I CAN enjoy Fun Times with family … and I DID!! It’s been quite a week Here I am with our “bonus daughter,” Laina, who lives in Maryland, our grandson, Nick, and his mom, our daughter, DeDe, both of whom flew here from Switzerland.
Our smiles tell you what fun we were having!
DeDe & Laina have been best buddies since their freshman year in high school. Do you have people with whom you have remained friends for 40 years or more?
Laina, my hubby Bob, & Nick enjoyed time together at Wasabi’s in Bozeman, Montana this weekend. Yes, DeDe and I were there, too. It’s a fun place!
Nick entered a “run” on Saturday in Bozeman. Can you believe he ran (or walked when necessary) for a total of 17 miles? Amazing!
No, he didn’t finish in the #1 spot, but what fun he had eating the chocolate from the 1st place medallion that Elaina bought for him!! Gotta keep movin’ to stay fit! Fun times indeed!!
What do you do to stay fit?
When not busy running or dining out, “the kids” found other happy things to do – like a day in Virginia City and a trip to Yellowstone.
Every day we were on the go! Here is Nick at our favorite brunch spot in Bozeman: Jam! If you’re ever in our area, you gotta be sure to make this one of your stops!
We knew how to wait happily for our brunch table!
Back home, you can see that our family time was enhanced by “the pup!” Kenny has loved all the company … extra playmates!
They leave to return to their homes tomorrow. We are certainly going to miss them!
Who have you hosted in your home this summer/fall? I hope you had as much fun with family as we did!
Off to bed now. See ya tomorrow – We’re going to the airport bright and early. Good night!
Today was my first day back at TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensible) https://www.tops.org/ since March 11th.
When this pandemic hit, we were not allowed to meet in our usual spot at the Madison Valley Medical Center. We were encouraged to stay home, socially distance, and sequester if needed to stop the spread of this disease. So we did.
Are you fed up with it? Do you feel it is robbing us of our sense of purpose and our wisdom?
These are some questions I gleaned from Scilla Elworthy, the elderly South African woman in the Ted Talk above:
Are you fully alive in your body? Do you have energy and attractiveness in your soul? Are you content with what is? Can you remove the mask, let the wrinkles show, and still like yourself?
Dementia is a real fear for me. My mother was diagnosed with it before she died. My sister is in a home today – a nursing home – being cared for because she has Alzheimer’s. It is in my family. Is it in my future? I cannot dwell on that! I must live in the NOW and love myself so I can love others. The keys are:
gratitude,
prayer and meditation,
time in nature… being outside with things that are alive
What about death? It is inevitable. Approach it with curiosity. Think through it. Know that death is not finality.
What are the gains of growing older? We can speak out! Dare to speak up about those things that we think are wrong! Stand up for those things! Make a contribution by making a difference – by being true to ourselves.
Know that with age comes wisdom. Wise, experienced leaders are a gift to the world. As we age, we can be that older, wiser person who sees beyond the horizon. The world need us!
But age and wisdom are not synonymous. Wisdom does not come automatically. We can’t live in a foxhole and gain wisdom. We need to go out and risk adventure. Risk rebuke. Risk the world hating you. We need to be true to ourselves as we lift our heads to what is happening around us and seek the solutions to the challenges we all face. We can’t be ostriches with our head in the sand.
A friend of mine said she has decided that the best way to avoid dissension is just to avoid having an opinion. “I try to remain totally objective – with no opinion expressed. Opinions just garner arguments,” she said.
We can’t let ourselves live in that kind of fear! Avoidance invites stagnation.
“Whoever is free from all fear will always be safe,” Scilla Elworthy said in the Ted Talk above. So, we must let go of any fear we have of speaking out.
What do you care about? What’s your opinion about aging? Let’s hear it!!
Derrick told me I earned every wrinkle. I told him, “… and every silver hair, too!”
I’m not afraid of growing older. Just don’t call me old!! See ya tomorrow. Love, JanBeek
· Artist Melissa S. McCracken is a synesthete — she can see sounds in brilliant color, and she actually paints songs.
I found this to be fascinating. I hope it was interesting to you, too. I love sharing things that are fascinating to me.
Here are some other things that fascinate or intrigue me:
Easy Moussaka Recipe
These things pique my interest and make me want to try them or learn more about them or at least share them with you.
I want to share my sense of hope with you in these troubled times and help you overcome any fears that may be haunting you.
Little kids with exceptional talent always fascinate me! Check out this adorable violinist! Not always right spot on… but hey! He’s playing from memory and he’s only three!!
I hope some of these selections fascinated you, too. Share with me something you are fascinated by, will you?
Have a Wonderful Week. See safe! Bee well! Bee Happy!
Well, my WP friends, I told you I’d post pictures this afternoon of our river float, right?
Nope, that’s not my photo. I found it on the internet. It’s where I’d like to have been – with that blue sky dotted with clouds, but alas…
Bob’s out weeding – no blue in our sky!
Take a look at that gray sky. Does it look like an inviting time to go out on the river? Temperature’s not bad, though – even though rain is threatening. Look, Bob’s weeding the garden in his shorts!
Come sit on the porch with me; we can watch him work!
Look at that sky – Threatening!
That’s the direction of the river… and if this were a video, you’d see the trees and bushes blowing in the wind. It isn’t a pretty time to be out rowing!
So, let’s have some fun at home instead. Set those best laid plans aside. Make lemonade with those lemons!
That wind and those clouds were sent by God. I wrote a Haiku this morning about the way the wind blows the clouds away. Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day.
Meantime, let’s just find some ways to smile and enjoy some laughter inside on this Saturday afternoon.
I needed a therapy dog because my husband has a habit of walking around without clothes on. Well, we ARE separated from other houses by a few acres, right. But still…
Hah! No, I’m just kidding… he never walks around OUTSIDE naked!
With all this refrigerator time, I should start using my recumbent bike more often… develop some sort of exercise routine and keep my TOPS weight under control, right? But…
Did that one make you chuckle?
I was looking for something to distract me this afternoon from the coverage of Donald Trump’s rally where all those people are crowded into an arena and only about one in ten are wearing masks. So I logged on to Derrick’s garden.
Do you follow Derrick’s delightful posts at derrickjknight ? Today his post was “Night and Day” – and his roses were captivating. Check him out! He and Jackie have a flower garden second to none. And Derrick’s photography is magical.
Here is a rose for you from their garden:
Have a Happy Father’s Day, my friends.
If you don’t get to go where you wanted to go (for whatever reason), make the most of it where you are.
And don’t worry about being too sexy… God loves you just the way you are, and so do I!
What did you do today? And which of my offerings make you laugh out loud? Share!
Sometimes this COVID-19 feels like we’re walking through the “Valley of the Shadow of Death,” especially when we see the staggering statistics from Italy and realize how quickly the virus is spreading in places like New York City.
A friend told me today he feels we’re living in a period akin to the Great Depression or the Dust Bowl era. Songs are being composed about it. There are thoughtful essays being written. Scientists are creating impressive graphs showing the statistics of known contagions to death tolls and analyzing the relationships to age and climate. Novels will be written that will be classics in the decades to come.
How do we live through this “Valley of the Shadow of Death” without fear?
There are the usual responses: pray, sequester and meditate, have faith, bury your head…
But, while I do believe in the power of our Maker, and I pray daily for the Source of all comfort to bring us healing and peace, there are a few other ways I keep myself FROM feeling the gloom that seems to be enveloping so many. You probably have a list of ways, too. I’d love to have you share yours with me.
Here are my four favorite remedies for avoiding the paralysis of fear:
Music – sing, play, or listen to uplifting songs on YouTube or XM Radio. I love seeing those folks on their balconies in Italy making joyful music together, don’t you? I just listened to Bono and Will.i.am singing a song they wrote for/to the Italians. Google it! Music soothes the soul and uplifts the spirit.
Write – as a blogger, you know how therapeutic it is to put words on paper, in a journal, on a card to a friend, or here on WordPress. Write about what keeps you positive and passionate.
Connect – on the internet or by phone, through a window or across a fence. I just installed a new app on my phone and iPad. It’s called ZOOM. Do you know it? The basic version is free. It’s like FaceTime, but it works on other platforms besides Apple products. My friends in California and Bob & I had a great conversation. It was like sitting across the table from our friends who are 1200 miles away from us. We miss them and it lifted our spirits to see and reconnect with them.
Walk – when the weather permits, go for a walk with your dog or a friend or both. I did that yesterday in our Lion’s Club Park. Yes, we practiced social distancing, but we could chat and laugh and encourage one another. It’s good for body and soul. And TazE loved it, too.
Do tell your dog he’s gotta walk, too!
Tell me, what ways do you avoid walking in the “Valley of the Shadow of Death” these days?
What are your favorite ways of avoiding fear?
Thanks for dropping by. Visit a while, okay? Add your ideas below. See ya tomorrow.
Artist Melissa S. McCracken is a synesthete — she can see sounds in brilliant color, and she actually paints songs.
