger. People are amazed by my life stories. I’m tired of telling them. I’m afraid of aging, of loosing the looks and the energetic personality I had. I’m embarrassed by my self absorbtion and the amount of money I spend on moisterizers. I’m ashamed when I read about women in my age group who are in poor health and just struggling to make ends meet. But that’s me. Who I am, for better or worse.

What is different for me at 70 is that I don’t have the energy or the passion to begin new projects or finish old ones. I feel that my life has been wasted on self indulgent pleasures, and I can’t figure out how get off that particular path. 70 is different, I feel it and see it– especially when I work with other ESL teachers who are in their 20’s and 30’s. I’m grateful to be alive, I get up early to see the sun rise, I read before I go to bed, I listen to music, I have friends. Maybe I want too much, but why do I feel so restless. Is there anything wrong in wanting more? I’m glad I stumbled on this site, these stories are wonderful to read. Bless us all.

Posted in Stories | Leave a comment

Thriving

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Blog Mavens

Diana, Turning 70

Just found your blog yesterday. Thanks so much–it’s almost eerie that it is just the forum I need to get my life review project rolling. “No coincidences” I suppose, even though it’s said too much, it surely applies in this case. Isn’t this an exciting, surprising, and wonder-filled time for us? I have embraced the concept of “thriving” and the whole positive psychology movement. (Can you tell I’m an educator/counselor?) I’ll try to write often as I am committed to do this personal work.

Thanks again!

Posted in Stories | 2 Comments