I’m talking about Actively Senior. I knew the domain was due to expire in June, but did not receive my email from the server so decided to check.

Sure enough, it expired two days ago and I was locked out of the site. What a strange, AWFUL feeling that was! Worst of it was that it was all my own fault.

Well, I hastened online to the GoDaddy site and tried to make sense of it so I could renew the domain. Only problem was I couldn’t remember my account login information so I couldn’t log in. I fussed and tried and got nowhere.

So today I just picked up the phone, called their service personnel, got Jared and he fixed me up in ten minutes. Not only was he a great cust rep, but I was soooo relieved.

So here I am again, folks. I’m like a bad penny, I keep turning up. I’m amazed at the number of people who are still finding this site, reading in it, and getting inspiration from it. This really encourages me to do more with it and except for planning a move back to town, maybe things will settle down a bit and I can fulfill my responsibilities here.

You can’t keep a stubborn old Dutch lady down, can you?

The American government and many citizens tremble at the thought of  “seniority” coming to baby boomers who originally appeared on the world stage after WWII. As the former military personnel came home to  assume their peacetime identities, there seemed to be a concerted effort to make up for lost time. Tteir effort resulted in the Baby Boom; which may have included replacing the multitudes of American men and women who lost their lives in the war,

Baby boomer is a North American-English term to describe a person born between 1946 and 1965.^[1][2] Following World War II, these countries experienced an unusual spike in birth rates, a phenomenon commonly known as the baby boom. (SeeWikipedia, Baby Boom)

Many of us here don’t actually fit the ‘boomer’ generation, having been born earlier. I personally missed it by about 5-10 years. But the effects of the boom will definitely be felt by us as increasing demands are placed upon governmental programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

That is a topic for another blog.   The area I would like to discuss is the effects of seniority/retirement of the baby boomers to positively affect the American culture.   Since many of this generation experienced and participated in the 50’s and 60’s,  their upbringing was very different from ours.  The cultural revolution during the 50’s and 60’s changed North American society completely.

Better educated, more world wise, with a higher sense of gender and racial issues, these boomers will play an increasingly important role in government, politics, education, social programs, economics.

We can see this today in the presidential primaries, where a woman and a black man are battling for nomination on the Democratic side.   After all, when John Kennedy was elected president it was considered revolutionary that a Catholic got the nod.   Now gender and race are being eliminated as blocks to the White House.   The Republican candidate is 72 years old; he has crossed the previous age barrier.

Many of those working and voting in these campaigns are in their late 40’s through their 50’s.  Are they impatient with the current state of malaise in our society?   Whatever the case may be, our country is ready for change and these emerging baby boomers will be a very large part of it.

It will be interesting for us more elderly retirees to view just what occurs when the Boomers take center stage in  the United States.

Thought I’d post this. Not mine but something I remembered about Mr. Common SenseMr. Sense had been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn’t always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn) and reliable Parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student; but, could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge financial settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on; if not, join the majority and do nothing….

1. Try everything twice. On Madam’s tombstone (of Whelan’s and Madam) she said she wanted this epitaph: Tried everything twice…loved it both times!

2. Keep only cheerful friends.
The grouches pull you down. (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches;)

3. Keep learning:Â Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time.

I normally do not purchase items online, but I recently had an experience with an Ebay seller that warmed the cockles of my heart.

I ordered a Relaxo-bak seat on the recommendation of a friend who had purchased his at the chiropractor’s office for more money than was charged on Ebay. So I ordered it from the Ebay seller. I then proceeded to sign in to PayPal… a real challenge in itself. For reasons I discovered later I had several problems with opening an account and it took several days.

I did email the seller and she responded quickly, telling me not to worry, she had it ready to go as soon as the problems were resolved. She also told me this was not an uncommon situation, but once it was handled PayPal was a great tool for money transactions on line.

To make a long story short, we struck up an internet email conversation and I discovered a new friend. I had mentioned Actively Senior to her and she requested the url to it. Once she came in and read it, she made a few choice comments:

Hi, Beverly!!! Thank you so much for emailing me with the info on your Seniors Blog. I LOVE IT!!! Honestly…I really do!! Very informative as well as really neat & funny stories!!! THANKS!

Not only that but, since she’s a bit shy of senior years, she showed the site to her mother who said she also enjoyed it and was bookmarking AS.

I think the point here is the internet is a wonderful place to meet new people, make new contacts and friends, and expand our world vision. That being said, I am giving you the url for this very lovely lady who sells items designed especially for people who have met good old ‘Arthur’ (arthritis) and need help with aches and pains.

The link has been added to the column on the right under the Business Category.
I hope you’ll check Stacey and her products out because she is truly a delightful person and gives great service.

My son sent me this. It was started by a blogger who asked all bloggers to volunteer to write a tribute to one victim of the 9/11 murders. Result: 3,173 people will honor the memories of those killed. Be patient… the tributes will not be posted untill 9/11, but many preparations are being made.

This is truly awe inspiring. When you open the main page you will find links to each tribute. If you right click on the tribute you want, it will open in a new window and you can go back and forth to read each one you have time for.

Please take time to check out at least a few, as each volunteer was responsible for researching the life of the individual chosen. One of the volunteers has already been called by the daughter of the man whose name she chose.

http://www.dcroe.com/2996/?page_id=2

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, he was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let him know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body . the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don’t agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I’ve aged, I’ve become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend. I don’t chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn’t need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or
play on the computer until 4 a.m, and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50’s,and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love … I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten … and I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say “no,” and mean it. I can say “yes.” and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself anymore. I’ve even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day.

Author Unknown

This thread will consist of posts and comments from individuals dealing with life in the Senior World of 2006.

Any contributions to be made should be done only with respect for one another, please.

Not all of us will agree with posts and comments herein, but the right to say what we think is a privilege we all cherish.

So please let us hear your comments and thoughts on any area of senior life in 2006.

Bev B

What a country………

5 million of our older Americans have not signed up yet for their Medicare, Part D, drug plan——they are old and confused. We are not going to grant them an extension.

However, 12 million illegal aliens are in our country and we are going to allow them to stay, protest, procreate, receive support monies, attend schools, avoid paying income taxes, have our teachers take 300 hours of ESL (English as a Second Language) training at our expense, etc.

WE MUST REALLY DISLIKE OUR OLD PEOPLE……OR WE MUST REALLY LOVE TACOS!!!