Time To Go
It’s been a full life but it’s time to go.
My legacy is the successful raising of
Three sons who are now strong men.
In terms of worldly possessions I have none
of consequence. No diamond jewelry, no stocks
or bonds. No hidden treasures for them to find.
My body hurts, chronic diseases weigh me down.
Though my mind is still strong it too will go.
So I say farewell to life as I knew it. I look forward
To my new life with God. Thank you Jesus.
It is amazing to watch the Olympics. I marvel at the energy, physical ability and spirit of all the participants.
It doesn’t matter which sport I’m watching, I see the same thing… a personal dream, struggle, conditioning, sacrifice, possible injury, proper diet, belief in self . Coaches and family are vital as supports for the athlete.
In the cross country today, the racers crossed the finish line and collapsed in the snow because of the extreme physical exertion. Yet they are so beautifully conditioned they were back on their feet and ready to go again in minutes.
When I am busy/tired enough to lay down - I’m through for the day. Major shopping does me in for the rest of the day and night.
Now that I have crossed over from action to watcher I do have a couple of observations . The main one is wondering what these superb athletes are doing to their joints, bones and muscles. At the ages they are now, all it takes is rest, massage, sauna or jacuzzi to allay pain and problems. But what about when they are 65, 75 or 80? How will they feel then?
I ask this not to be petty or jealous. It is just because I used to play competitive tennis and was active in swimming as both swimmer and teacher. I can’t say what caused it but I have plenty of aches and pains. My arthritis is very bad (joints), also neuropathy (nerves). I have a knee that needs replacing (cartilage and bones). Yet I was not in sports that stressed my body the way many of these winter sports do.
How much of these problems are due to previous physical activity and how much due to aging? Good question for which I have no answer. But when I look at these superb athletes I can’t help wondering if they too are bringing pain into their future.
It’s funny how looking forward we never see some things. And looking back we wonder why we didn’t see them before. I think that falls into the “that’s life” category.
I don’t want to get too political but as part of my update, I have had to notice the Tea Party Convention going on this weekend. I hope it is a group of activists here who sincerely want what is best for the US.
It is not necessary for us to have a third party if we have active people all across the country who will help us get the old politicos out and get fresh, idealistic blood i the Congress. We’ll see what happens.
The weather is certainly attracting attention everywhere. The plains, the East and coastline are getting record snowfalls and wind gusts are raising record drifts. A friend in Indiana who lives in a rural area said some cars are buried in drifts so high that they can’t be seen. Then when the really big snowplows come along they push the car into the ditch with the snow. Strange global warming, isn’t it?
Then again, Vancouver is having to import snow for the Olympics; seems they have had such a mild winter they are fresh out of snow and ice. A friend there says spring flowers are beginning to grow!
Interesting but strange world we live in, isn’t it?
’Tis that time again, when I’m both GLAD and SAD:
GLAD that I’m here to celebrate another birthday;
SAD that another year adds to the growing pile.
Truly, GLAD outweighs the SAD designation. It is a time to reflect, to remember, to weigh accomplishments and recall joys of the past.
Now that would be one long post, so I will deal only with remembering (memories). Of course memories also begin in the present, so:
Yesterday for the first time I wore a blond wig that my son told me looked Marilyn Monroeish (not me, the wig). I thought I looked like Blondie from Dagwood and Blondie. Remember them? I got the wig from my dear friend Cheers (of whom I wrote earlier ). She is now deceased, but years ago when I visited her she offered it to me and I refused. So she put it in my suitcase and I found it when I got home. Little did we know that she would soon be diagnosed with cancer and might need it herself.
My memories of Cheers are so special; I treasure and laugh at each one of them.
Those memories took me to Justin of Australia, Cheers’ dear friend who became mine as well. We made plans to visit him when we got rich, until then we communicated with him regularly by telephone and email. He had set up the technical part of The Seniors Playground with Cheers and carried it for her on his Broad Band until he passed away. Another treasured memory of one I still miss. He had a beard like Moses and Cheers always said she wanted to run her fingers through it! Her Playground is still active under its present owner, Snowlady. I have formed close ties with many people on there.
Cheers and Justin led me to another website where I met Denis in Ukraine as well as Andy, an Englishman now living in Japan. Andy is the one who set this site up for me and I consider him a mentor and friend - even if he is 25 years younger than me.
When a person has lived as long as we have, the memories can go on endlessly. Memories which include who and what we were. Now we must not lose sight of who and what we are:
Once I was young, naive, hopeful. Red hair flashing
in sunlight; big smile lighting freckled face.
Now suddenly I’m old…red hair faded. Wrinkles and lumps
where trim young flesh once existed. But I’m still here!
I am the same person, just wiser, more experienced,
“mature”. My body got older but my heart did not!
Dreams still reside in a future unknown; hope rests within
my breast foreshadowing new experiences, new places, new ideas.
If so, why do I feel out of place…am I truly an anachronism in
youth’s new day? A fossil buried in senior flesh?
No! I have children, grandchildren, friends and new interests .
Life is not over, it is merely slower and follows a different path.
Be patient and grateful my soul, for each new day, for beauty all around,
for the many blessings of a young life lived in an old body.
~An old body which still has many days and miles to go.~
I Believe…
Just because two people argue,
Doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.
And just because they don’t argue,
Doesn’t mean they do love each other.
I Believe…
We don’t have to change friends if
we understand friends change.
I Believe…
No matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while,
and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe….
True friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I Believe….
You can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I Believe…
It’s taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I Believe…
You should always leave loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.
I Believe..
You can keep going long after you think you can’t.
I Believe…
We are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.
I Believe…
Either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe…
Heroes are the people who do what has to be done,
when it needs to be done,
regardless of consequences.
I Believe..
Money is a lousy way of keeping score..
I Believe…
My best friend and I can do anything or nothing,
And have the best time.
I Believe…
Sometimes the people you expect to kick you
when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe…
Sometimes when I’m angry,
I have the right to be angry,
But that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe…
Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had,
and what you’ve learned from them,
and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
I Believe…
It isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others;
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I Believe…
No matter how bad your heart is broken,
The world doesn’t stop for your grief.
I Believe….
Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
But we are responsible for whom we become.
I Believe…
You shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.
I Believe….
Two people can look at the exact same thing
and see something totally different.
I Believe…
Your life can be changed in a matter of hours
by people who don’t even know you.
I Believe…
Even when you think you have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you–
you will find the strength to help.
I Believe…
Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I Believe…
The people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I believe…
The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most of anything.
“I Believe” Music Video by Frankie Laine
http://www.berm.co.nz/cgi-bin/video/play.cgi?–j7wvtOi1s
Remember the pictures they used to show of Baby New Year being greeted by Ancient Old Year?
I thought you would.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the past is gone and not to be retrieved, and the future is nothing to worry about. The present is the gift we have today and it is to be treasured and cherished, for we may not have tomorrow.
Seems as if so many people are worrying about the economy, finances, success or failure, the future of the dollar. Even the future of the USA ’cause the rest of the world seems to be catching up to us.
Well, shoot, time is of the essence and the essence can be sweet or sour, depending upon how you perceive it. No, I’m not losing it, or talking nonsense. I have just decided that instead of thinking about all the horrible things that can and may or surely might happen, I’ll just stick my head in the sand like everyone else and not worry about anything.
The great thing about the past is that you can retrieve the happy parts while blocking the unhappy parts. I mean, why cry about something you can’t change? Acceptance is the only way to go.
The great thing about the present is you can decide what you will do with it. You can work, play, sleep, study, watch tv, sit and think, or communicate with friends. By the way, have you joined the social networking craze? By that I mean Twitter (been tweeting lately?) or Facebook (picturing your phace for all to see?)
Misspelling deliberate
Confirming that, I sent an invitation to a friend in Canada to join me on Facebook and the invitation was accompanied by pictures of many of her relatives. She couldn’t understand how Facebook could know those folk belonged to her. She responded to me and said it was “one of life’s little mysteries” how those pictures got there. I replied it is downright scary.
That is another thing about the future. Between hackers, the government plus technological advances, I’m concerned there will be no such thing as ‘private’ information. (Yes, despite my claim to ignoring, I am concerned about future happenings.) Actually, as a senior I have an advantage there. I can die and avoid it all. (Just kidding.) Plus, we have so many “experts” predicting things one never knows what to think. Heard today we will have 30 years of icy weather instead of the warming predicted. Just to cover their bets though, they are saying it is all a part of Global Warming. HUH??
I’ll close with this little bit of philosophy:
Senior moments (forgetting something temporarily) are fine!
CRA (can’t remember anything) is bad.
HAPPY 2010
The Gubester
“Much of what you wrote was indeed food for thought. I retired whan I was 48 years of age and looking back I can say that had I not have been able to do so I probably would not be alive today.
“I was self employed and active in the affairs of the city suffering a heart attack at age 46 in my second term as mayor.
“Being fortunate enough to sell my business while I was still young and leave the “rat” race of life added years to my longevity.
“True, the ravages of time have attacked me to some degree in these so called golden years but there are many that are not given the privilege of reaching them.
“Your very last paragraph sums it up very nicely and I quote:
‘My suggestion is to sit back, relax, think about all the wonderful things you have done, all the more wonderful things you would like to do, and enjoy life however it comes. That is what I have done and guess what? It’s worth it!’ ” Gube, Expectations, Actively Senior, August, 2009.”
The gentleman who wrote this was a good friend from the Seniors Playground (See Link) . He was a very creative writer and wrote a column called Musings in his local paper. He has also contributed to the Creative Writing Category here.
Gube is now deceased because of his heart problems. We were very sorry to lose him as he was a venerable old gent who never disappointed us. The numbers grow smaller as time wears on. But I do not grieve long for my former friends because in most cases the end was a blessing due to illness, loss of loved ones and lack of proper health care. Oh oh I can hear you muttering, “Here she goes again.”
Not really. This is not intended to be a downer article nor is it a political article. It is an update of who and where I am currently. You see, my finances have slipped into the Never Neverland range. I am seeking ways to resurrect them to a living level. I raised three children alone and my finances were not this bad.
Currently I am studying a course on the internet that I hope will benefit me big time as I get more comfortable with it. It will require much of my work experience, including the Mortgage Loan work, the Title Company work, and the Legal Assistant work over the last 50 years. It is wonderful to find at-home work on the internet that closely matches my qualifications. I can’t wait until I receive that first big bundle of money. 
Along with that I have another website called Big Money with Bevb set up by my mentor Andy, who got me started here at Actively. He’s a great friend and helper but I misunderstood the provisions of this website. It is based on the Lottery in England and I now know we Americans cannot bet on the lottery in England. The idea behind the website is great and if I lived somewhere else I could probably do very well with it. Andy is an Englishman living in Japan and prospering on his internet earnings. I’m lucky to have him as a friend and mentor.
Then there is Actively Senior, which has slumped since its inception. In the beginning I was traveling all over, locating senior activities, taking many pictures for our photo album. It was really fun because I found many creative ways to add to it. But then we lost the photo album to hackers about the same time I started losing my vision. I moved up here, first to a farm and then into town. I can no longer drive and this little town in North Texas doesn’t offer much in the way of transportation. I’ve had three surgeries this year but am feeling much better now. With special equipment for my computer and a reader for letters and bills, I’m adjusting well. But I’m afraid Actively has paid the price in spite of my best intentions.
As you can see I have a lot going on, which is part of the transition process from a working middle age adult to a retired senior adult with special needs. The interesting thing I discovered when I first started this website was that a very large number of senior citizens were working part time to increase their limited incomes. Since I was doing the same thing, I won’t comment on this phenomenon except to say that it’s a shame so many of us cannot live on our promised Social Security Benefits.
It is even worse now since our Medicare costs keep going up but our COLA benefits have been frozen for at least two years. Many people of all ages and all status are being hit hard right now, so I am not unusual or whining. I said this article would not be a downer but it seems as though it is. Except that I expect to come out alright in the end. I will update you further when I do.
I have recently celebrated the 32nd anniversary of my 39th birthday. Want to know how old I am? Figure it out for yourself!
It was a great day and a good time was had by all. Now I could stop here and the post would be complete. But if you’re a regular reader, you know I won’t stop. After all, the older I get the more “wisdom and experience” I have to share. By this age I have lots to share, yes? Or as is now popular…WAY? You are supposed to reply, NO WAY!
A minor digression here to explore the oddities of current popular language. Whatever happened to the word YES? It worked fine until a couple of years ago. Oh well, my inflexible old age is showing… can’t keep up with the times. Or, maybe I don’t want to keep up with the times.
Uh….you know…like uh…way….no way! As a friend said: “those words are just ’space fillers’ to let the brain catch up with the mouth. The way I see it, it would be better if the brain were ahead of the mouth. It sure would stop a lot of people from getting ‘foot in mouth’ disease.”
Well, getting back to the topic at hand…. BIRTHDAYS!…as you can see, I’m not only inflexible but also forgetful in my old age. Maybe I have CRS.. (can’t remember Sh-t) Then again, perhaps the fact that I’m still alive, kicking and screaming at this age is a very positive sign. After all, every birthday is now an achievement I am still seeing the green side of the grass, not the black, so I’m blessed.
Despite all my limitations, along with changes in expectations I find that life is still interesting. In many cases it is because the people around me are changing and growing. That is fine with me because their examples are causing me to grow. In other ways I find reasons and ways to grow. Not only that, but many of the things that are worrying other people don’t bother me. I’m past all that. “If we are still alive, have funds for our basic needs, and our minds still work, we have a future.” (Expectations)
So on to the end… the Birthday dinner with family and friends was excellent; the cards and congratulatory messages were pretty as well as amusing so it is time to say goodbye to this birthday and to look forward to my next one. As my son told me today, “I’ll live to be 90 and see my grands graduate from college.” From his mouth to your Book of Life, Lord.
Which Expectations did you bring with you into retirement? Did you retire at the usual age of 65, or did you work until the last possible minute? Did you kick the dust off your feet as you waved goodbye to coworkers at age 55? Perhaps you lucked out and won the lottery! Were your retirement years all planned out? Or were you going to take it day by day and just enjoy the freedom from work responsibility?
This is a lot of questions to start off with I know. Yet so many of us wait breathlessly for retirement, for the”golden years” to start. Sometimes they truly are golden; other times perhaps not. I know a man who plans his dream trips and has made many of them already. Another man has moved south to the Gulf of Mexico and is daily enjoying the boat he purchased in expectation. He and his buddies really love catching and eating all those fresh fish. I also know one lady who worked and saved to make a trip to Israel as soon as she retired. Her trip was planned and paid for; but she passed away a week before leaving. So a person never knows what the future will bring.
Does this mean wee should not dream? What if our expectations are all wrong when the time comes? SO WHAT! If we are still alive, have funds for our basic needs, and our minds still work, we have a future. Our expectations may change due to heath or circumstances, but they don’t die, they simply change. That is what I call transitioning. After all, at 40 you can’t really tell what life will be like at 65 or 79, or even older. That doesn’t mean we stop dreaming, being active, or growing. It may just take different forms.
My suggestion is to sit back, relax, think about all the wonderful things you have done, all the more wonderful things you would like to do, and enjoy life however it comes. That is what I have done and guess what? It’s worth it!
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was ‘Information Please’ and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone’s number and the correct time.
My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.
I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. ‘Information, please’ I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. (more…)