The Art of Aging – Part V: Friends

A Friend In Need

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge 1903

Friends come, they go, and they stay. There are instant friends—you know, the ones you click with on first meeting. There are passing friends—the ones you connect with on an overseas trip or special work project, and even though you stay in touch via technology, the friendship link soon dissipates. Maintaining long-distance friendships is difficult at the best of times. One also can’t ignore that with aging comes changes in our friendships.

Friendship … is born at the moment when one says to another “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .”  ― C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves

And, there are the friends that some people have that become part of their forever life.

The Art of Aging – Part IV: Our Past, Our Stories

Do we go gently “into that good night”, or are we raging, “raging, raging against the dying of the light”? (Dylan Thomas) Either way, our past rises up to haunt us, endorse us, renew us. What’s interesting about its power is that we continue to try to control it, not realizing that we’re doing so until it’s too late.

What is it about our past that we hang on to? That we indulge in? That we nurture? That we use to make conversation? That we depend on for our identity? Is the past our story?

THE ART OF AGING – Part III: CHANGE

CHANGE… a word that pretty much describes aging—physical change, mental change, emotional change, location change, career change, spiritual change, relationship change… Even our goals change as we journey through the later years of our lives.

Aging often entails the need to make changes, and that the types of changes older people must consider are particularly pressing.[i]

Some of us handle change well, and some of us don’t. Why is that? Can managing change in a wholesome manner be learned? Can change be avoided? 

THE ART OF AGING – Part 2: Old Women Wear Pigtails!

Sculptor Unknown

I love wearing pigtails. Some trend experts say mature women shouldn’t wear them, while others say we can and should.

One old aunt thinks that mature women wearing pigtails are trying to look younger. An even older aunt who’s approaching ninety, thinks pigtails are cool, that we’ve earned the right to wear them as we wish. So, what’s the big deal about mature women wearing or not wearing pigtails?

Before jumping in, let’s clarify. By old, I mean… let me put it this way—when I was taking piano lessons at age 8, I remember thinking my teacher was old. She might have been all of 40. I believe age is a perspective, differing from one point of view to another.

Therefore, for the sake of this discussion, we’ll go with Merriam Webster who says that old means advanced in years or age and showing the characteristics of age, which, according to Mayo Clinic, includes wrinkles and grey hair. ‘Nuf said.

Pigtails are associated with…

… childhood, schoolgirls, whimsical, frivolity… Are we older women not supposed to feel those things, or at least look like we feel them???

THE ART OF AGING – Part I

And So It Is!

Aside from ear hair, nose hair, even no hair, and barring muscle obstinance when doing things at age seventy that at thirty was a ‘piece of cake’, what is it that causes some to become miserable old people, to give in to ailments, to generally be timeworn and sad, while others appear to successfully sail on through the latter years? Why is it sometimes difficult to meet older adults who are truly happy with their current lives and/or happy about the lives they’ve lived so far? Is there an art to aging well, and if so, can it be learned?

Advertising – Part II: Trick ‘r Treats

FOOD—one of the basics of life that also plays a special role in celebrations, feasts, relationships, and events such as Halloween, where without the treats there’d be no tricks.

Oxford Dictionary says that the word ‘food’ comes from the Old English, ‘fōda’ which is related to ‘fodder’, or that which is fed to domestic animals. Is the food we see in advertisements perhaps more akin to fodder? Would we feed such food to domesticated animals?

A picture is worth a thousand words, so we’re told and obviously believe because we’re spending our money on things advertisers are especially tricky about with respect to food. Why? Because they know we need to eat to survive, and they know that we need to buy food to eat. Good-looking food means good-looking profits! For consumers, it may well be that we’re spending beyond our need and/or income.

Advertising – Part I: Tricked into spending?

Paper mail, addressed to me personally, includes two free roadside assistance cards that I can use without cost for the next 10 days, should my vehicle break down. The sender must trust me by sending me the ready-to-use cards. Further, when I go online and enter the promo code provided in the mailing, it activates my name, address, and other info. The advertiser’s forethought, care, and attention must make the offer valid, yes?

Nada!