Archive for the ‘Current Affairs’ Category

No matter how you celebrate this year, from my house to yours….Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw this in the newspaper today, it is so great I just had to share!!!

Today I received my copy of AARP Bulletin in the mail (October 2009, Vol. 50, No. 8, bulletin.aarp.org ) and it took me on a ride on the information highway of resources. If you are an AARP member there are great benies to be had. If you are not, there is loads of information at our fingertips to make life easier to handle. For example, Reebok as well as other outlet stores work with baby boomers to give us discounts. October 7-18 they offer 40% off your entire purchase (daily it is 20%, www.aarp.org/reebok ) And I went to AARP for further information and it led me off to a great “mother lode” of resources at www.tiphero.com .

And what I really love is, it isn’t all about buying something either. It is about resourcing so we, women, can make more informed choices. Like here is one for you about retirement. That seems to be the “Nightmare on Elm Street”, right? There is a lot of negative stuff geared at hitting boomers but there are resources if only we know where to look for them. I was watching a commercial on Medicare Plan B and my confusion cycle began. What is Medicare Plan B I wondered, and is there Plan A or other Plans I don’t know about? Well sure enough there are four, Medicare Plan A (hospital insurance, Plan B (medical insurance), Plan C (Medicare Advantage Plans, like HMOs or PPOs) and Plan D (prescription coverage). And once again a resource to go to is www.medicare.gov and if you get confused they actually make it user friendly like the “retirement” information at www.socialsecurity.gov/. There are resources so that the negativity that is pumped at older Americans through the media can be fought.

Then if you need to really ask the hard questions about retirement AARP invites its members to view the Retirement Revolution series that was hosted by Paula Zahn for questions we have on retirement at http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=1,41”.

Why I bring these resources to your attention is because there is a lot of negative press about the fears of retirement and health care. As a baby boomer I do not want the dread of my future as depicted in the media to be the outlook I take on as my persona. I want the resources, the answers and so should you.

There is way too much negativity these days and we accept what we hear in the media as facts without realizing that while much is truth the “way” it is presented gives a “sky is falling” feeling. No, the weather has not turned into monster hurricanes. The hurricanes come every year but the urgency of televising it has made it a disaster filming daily. I don’t doubt we are in a recession, that international affairs are mess, or the environment needs our help. What I do doubt is that we have to approach these things with a doomsday mentality instead of a resourcing mentality. I was pretty excited finding more resources than I cannot possibly use in my life time and I will continue to update my resources but what I won’t do is buy into the negativity. I think I want to question everything again like I did the 1960s. And let us all find information that helps us not bog us down! Do you have resources you use you can share with me!

Man it is hot out there! It feels like summer came on fast and is staying a very long time. I was watching the The Weather Channel this morning as they were talking about how hot it is in Texas (I am not in Texas). In Austin they have a place called Barton Springs that stays naturally cool. I saw Austinites flocking there to get a cool dip during the plus 100 degree days. When did Austin become the new Arizona overnight! Hot and dry and well, hot and dry. Of course for me it is hot and humid, ugh!

The “Dog Days of Summer” have set in, haven’t they? I don’t know about you but when this time of year rolls around I get the blahs. No wonder we love summer vacations! So I thought, hmmm, what are some things to stimulate interests again as the Dog Star travels over the northern hemisphere until about mid-September? So the first thing I did was go get a haircut today. Nothing like a clean new haircut to set things straight, I was feeling unkempt so this was the perfect choice. Next I am onto facial, manicure and pedicure. After all these glorious things are done time for a good book.

Mid July through Labor Day are “in-between” days. I just can’t get really started on something, I feel stalemated. Not like the holidays or a new season that carries with it a certain excitement. So I took some time off work and school and decided to what I call “Spiritual Housecleaning” based on a read that Kathryn L Robyn wrote. It is about how women clean their environment; home, office, yard or vehicle, as they process their changes and growths within. Men just don’t get it, it isn’t about a clean house, and it is about processing as you go. I can’t think of a better time to do this than right now in this “Dog Days” stage with weeks of it still ahead.

And it is so working. I am processing a lot. As I go around cleaning, collecting household items for the second hand store, collecting in piles for “giveaways”, and basically reorganizing I am finding that it is unclogging my brain. I am carrying around a pen and pad and writing ideas down as I clean. And the Flow is beginning to take place. I love being in a flow. It is like a connection to my inner self. We all know about it, it is that space when we are hitting on all pistons and the creativity is at an all time high. And so between the spiritual housecleaning unclogging things and the flow kicking in this week I see the light. Yes! Summer can be dealt with!

So wherever the dogs days of summer have you stuck may I recommend a haircut, a good spiritual housecleaning or something that get you in the flow! And if you are already in a flow, that is so great!

It has been a harrowing week in the entertainment world. Just yesterday we heard that Farrah Fawcett lost her battle to cancer at the age of 62. Farrah took us all on the road with her in the documentary, “Farrah’s Story” that was aired on NBC, May 15, 2009. She shared her struggle with nearly 9 million viewers.

What Farrah did by creating this documentary is, she helped everyone see how a battle with cancer can play out and to not give up, no matter what. And so we were not as shocked or surprised to hear she lost her battle as we could have been.

Farrah was a product of her time. We, as baby boomers, best remember her on “Charlie’s Angels” as Angel, Jill Munroe. However, she also received both Emmy and Golden Globe award nominees for deeper, more serious roles. And another fact I did not know is she has performed off Broadway. As well as her famed partly nude picture in Playboy at age 50!

I think what got me thinking about Farrah Fawcett is all the news about Michael Jackson. Just thinking about how both of these entertainers affected us. For me, personally Farrah Fawcett affected me more. Why? Because she was living with something all of us deal with….aging and disease. Michael Jackson was a shock whereas with Farrah Fawcett we all knew about her battle daily. And yet both entertainers remind us that health issues are very real.

You know I never even watched Charlie’s Angels or followed Farrah Fawcett’s career. I vaguely was aware she was married to Lee Majors for a time and of course I knew of her marriage to Ryan O’Neal. But I think what really hit home about her is how “human” she became at the end of her journey. We all have a story, all it takes is hearing about someone to know their story. I am not even sure why this woman matters to me other than the struggles she went through.

What I want to remember Farrah Fawcett for is that long flowing hair with the big toothy smile. A pretty woman with a gentle way about her.

I was cleaning out some old photo files the other day and ran across this set from the Africa Museum we used to visit in Belgium.