Sabbatical - Part Two

These last two months have also brought quite a few rainy days so in between the rain showers I have been using my mental powers with a lot of education programs and reading. There have been a few shows that had a sort of synchronicity for me; stories about longevity, retirement and continual education. Subjects that are in my wheel house; what satisfaction to have my thoughts endorsed and expanded upon. Listening to various experts and researchers spurred me into mental action and here is some of what I came up with.

Globally humans are living longer lives but society has not kept up with that reality. We are still being educated in the style of the 1880’s where we go to school, finish high school, some going on to college but once we are finally graduated the vast majority of people stop learning. Many (and embarrassingly more than there ought to be) never even open a book again! Initially when we go out into the work force we may get a little training in the job we are set to but after a few years the majority of employees are almost robotic in their style of work, regardless of being in an office environment, factory or in the ditches (so to speak). Even professional workers often get only minimal upgrades in their training or they simply go through the motions of reading the materials sent by their profession. I speak generally, of course.

Currently the model of life is based on three phases; childhood, working career and retirement at 65. Retirement used to mean that one had perhaps 10 good years left to enjoy retirement. Today many of us live to 85, 90 or beyond. So unless you have a good retirement income where one may travel or indulge in various pleasures and hobbies the retiree will be living a hand to mouth existence who may hve the option to become a Walmart greeter? Society is neglecting a whole group of people who are experienced, vital and still able and willing to contribute to society.

Society needs to make a shift in educating us from our childhood to embrace lifelong learning as part of our culture. Continual learning will prepare us for a longer life as well as the increasing risks of being put out to pasture earlier in our careers. A good example is the state of Alberta today where a large number of our workforce lived in the expectancy that oil would be king forever and jobs in that field (and its knock-off jobs that supported that industry) would be lucrative and plenty. Along came 2012 when the EU addressed energy efficiency and Oil Sands took their first major hit the following year; by 2015 with the Paris Accord things only got worse.

Looking back at yesteryear is good from a historical perspective but for a politician to hearken back to the good old days of industry (whatever it may be) is regressive. One needs to keep pace with the reality of the world and attempting to turn back the clock on things which are now proven to be poor for the earth is not a good approach. Politicians, journalists, educators and employers all need to be on board with The Future since the vast majority of The Public already believe in climate change and a changing world. 

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en 

https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/more-volatility-for-oil-sands-in-2013

https://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/oil-sands-bust/

 

 

Ageism - Are you Too Old?

It is very curious to hear someone tell you “you are too old”. First of all I thought it was against the law for a potential employer to use those words to an interviewee but even more amazing to me is that anyone would have the crass to say that to someone right to their face! Someone I know recently had that experience and I was absolutely incredulous. 
Here are some reasons why older people are amazing.

·         They have life experience as well as work experience that is varied. These people have lived and worked through an evolution of change not experienced since the industrial age began some 100 years ago.

·         They were raised in a time when work ethic was drilled into their heads which means they are punctual, work oriented, disciplined and loyal

·         They were also raised with values and principles which are lacking in many of the next generation

·         This is the generation that saw women enter, and stay, in the work force while raising a family

·         This is also the generation known as the “sandwich generation” where they are caring for their parents at the same time as they are caring for their adult children. They are keeping their families together.

Now some of these items may seem to be a negative but the fact is that they are towing a huge responsibility without complaining (much) and getting very little credit for it. Furthermore this is a generation that has inherited a lot of baggage from the previous generations and now they, along with their children, are the ones who are going to have to shoulder the responsibility to fix our planet in myriad ways. While many may have been ignorantly complicit in continuing pollution many also were the ones who quietly began recycling programs, reducing driving by taking buses, walking or bicycling, using reusable bags for groceries and other environmentally friendly initiatives.

Older people aren’t perfect but they sure are amazing and I for one have long been an advocate for hiring more mature people in the work place.

Ambulances

It is a frightful thing to discover blood in your stoma or elsewhere. Friday night I had a panic and after an hour of bleeding I thought I should call the ambulance which immediately set Mom off as she cannot take any sort of medical emergency without falling to pieces. I felt bad for her but I was more scared for myself so it had to be done. While I waited for the ambulance I called my brother to let him know what was happening (it was about 6 p.m.)  He was ready to come and get me or stay with Mom but I said no that he should wait until there was more news.

So I had set the family into agitation and I felt (and still feel) bad about that however I know they would not be happy if they were kept in the dark either.

I will say what I have said in the past, I am extremely grateful to be living in Alberta since the health care system is amazing and those who take care of us are so very, very kind. It took some time to get all the information collected, blood tests and viewing the situation and at last the senior doctor on call was in my room, took one quick look at my stoma and said that the bleeding was external, not internal (thank heavens) and they cauterized around it with silver nitrate. Let me tell you that it hurt quite a lot but I was brave. J J I only moaned once.

The EMS folks as always were professional, calming and kind. I am very grateful for all the help I received and I am grateful that “situation normal” is still at hand.

She's Gotta Bette Davis Eyes

I think Bette Davis had one of the greatest careers with her classic lines, my favorites being those from “All About Eve”, here’s a sampling

•“Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

•“I’ll admit I may have seen better days, but I’m still not to be had for the price of a cocktail, like a salted peanut.”

•“We’re all busy little bees, full of stings, making honey day and night. Aren’t we, honey?”

• “You’re not much of a bargain, you know. You’re conceited and thoughtless and messy.”

• “One career we all have in common, whether we like it or not, being a woman.”

• “Slow curtain, the end.” 

Others include: 

•“I’d like ta kiss ya, but I just washed ma hair.” – Cabin in the Cotton (I have used that frequently) 

•“I put on this white dress for you, to help me tell you how humbly I ask you to forgive me.” – Jezebel (this film was made especially for Bette after she lost out on the role of Scarlet O’Hara – it’s a dud in my view)

Bette Davis as an actress was very powerful but at the same time I find her movies quite dated and cheesy; I think she rather over acted in a lot of them (as did many actress in her era).  But she had grit both on film and in her personal life and I think she was a very tough and smart negotiator.

In comparison I think Maureen O’Hara was a more natural actress and I cannot think of any role outside of Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (she was very young) wherein she was not portraying a feisty woman. Two  very different icons but both worthy of being called an ICON.

Little Grasshopper

Do you remember “Kung Fu” with David Carradine and how his master calling him “Little Grasshopper”? My sister reminded me of it a little while ago when she told an anecdote wherein she called the person she was mentoring “Grasshopper”. It made me laugh and as I was reviewing my last few blogs I feel compelled to tell all my little grasshoppers that you are doing good. J

It is very healthy to make fun of one’s self and I am certainly grateful that not only do I have a good sense of humour about myself as well as others but my whole family is blessed with great senses of humour. Even when we get excited in our politics we can still make jokes and laugh at our passionate selves. My brother Peter gets so vehement that he turns on himself and confesses he could never run for politics because he can’t help saying nasty things! I reassure him and say that there is nothing wrong with saying nasty things if they are true, but maybe don’t call your audience stupid. J

You see, we can laugh.

Mom says she read in her blessed magazine that a person should laugh at least once a day. I am pretty sure we both do that, at least once! Now I wonder what the magazines says about a good argument?

To Continue on Retirement

As I was saying, before I so rudely interrupted myself, one should check-in on retirement plans and ensure that you are on track and not falling into a lethargy. For many it may be easy to keep from being bored by seeing or even babysitting grandchildren frequently. That can always keep one young at heart but don’t forget that those kids will be teenagers soon enough and then where are you? Dumped like a sack of potatoes! You need a back-up plan, one that has been honed even as you were enjoying the grandkids.

In case you forget here are the six pieces of the pie:

        I.            Financial (and I never get into giving advice– it’s a given)

      II.            Physical – both ensuring you check in with your doctor and that you are exercising   your body

    III.            Mental – using your brain with mental activity, reading, studying, doing puzzles, etc.

    IV.            Social – ensuring that you are mixing with other people, keep in touch with colleagues, friends and family. The onus is on YOU, always!

      V.            Hobbies/Activity – find things you are passionate about and excel at them.

    VI.            Spirit – don’t neglect your inner self, your soul. If you aren’t a church type person then look at doing meditation. Spend at least 15 minutes a day in quiet reflection. It’s so healthy for your overall wellbeing. Trust me – it is.

Most of what you can do in the last 5 categories can be done for free or with almost no expense. Dollarama has lots of things a person can do as a craft for a few dollars – even painting (you can get a canvas, pre-printed and with paints, for $4.00). Walking is free, yoga can be done with TV programs, you can get dumbbells at Walmart for under $5.00 if some weight bearing exercises. There are online courses (Open Yale is my favorite) but you can also go to university or college for free when you are a senior (you won’t get credits for it but do you need that?).

I also want to reiterate that yes, it is necessary to check in with yourself and make your retirement as meaningful and purposeful as the rest of your life. It doesn’t need to be stressful, it needs to be HAPPY.

And may you all be HAPPY.

Retirement 101 - again and again

I hate to be a drag but here I go again! Below I have set the link to my blog that is just on retirement (you can access it on the side panel of the blog scrolling down to subjects. First of all I want to give myself a pat on the back for writing such good stuff!  Second a wagging finger saying “even before you got sick you were not properly editing your writing” since I found errors throughout. Shame on me.

All that aside, I would remind my readers that as you get into your retirement do remember to give yourself mental check-ins on how you are doing with the 6 pieces of the pie. As I wrote about yesterday I have never been bored but I know that I am an exception to that phenomenon (I guess). Even when I was a kid if things got a bit stale I would say to my sister “I want an aaadventure” (yes, I dragged out the “a” in adventure) and Jeanette and I would then concoct some idiotic plan for an adventure.

The most momentous one was when we decided to follow the creek to its source (we already knew where it ended as we had followed it down to Lake Ontario even though we weren’t’ allowed to cross the Queen E (Hwy 1). Off we went crossing New Street (I think we went under it through a culvert if I am remember correctly) and on and on we walked through fields, the creek going down to a trickle. Then we ended up in a farm yard with a dog barking like mad. Jeanette had a pathological fear of dogs so it was time to turn around and go back. The dog got loose and Jeanette was running like a maniac, it was all I could do to keep up with her! That was one adventure that stayed between the two of us. Dad would likely have whipped us if he had known we had gone so far; I suspect we went at least 10 miles since we were gone for quite a long time.

The other crazy wish of my heart was to find a dead body. I had that wish for years (well into adulthood), courtesy of all the murder mysteries I read. I always added the proviso “but I don’t want to be a suspect”. I wanted, of course, to be Jessica Fletcher before she had even been invented; finding a body and solving the “case”. Ah the madness of youth!

Now I got myself a little distracted on the retirement theme but I will continue tomorrow!

https://sanne-grainofsalt.blogspot.com/search/label/Retirement

Anxiety

Oh dear oh dear! Another odd title but this one will make you laugh. I spent most of yesterday wracking my brain trying to come up with a topic to blog about. The result was a non-starter and so January already has a hole in its record. I will give up on trying to blog every day unless I have something meaningful to write about. Some days the creative juices just ain’t there!

Today I thought perhaps I could talk a bit about boredom because I think a great many people suffer from it and I find myself at a loss in understanding it. I don’t think I have ever been bored in my life! Even though I may not do a whole lot on a given day I find my brain is always active and I can always find something to occupy my brain if not my body. If I am not actually doing one of my hobbies I am thinking about them; such as trying to create in my mind a new style of cards, a painting or drawing, a blog or a journal entry. There are always books to look at, there is my Open Yale courses to listen to, and there are tons of documentaries and news journals to watch on TV. There is my blessed mother to talk to you, reminisce with and sometimes even argue with (friendly arguments, just so you don’t think I am a bully of elderly folks!). There is always something on my mind (is that a song?) J

If a person is bored even before they retire I shudder to think what their life will be like in retirement. So a word of caution – start finding something that you can be passionate about, and if you can find more than one thing even better! Don’t get scattered and distracted by too many things but find those you love the most and go for it! Don’t spend your time in the mall shopping with dollars you don’t have!

And that’s all I have to say about that (for now). J

Grief

I don’t mean to make this a painful subject but it is a subject that is rarely spoken about until there is a death or tragedy of some kind. Isn’t it better to talk about it in advance and give people some preparation for the process of grieving? 

My father was an over protective helicopter dad before that term had even been invented. When my grandmother (his mother) died while we were in Denmark visiting her he called his sister and ordered her to get us sent home before the funeral. Jeanette and I were very upset but being obedient daughters we went home as commanded and I believe both of us have sadness about not being able to say goodbye to Farmor. Dad instinctively just wanted to protect us, not understanding that it would have been better to create a ‘teachable moment’ as we call it today. We never experienced death close up until Dad’s passing (which was completely unexpected and a staggering blow to us all) and then a year later we lost our darling little niece in a tragic car accident. Stoic Danes that we are we soldiered on but it really was painful, unsettling and very difficult for us to navigate our emotions.

I am at the age where people start to “drop off” and it seems lame to continually say “I am sorry for your loss” or “my sympathies”. However it is not supposed to be about me or my awkwardness because the person suffering the loss of a loved one is most likely deaf to the actual words and simply accepts the associated comfort one is extending. At least that is my hope.

There are different levels of grief and different stages – not for me to discuss as they are on different sites if you care to examine them. But what I think is important is that people should discuss – in advance – the grieving process with their loved ones. I know I rather shocked my family when I lay in the hospital bed and they were all around me and I told them “you should prepare yourself for me dying sooner rather than later”. I saw Peter’s face and the blow that gave him but since then I believe he has come to terms with knowing that my time on earth is limited in a measured way. What I mean by that is that while we all know we have to go some time, some of us are given a heads up a lot sooner than we ever wanted to know.

As Mr. Monk says “it’s a blessing and a curse”. Like Evita I have told my family “don’t cry for me”. And every day I am still here, and not suffering, I am grateful and blessed by my family and friends. Living every day in Gratitude is so worth it.

Exercise, Fruit and Reading

Working on my three resolutions (yes I am about to tell all) is a bit of a challenge but that is why I thought they would be the best choice for those New Year’s Resolutions I was not going to tell you about.

The exercise has been the easiest, actually, which is a bit of a surprise for everyone I am sure. Getting fresh fruit is not easy with my living in the country and not able to run to the store every 2 days for fresh fruit. So we are trying canned and frozen fruits to stay on top of the plan.

The hardest thing I am facing (after 2 days) is the reading. Even though I have new glasses I find that I must take off the glasses in order to read which means keeping the book about 4 inches from my nose – not the most comfortable way to read. But even more challenging is finding that I lose interest quickly, my attention span is not what it used to be or else my choices are simply poor (which I find hard to believe after 55 years of earnest reading! It is true that books are generally not what they used to be; many books seem determined to create a trilogy out of a thought that really barely makes it as a novella (harsh but true judgment).

I persevere and also give myself a little slack; after all it’s only been 3 days! So how are you doing with your resolutions and are you allowing yourself to slip and then get back in the saddle? Be kind to yourself.

Jumpstart my Jumpstart

You’ll recall that last year I took a 90 day course in jumpstarting my thinking.  This year I have been reviewing the book and my notes and was pleasantly surprised to actually see positive results from that “course”.  In reviewing my notes I saw that I had put down as my overarching goal “a quality retirement”.  When discussing this with friends they asked “but what is quality”?  Immediately I said “continuing to learn and staying active in old age”.

I have been somewhat nervous in making the commitment to start up an apiary but since I had mulled it over for so long I was able to visualize going to the next step and now I feel confident that I have made the right decision for me.  Friends were concerned that I would be taking on a lot of work “in retirement” but my vision of my retirement is not to be sitting in a rocking chair while reminiscing.  I want to be doing and since I love gardening and the outdoors this is a natural fit for me.

Finding things that make you happy for many years to come is vital if a person is going to have that “quality retirement”.  Sometimes ideas will come to you that you never saw yourself doing 10, 15 or 20 years ago but learning to jumpstart aspects of your thinking is amazing.  This step I have taken is in the “possibility thinking” niche and it is quite exciting.

Have you done your jumpstart yet?

Me Time

Once upon a time I had an imagination that never stopped.  Wait a minute, “once upon a time”?  Am I saying that my imagination has stopped?  Have you ever had moments when you question the things you are thinking; I mean the things that seem to be fundamentally you?

I am not sure if it is old age, maturity, too much reading, too much thinking or what is making me question my fundamental self but it’s true, I have begun second guessing myself.  Me, moi, the one who IS.  Gasp!  I thought these queries ended once I stepped over the threshold of . . . 20?  30? 40? Let me guess, 50?  You jest, you quiz me but no, sadly I am not jesting.

I sit across from my 83 year old mother and espouse something, whatever.  I see a quizzical look on her face and I wonder “have I said something stupid?”  No, I couldn’t possible.  Then I wonder “have I said something opposite to what I said yesterday?”  No, I am sure I would remember.  Stop it, don’t be “Still Alice” in your head.  Even before that thought ends I wonder “am I going back on my fundamental self?”  There we go again, doubts, queries, uncertainty, holy cow Identity Crisis.

I ask you, have you ever wondered about yourself?

Impassioned, is that a crime?

Sometimes we can get emotional, impassioned, say hasty things, get excited.  You know, put your foot in your mouth.  I think it is a rare human being who hasn’t wished to unsay something or other.  The difference is when a person says something thoughtless without intending any harm and the person who deliberately says something vengeful and only regrets it when repercussions occur.  I think you know who I mean but let’s skip that.

I like it when a person is passionate about something even if I may not agree with that particular subject or opinion.  At least that person is interested in something.  It is much more frustrating for me to deal with someone who shrugs their shoulders, who barely nods in a conversation and generally doesn’t open their mouth to give an opinion.  Tongue tied I can understand but sitting on a fence year after year on any topic that could be broached is beyond me.  I don’t understand people like that.  What are you afraid of?  Once you are an adult, you are allowed to speak up and who’s going to slap you?  In all my years of social interaction I have never since an instance of anyone being physically slapped down for opening their mouth (granted I have never really been in a bar or seen a bar fight).  Civilized people don’t hit other people.  So what are you afraid of?  Sounding stupid?  Who doesn’t sound stupid on occasion – we may not say anything but we all think it about such and so when they’ve said this or that.  But who are we to judge? 

People need to let go of their fears and they also need to stop judging those who say or do.  At least those people are not afraid of speaking up, doing something, letting things go and getting things done.

And tomorrow I am going to talk about Hillary Clinton.  Get ready.           

Bars to Longevity

All my enthusiasm for the magazine last week was intact even as I battled a leaking roof during our roofing renovations.  Then the worst happened, high drama between two roosters as they each felt they knew what was what.  Me in the middle trying to preach respect, moderation and understanding. 

 

And then I had to go to the doctor for my prescription renewal.  And the nurse had to take my blood pressure twice because the first recording was not very good.  I had to smile.  This is the second time the doctor has had to record high blood pressure due to confrontations with brothers.  He must think we are the Hatfields & McCoys!  However while we can quarrel in the heat of the moment we can also laugh at ourselves.  We have a strong sense of humour in our family and we all know that laughter is the best medicine.

Once you start seeing “longevity” it is surprising how many articles crop up in the same month; is this a conspiracy?  I found mention of “Blue Zones” in the O magazine as well as articles on living longer.  I discovered an article in a recent Metro newspaper and not surprisingly there was an article in the Woman’s Day magazine last week.

So what have I done to implement the lessons learned in the article?  A lot more walking which included pulling weeds in my “back 40”, piling them at one corner of the garden and walking back & forth as I worked.  I pulled out my lesson books to continue studying before the Labour Day weekend and I worked on more crossword puzzles.  Just baby steps as the cooking won’t change until after harvest when I step back into the kitchen on alternate days.  This will also relieve my mother of the stress of making the decision about what to make each day (beside NOT cooking).  This will be somewhat of a challenge as she normally doesn’t like how I cook meat and she doesn’t like vegetables but we shall make the attempt.

I have some other plans for September but until I actually implement them I will not give myself the stress of declaring them here.  After all, too much pressure isn’t good for the blood pressure.

(pictures are of my other brothers clowning around and Mom & I having a laugh)

Longevity & Blue Zones

Imagine my excitement when I saw the recent special issue of National Geographic about Blue Zones and how to live a long and happy life.  I encourage everyone to get a copy of this magazine if you are interested in an amazing lifestyle.  I read it through in one sitting and feel so inspired that I handed it over to Mom so she could get excited about new ways of cooking.  Yes, I have hopes of teaching an old dog new tricks.  One positive thing about my mother is that she always gets on board with my goal setting for my long life.  She may not be so interested for herself but she knows this has been a life long goal of mine.  People always look at me as though I am really nuts when I say “I’d like to live to 116”.  116?  Yep.

In the bits of retirement coaching they recommend 6 pieces in a pie, Financial, Physical, Health, Social, Hobbies and Spirit.  In the Blue Zones they have broken it down a little more, into 9 parts of a pyramid.  The two styles have all the same components but the Blue Zones is a little more in-depth in breaking down social and eating habits. 

1.       Movement – constant movement

2.       Purpose “why I wake up in the morning” – hobbies, passion, adventure, the sky’s the limit

3.       Downshift – to shed stress prayer, naps, happy hour, reverence

4.       80% rule – eat only until you are 80% full

5.       Plant slant – more vegetarian based diet that includes beans

6.       Wine – yes, those who drink moderately (1-2 glass of wine a day) live longer than teetotalers

7.       Right tribe – social circles support healthy behaviors.  A moais is a group of 5 friends who are committed to each other for life!  (how cool is that?)

8.       Community – attending faith based services 4 times a month can add years to one’s life!

9.       Loved ones first – successful centenarians put family first.

What I found additionally exciting is that there are a number of communities in the United States and elsewhere in the world that have taken on commitments to the Blue Zones lifestyle with excellent success.  Dan Buettner is the author of this issue who has also written several books on the topic – I am going to get my hands on these books!

Anything worthwhile must start with yourself buying into the idea, working the idea and feeling very passionate about all aspects.  We cannot cherry pick what we like if we are going to live to 100 and beyond.  We need to commit most importantly to healthy eating but improving our social commitments is a very close second.  I’m definitely in.  What do you think?

 

 

Falling Down and Getting Up

This week seems to be a theme of learning about one’s self.  In the few years that I have been blogging I find myself coming back to several topics time and again.  I get passionate about politics, enraged at injustice, introspective when I’ve read something meaningful, laugh at myself when I do something ridiculous and take delight in the absurdity of Mother Nature’s finest.  I love to lecture on quality life, and quality retirement and quality this and that. 

Or rather, I love to lecture.

So I take to heart when I am criticized, or more gently, critiqued, for writing repetitiously or dully or boringly.  But I’m living in the country with a small social circle and aliens don’t land in my backyard every day.   I can only write about what tinkers around in my mind, what revelations occur as I watch the news, read the papers, listen to the radio, observe life or muse over philosophies that have gone awry.

The other day my mother asked me “what are you getting out of reading the Bible” and I turned to her and said “what are you getting out of reading Familie Journalen 40 times”?  What we both get out of reading is knowledge and whether we put it to use or not us up to us.  What we get out of talking about it is a big laugh.

C’est la vie.

90 Days of Thinking

I’ve finished the 90 days of thinking about thinking and I can still think, surprise, surprise. 

All kidding aside I have found the exercises valuable and effective.  “Jumpstart Your Thinking” started out with 21 days of preparing one for various ways of looking at thinking, work spaces, booklets and so forth.  Then the balance of days looked at various types of thinking all of which were listed on Day 5.  Big-picture, Focused, Creative, Realisitic, Strategic, Possibility, Reflective, Uncommon, Shared, Unselfish and Bottom-line thinking were building blocks on how to create and execute goals both personal and professional.  Sometimes I had to put myself on pause to really think through an exercise because I had to shift myself from a work based mindset to a personal goal mindset.

It was interesting to notice that the ideas in this book aligned frequently with the meditations I was doing at the same time.  My mother asked me the other day “do you think it is helping you in any way?” and I replied by saying “have I suggested the silver bullet lately?” which made her laugh.  She wondered why I was working at changing my thinking but when I started to explain she was precariously close to echoing her mother-in-law’s sentiment “I don’t want to bother my head with that” but she knew that would set me off big time.  I am always encouraging her to think outside the box and stop reading the same old magazines and books.  While there is nothing wrong with comfort reading I do think it is very bad for the mind to constantly go back over the same old ground.

I will echo the words of John C. Maxwell, the most vital type of thinking is most definitely positive thinking; if you can do that all the other types will easily fall into place.

2016 First Quarterly Review

I cannot believe we are more than a quarter of the way through the year and my first thought as I write this statement is “oh no, I am not having a quality retirement because time is going to fast”.  Then a big breath and I use my meditation teachings “cut yourself some slack” and don’t panic.  Then I look at my blog listings, only 35 posts in 90+ days which seems deplorable.  Then I think, yes but aren’t you working on quality rather than quantity? 

On this small scale one can see how a person, family, business and so on can get into a vicious cycle of self blame and anxiety over not producing what one feels should be produced.  Then I hope that my poor Henriettas don’t understand a word I tell them when I go “produce, produce, produce”  or “production or the Colonel?” or “the competition has arrived, production is a priority”.  Since they continue pecking at grass and chase little bugs and feathers I believe they do not pay any attention to me except when I bring out the big red bowl (filled with bird seed).  Then I have their undivided attention and beware foot trippers!

Until I retired I honestly did not feel that I was putting very much pressure on myself but at lunch this past Sunday my girlfriends listened to me talk about the “Jumpstart Your thinking” book and when I told them I had purchased an appointment book so I could log my daily, weekly and monthly accomplishments they looked me in the eye and said “Sue, that’s a problem”.  I blushed but secretly I thought “I’m still going to do it”. 

But on the other hand I have done some really cool stuff over the past few months such as attending seminars on bee keeping, a mini workshop on writing, creating 2 archival scrapbooks of the family, completed a university course, read a pile of books, went on a bee keeping mission and today I started raising my second brood of chicks.  Not earth shattering stuff but it was all fun and rewarding and at all times I felt fully engaged in the task at hand.  And with all the built in fear of senility I think that is not bad for one pre-senior. 

Can we think up a cool word for that?  Pres?  Prez?  PreeCee?

 

Can An Aunt Be Jealous?

Did I say that out loud?  I made the decision last year to take two years out of my travel plans in order to concentrate on my sustainable farm.  I have exciting things on the agenda but every day or so I get a tweet, a Facebook note or a hideously descriptive blog about my nephew’s travel adventures overseas.  I say hideously descriptive because I find myself living vicariously through his writings of exotic and colourful places.

For someone who is supposed to be teaching a high level curriculum at a high end school I jealously question “just how many days to you teach”?  It takes some time to get it through my head that so many “foreign” countries are a mere hop, skip and jump away from Dubai and so it is easy to take a long weekend in Beirut, Oman, Lebanon and even Italy.  Okay, I say sulkily, fine.  Have fun, begrudgingly.

In truth I am very happy that he has the opportunity to experience the sights and people of various nations since otherwise our exposure is far too Americanized.  There is no 2 ways about it, Canada is an extremely young country, particularly the west which is barely 100 years old.  To be confronted with 2,000 plus years of history right in-your-face is almost mind boggling.  Imagine seeing the architecture, sculpture and art of beloved Renaissance masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.  Imagine walking along streets where the saints may have walked, where Greeks and Romans sang and drank and died.

Travel is an eye opener for anyone who really cares to look and wonder instead of just feeling in the moment (although there isn’t anything wrong with that either as there is almost nothing better than laying on a beach hearing the sound of warm water rippling in from the sea).  Hearing the stories of people from other countries is also very rewarding whether their perspective is biased or not, it is someone else’s.  Asking questions is a wonderful gift to have and our Junior has this in spades.  Then we get to live through his experiences via his travel blog.  It’s the next best thing to being there . . . I guess. 

Jumpstarting My Thinking

Oh dear even typing down that title has me in palpitations.  That’s correct, my thinking is causing me to be disturbed.  Alright I can hear the sarcasm from my readers, “wasn’t she always disturbed”?

All kidding aside, I have been diligently reading (and thinking) using Maxwell’s little book of suggestions “Jumpstart Your Thinking” but some of the exercises are very daunting. For instance “. . . how does changing your beliefs about the ongoing obstacle to your progress change your expectations regarding it . . .”  I am having to rack my brain to change my mindset from “work related” obstacles to something that aligns with my current life.  So I feel like I am having to do a double-wammy in thinking and naturally one wonders, should that be a problem?  After all, you want to change your thinking, or rather, improve your thinking.

These exercises are serious and remind me to some extent on how I felt about goal setting.  And yet I like the challenge even though I feel that I may be failing in the tasks.  I don’t want to take shortcuts and I have to fight against taking them because Thinking is Hard.  I used to say that scornfully when someone would whine about this or that, feeling very superior in my own ability to think.  Thinking is one thing, but changing a mindset that you have believed was superior is very hard indeed.  First of all you have to come clean with yourself in acknowledging that some of your thinking has limited you in “success”.  You have to evaluate what you mean by success, where you want to go at this stage of your life and you have to look beyond the grave. 

Beyond the grave?  What I mean is that at this time of your life you have to look at the Future as being a future and not as though you are one step away from going to the grave.  You have to look at what you want out of the next 30 or 40 years of your life as being Possible.  So in that regard, I have recognized that I have been talking the talk but I have only been partially believing that it is so.  I can, and I will, have a wonderful, fulfilling life ahead of me.

A week ago I had recommended this book having only just skimmed through some pages but today I give you fair warning, when using this book you will truly have to do some real thinking.  Thinking about thinking, analyzing past thinking and acknowledging that change is needed, can happen and is worthwhile to happen!  So my friends, go for it.  It can be profoundly life changing even for Zoomers, Boomers and Seniors!