DON’T MISS IT: BLOGGING BOOMERS CARNIVAL #81

Carnival
The fabulous Blogging Boomer Carnival – the 81st in fact – has
landed here at Don’t Gel Too Soon.  And a real feast it is. 

As the Baby Boomer generation approaches retirement age, over 7.7 million business
owners will exit their businesses over the next 10-15 years.  John Agno at
So Baby Boomer says this demonstrates a tremendous need for
exit planning.

And while we’re talking money, two more posts this week.

This comes from Janet Wendy at Gen Plus:  If, like
much of America, you are sick of watching your dollar shrinking, Janet Wendy at
Gen Plus, points you to
an eye-opening post on what banks are NOT doing with your money. Oh…and be
careful.  You might bust a seam laughing.

And this from Ann Harrison at Contemporary Retirement:  Although
we’ve always been told that money can’t buy happiness, an increasing number of
studies show that, if you know the right way to spend it, money just may be
able to buy you happiness after all…  Find
out how
at Contemporary Retirement:

Meanwhile, Rhea Becker of The
Boomer Chronicles
has noticed something interesting about this
year’s Olympics
: "A number of athletes in the Beijing
Olympics are older than the usual crop."  She’s profiled some of
them.  In the Northwest Arkansas area where
I make my home, that was the case with every community. Unfortunately, it is
also the case that every one of them has closed.


If you’re looking for someone
else to fix things, Laurel Lee at
Midlife Crisis Queen says
"Cut it out."  No one else can c
hange your life for you, no matter how
much you pay them."
“Spiritual work is not something you can copy from someone else’s
homework…."

One of those things you have to do for yourself is keep a marriage going.  Dina at This Marriage Thing says:  "Counselors say marriages are
strengthened by honest talking.   But when was the last time you
really communicated with your spouse?   Here are a couple of
questions that might do the trick."

If that doesn’t work, and you’re facing the end of a marriage, Wesley Hein at
LifeTwo
offers an important consideration: In a divorce, who gets custody of mutual
friends? This moral dilemma is discussed
in "The
Post-Divorce Custody Battle for Mutual Friends
". Make no mistake about
it, in divorce every aspect of your life changes–including friendships.

On a lighter note, no matter what the status of the rest of your life, you can fix your hair.  If you color your hair, then you know how the blazing summer sun and chlorine
pools can really fade and damage your hair. Is there anything you can do about
it, short of wearing a hat? Check out
what the Glam Gals have to say about it at Fabulous after 40.

 

Our friends over at Vaboomers have an interesting offering too – a
kind of
online mall they call "viosks"
–sort of online kiosks offering art, music, cookies — lots.  As they put
it:   "Vaboomer is excited to announce the Grand Opening of
Vaboomer Viosks on Aug 8; A Suite of
“Viosks" with the best of Boomer reFiree’s original art, books, music and
education."

 

My own entry is a
pensive one – about a
Jewish holiday with a huge emotional  punch.

BLOGGING BABY BOOMERS CARNIVAL #77 : Holiday Inns, Senior Moments and the Movies

I_heart_bloggers
Well I’m "it" this week –
the blog carnival gang has landed on my doorstep, and what wonderful gifts
they’ve left!

Since we’re blogging boomers we’ll
start with John Agno of So Baby Boomer, who’s thinking about video games this
week:   Aging boomers are turning to video games to keep their wits
agile….because they are worried about too many senior moments.

The always original Wesley Hein
reminds us that "Hollywood has made good use of the struggles of middle
age."  With that in mind, on LifeTwo  he has compiled a list of Top Ten Midlife Crisis Movies.

Rhea Pearlman of The (recently highly complimented) Boomer Chronicles is thinking real estate and makes an irritating discovery:   There’s a stigma to being middle-aged and renting.

On the aging theme, Nora Ephron may hate her neck, but she never met the two creators of Fabulous over Forty. Did you know that wearing the
wrong style of necklace can really age you?  They’ll tell you which of this
season’s accessories
are in or out.

Perfect for summer: I Remember JFK‘s Ron Enderland’s
meditations on summer vacations past :  "Ah, life on the
road circa 1967. Where would we spend the night? Would dad pull an all-nighter
and get us somewhere early in the morning? That was known to happen. Or would
we stay at a nice, clean, cheap, joyless motel without a pool?  Or, would
dad, feeling flush after a particularly profitable week fixing diesel trucks in
his garage, spring for the ultimate experience in lodging? That would, of
course, be the Holiday Inn!"

In other very exciting news, the ultra-cool, innovative, trend watching company PSFK has listed
Gen Plus and The Boomer Chronicles in their list of “Boomer Blogs to
Follow”.  Janet Wendy has
the full list posted and a link to PSFK to get a
peek at the latest in trend.

 Ann at Contemporary Retirement
couldn’t help smiling in recognition when she read Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia
Nelson.  See if it rings any bells for you.

Meanwhile, Midlife Crisis Queen asks
"Do you ever wonder if you’re headed for a midlife crisis?" then
answers with the warning signs.

"Who says divorce is the answer when
things get rough?" asks Dina.  "There may be a better way to solve things."  She’s got some thoughts over at
This Marriage Thing.

And, even though it’s just below here – here’s my cranky Boomer post about the John McCain "love" commercial.  Don’t hate me if you disagree – I couldn’t help it.

 

CHARMED, AGAIN. AND PROBABLY NOT FOR THE LAST TIME

Charmed_may_2008NOTICE:  YOU MAY NEED INSULIN TO READ THIS – IT IS REALLY SAPPY — CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED

Right now, I’m crying.  Not just teary, crying.  Right now, the third time I’ve been to this moment.  It’s so embarrassing that until I complete this post I don’t even know if I’ll ever let you see it.  Why such emotion on a sunny day so close to my birthday?  Over a television show?  The final epsiode of one that went off the air in 2006.  One that’s about witches?

If, like me, you never paid much attention to CHARMED, appearing on the now-defunct and youth-oriented WB – about three sisters who are witches and who have witchy powers including, when acting together with the “power of three”, to best Ultimate Evil (I know, I know), let me tell you a bit about them.  I’ve written about them before – when I first found them two years ago and again almost a year ago, after a wedding whose ritual reminded me of theirs, even though in theirs families gather from across the divide between living and dead.  As I wrote then:

On my favorite guilty pleasure, Charmed, rituals of birth and marriage are attended not only by those who share the lives and loves of the Halliwell sisters (yeah they’re witches and their story spent 8 TV seasons enchanting us all) but also by those who came before. They summon, “through space and time”  all members of “the Halliwell line.”  Surrounded by these translucent figures of past
generations, today’s Halliwells celebrate marriages and new arrivals. Those fully and those ephemerally present conclude together “blessed be.”

What does this have to do with Jewish weddings — or any other terrestrial weddings for that matter?  A lot.  Eight years on the air, the longest running show with female leads, it dealt often with travel through time and space and dominions never imagined.  But when really important events arose, all the magic was supplanted by a single, simple spell that basically –well — brought the family together.

I just looked the show up on Wikipedia and discovered that it went off the air on my 60th birthday – having run from October 7, 1998 to May 21, 2006.  My
husband, when he’s in psychiatrist mode, talks about “anniversary reactions” – when we experience deep feelings but can’t quite figure out where they come from.  Sometimes, they have to do with the occurrence of anniversaries we haven’t even noticed have arrived.  In this case, though, I didn’t know the year the show ended, much less the date.  In fact, I was in Paris with my family to celebrate this 60th birthday landmark on that day and didn’t even notice the demise of the long-running  series.  In fact, I first discovered it, in re-runs, airing as I worked in my office.  I used it to keep me company (believe it or not, it’s on four hours a day – two in the morning and two in the afternoon.)  Didn’t know a thing about the show or its success.

I got an earful from one of my sons when I asked though, who claimed that the show caused plenty of  fights with his (then) girlfriend.  Apparently, it was on at the same time as the Simpsons and every week was a negotiation.

But for me it’s somehow more than that.  These three sisters, and their powers, are deeply moving.  Their battles and solidarity, their humor and courage, their conviction that they could literally save the world from evil (p.s., they did) all resonated in a very weird way.  Still do.

Hence the tears.  The final episode, as the post-show future unfolds, feels like my own life.  Endings.  Loving farewells.  The (hopefully) gratification of recognizing a life at least partially well-lived.  The kids and their kids and an idyllic togetherness among sisters and their husbands and their children and their destiny.  A lot to hope for and, I guess, as my own life moves forward, something to cry about.

 

SUMMER DRESSES, 60S TV, MARRIAGE, CRUMBLING BRIDGES AND OBAMA: ALL PART OF BLOGGING BOOMERS CARNIVAL #71!

So_baby_boomerThis week the Carnival stops at John Agno’s So Baby Boomer.  If you want to read about "green" cars, summer dresses, good marriages, TV for all us 40+ folks, our crumbling infrastructure or Barack Obama, you can get there from this inventory of our latests efforts.  Take a look.

PHONE BOOTHS, MARRIAGE, DRESSING YOUR AGE AND TAXES: BLOGGING BOOMERS CARNIVAL #69

Contemprorary_retirement
From across the sea in the UK Ann Harrison has complied this week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival at Contemporary Retirement Strategies. It’s got everything from new tax laws to new fashion advice with plenty of other savvy ideas (including thoughts on marriage!) in between so stop by and see what’s going on!

BLOGGING BOOMERS BLOG CARNIVAL #67 – WHAT THE COOL BOOMERS ARE SAYIN’

Where_we_blogThis message is coming to you from Don’t Gel Too Soon blogging HQ (pictured to your left.)  I am fortunate to participate in a Blogging Boomers Carnival – and this week — week number 67, I’m the host(ess.)
You’ll find links and descriptions of posts by all my fellow Carnivalites; they’re a diverse, talented group, so knock yourself out.

Gloria Steinem used to say her greatest fear was ending up a bag lady.  For many of the rest of us, it’s ending up in a house full of old newspapers and unmatched socks.  Rhea Becker at The Boomer Chronicles has some interesting information on hoarding.

Is popular culture your thing?  I Remember JFK’s Ron Enderland has a nice piece about changes in TV as the 70s rolled around, and a show called Hee Haw (you had to be there.)  It’s a great slice of media history with a personal touch.

Those two glamor queens at Fabulous After 40, Deborah Boland and JoJami Tyler are all about great spring outfits (and shoes!)  Who says over 40 has to mean out of style?

On a more serious note, John Agno over at So Babyboomer, tell us that "Companies and government agencies have long anticipated the "retirement brain drain"—-the tidal wave of Baby Boomers starting to leave the workforce.  Will the
place whereyou work continue to thrive when Baby Boomers retire and take their
knowledge with them?

**For some reason, this post by the great Janet Wendy of GenPlus just arrived – even though she sent it last week!  So be sure and read it!  In honor of Earth Day/Month/Year, she focuses on how we can have a brighter planet by taking a cue from www.BrighterPlanet.com and their carbon offset visa card.  Their site is a must-visit and read for any responsible earthling.

And from Ann Harrison at Contemporary Retirement, tips on ways to thrive on a more personal level: How are your first aid skills?  Would you know what to do if
someone severed a finger?  How about a sprained ankle – would you apply heat or
a cold pack?  If you’re not sure, head over to Contemporary Retirement and
discover the top 10 first aid mistakes.

If you want to give some first aid to your relationships with others, stop at The Midlife Crisis Queen’s blog and learn How to be an Adult in Relationships.

Finally, from Wesley Hein, LifeTwo:  Things
you can do to start "Aging Backwards" that cost little or no money, according to
looking young expert Jackie Silver…

My own post, appearing just below this one, is about the Clinton-Obama race and its relationship to 1968.

Hope you’ve enjoyed all these great ideas as much as I have….


NOTE: This post was set in advance to automatically go up Sunday afternoon and was created well before the closing days of Passover.

TIME PASSES: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A LONG-TIME FRIEND

Mudd_blurrySaturday night we went to an 80th birthday party.  It was for someone whose 43rd we’d also attended — a long time to know someone.  He’s a wonderful man with a wonderful family, and you would know his name if I wrote it here – but it was his party not mine and somehow it feels intrusive to tell you who he is. 

When I was first in the news business, he taught me a great deal.  Ever courtly and generous, excellent at what he did, he shared so much of what he knew and felt about news, politics, government and life.  With humor.  And a gentle sense of irony.  I wish I could communicate how thrilling it was to wander through the tunnels under the Senate, past the secret offices where senators met for gumbo and whiskey, around the corner called "coffin corner" because when the dead lay in state, the coffin had to be tipped vertically to get around the corner on its way to the Rotunda that was its destination — with this gifted man as my guide.

All his kids were at the party of course, along with their spouses and a ton of grandchildren.  All four kids were younger than these grandkids when they attended our wedding.  There were (very short and funny) speeches, lots of teasing, and not an ounce of pretense or artifice.  Of course, the fact that all of them were so happy to see me after our long sojourn in California and year on separate paths, made me feel great.  Even so, the great gift of this evening was that I didn’t even think of that until later.  When you share so much of life, and work, affection and high regard with someone,  you have the luxury of honoring them without obsessing about what it all means to you.  That should tell you more about him than anything. 

LAST OF THE LEAVES, LAST OF NABLOPOMO, HARRY CHAPIN AND LIFE

Autumn_2007I can see this out my office window.  In a couple of months it will be silvery with snow.  Months after that, long after these last end-of-autumn  leaves have fallen, new ones will bud in their place, and there will be a riot of color once again  — this time with blossoms.

I titled a post a few months ago "ALL MY LIFE’S A CIRCLE, SUNRISE TO SUNDOWN" as I wrote about a beautiful Bar Mitzvah.  For some reason, I’m feeling that way today.  Listen to Harry Chapin’s wonderful words:
All my life’s a circle
Sunrise and sundown
Moon rolls through the night time
Till daybreak comes around
All my life’s a circle
Still I wonder why
Season spinning ’round again
Years keep rolling by.

Seems like I’ve been here before
Can’t remember when
I got this funny feeling
We’ll all be together again
No straight lines make up my life
All my roads have bends
No clear cut beginnings
So far no dead ends.
CHORUS
I’ve met you a thousand times
I guess you’ve done the same
Then we lose each other
It’s like a children’s game
But now I find you here again
The thought comes to my mind
Our love is like a circle
Let’s go ’round one more time.

All my life’s a circle
Sunrise and sundown
Moon rolls through the night time
Till daybreak comes around
All my life’s a circle
Still I wonder why
Season spinning ’round again
Years keep rolling by.

Beautiful, no?  Tomorrow it will be December – NABLOPOMO will be over for another year and the year itself as fast approaching its final days.  We’ve been through health scares and crises, major adventures and small pleasures, moving and rewarding family time and some times not so great.  So I guess that’s why I’m kind of weepy, having loved the release of daily writing and aware of how fragile is life — and love — and laughter, ready to "go ’round one more time."

Here’s the song:


Have a good weekend.