Staying Creative in Your 60's

If you have some empty time or even if you don't creative endeavors will keep the mind healthy and can be a de-stressor. So, where are these creative activities and, more importantly, what are creative things to try?

1. Arts and Crafts! This is stuff you can do at home, with friends or take a class. Art is part of my soul so this is something I do all the time.

    Crafts --> 

It's Halloween time! Lots of spooky things we can create. The dollar stores are great places to pick up some skeleton hands or other creepy parts to remake into something else. These are things you put together with hot glue, spider webs, and plastic table clothes. The witch's head was a milk jug, painted green with details done in paint & sharpie. 

    Or get a head start on Christmas crafts. It's coming up fast. Painted wine glasses make great gifts! 

    Furniture Painting --> 

Okay, this one might be a little much 
for beginners but it's fun! Pick up an old chair from the side of the road or at a garage sale. Put a base of spray paint on it and then paint a quick pick on it. Get real creative or just paint some hearts or flowers on it.

    Painting on Canvas--> My favorite is acrylic paint on canvas. It's
easy and forgiving. You an pick up paint and brushes at Walmart or Michaels. There will definitely be more variety to pick from at Michaels but you can get almost the same thing at Walmart for less. A good way to get started without spending a lot of money. Then just put the brush to canvas and get creative. 

    Now, don't tell me you can't paint. Look up Jackson Pollock who hangs in the Metropolitan Museum. Van Gogh sold only one painting during his life. Anyone can paint. Just do it. 

       Hint; there are painting classes on YouTube, step by step instructions in books from the library, or you might find a class at your local recreation department. Art is about fun, not work. Go paint up some fun. 

    

   

Rock Painting--> You can find rocks to paint anywhere. The ones by rivers are better, smoother but you can also buy rocks at craft stores or online. Just use acrylic paint and get creative. 

Get Sketchy--> Pick up a sketch book at your local department
store or check out those dollar store bargains. Grab a pencil or pen and just start doodling. There are online videos for this too if you want to take it farther. I keep a sketch book by my chair and doodle while watching TV. 

2. Write  

    Ever think of writing a book? Hey, I've written books & shorts. 

(check out my Amazon shorts page) It takes a lot of work, time and yes, there is a bit of a learning curve. 

    So forget about that last sentence and just start. Don't think about getting published, just get your story down on computer, paper or however you like to get creative. 

    You can write a novella, full book, or just short stories. Don't think about where it will go, just think about your story. 

    What is a story? Could be fiction. Just make something up. Let your mind wander and think; what if....this happened? 

    Not into fiction? You could write your life story. Don't think if it will be interesting or not. Write it for you, write it for your kids. I always liked hearing stories from grandma and aunts of what their lives were like before I met them. 

3. Find Classes

    You can find classes on almost everything at most recreation departments. Local colleges also offer some simple beginner classes in almost every subject. Art, writing, dance, etc. 

     Look at your local craft stores. Michaels has classes and so do some of our local shops that help local artists sell their creations. Painting wine glasses, knitting, painting, and other crafty things. Some are free for seniors, too!  

Now stay creative! 

    

Staying Safe & Positive with Another Virus Scare

 Here we go again!

Is it not hard enough being in our 60's without life threatening viruses? Including business threatening viruses. 

Yes, no matter how you view it, this virus has killed more businesses than at any other time in history. (except maybe the great depression) At lease now our government is working to help people. If only everyone would get on board. 

Our business is suffering. We have to have people signing up and coming in or forget it, we're done. 

We're doing the 6 ft thing still which cuts down on the amount of people we can serve and beyond that there are too many who are just afraid to get into a place where people congregate. I've done more wash for aprons and towels then I'd ever want to think about. We bleach everything every night. 

If you walk past someone who reeks of disinfectant, it might be me :) 

So, if this business is suffering I can get a job! Where? At 64? Just look at my resume and you can probably guess my age. I have tons of office experience so the work is no problem but getting someone to trust that? 

We really are fighting for our business. It's a labor of love and I will definitely cry if we go under. I think the only way to beat the virus is through vaccination. I think the only way to protect those who cannot take the vaccination is to get ourselves vaccinated. With mixed messages coming from those in government I fear most good people are really just at a loss of which way is the best way. 

For now we're wearing masks, been vaxxed and boosted, and do our best to keep things clean. 

Stay safe out there.  There is a light at the end of this Covid tunnel and I believe we are almost there. 

What came after the pandemic of 1918?  The ROARING TWENTIES!  Soon it our country will come ROARING back and all will get back to a better normal. 

 

Aging & Changes over 60

Some days I forget how old I am.
Other days it's the little things that hit back to remind me. Some small like that bright white hair in my normally brown eyebrows. Other's are bigger like the creeping arthritis I know is hitting the joints in my hands.

When I first started seeing the little white hairs replacing brown ones in my eye brows I just plucked them out. Bye, bye, all gone!  However I reached the point where it's either live with those pesky little white hairs or have a big bald line where my eye brows used to be. (Insert sigh of resignation here)

I've seen the older people with the enlarged knuckles. Their joints are stiffer, swollen. I'm not there yet but that little pinky on my right hand seems to have stiffened up a bit. Maybe the joint is a bit larger? Ugh!

So, I take my vitamins, walk the dog and think I need to put some weight lifting on my itinerary. They say lifting weights keeps the bones strong and makes you safer from injury.

I tore my rotator cuff years ago and met this little old doctor who treated my after care. He said to make sure to take calcium. He had fallen on an icy step and went down hard. He said the only reason he didn't break anything, as old an as frail as he was- he should have, was because he took calcium every day.

I take B12, too. B12 rules the nervous system and that affects everything in the body. Add D to that because blood work says I'm deficient and I'm rounding out my vitamins with something called Hair, Skin & Nails.

Getting old doesn't mean we no longer pursue health as vapidly as we did in our 20's. I think sometimes we forget to keep all these healthy habits in the front of our aging toolbox. 

Dreams, Goals & the Craziness of Youth

We were young. We were crazy.
Sometimes looking back at the roads we traveled, the chances we took, I have to wonder why we survived.
From lost in Helmetta to 2 am runs three towns over, what were we looking for? What were we hoping to find?
Crazy.
I don't know if it was the time of society or the time of our youth that we got away with so much, but insanity sure fed our useless ambitions. Ambitions to nowhere. No goals ruled our crowd, no hope for anything but the right here, right now.
Who the hell were we?

Now almost 40 years later I look back and wonder where the time went. Why decisions weren't made differently. Decisions to move forward instead of just going with the flow. College should have come first. It's my biggest regret. Although I did some college later in life I know if I had gone during those young and crazy years, if I had chosen my goal then, I'd be more satisfied now.
Yes, I do know that. In my soul.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

The question they throw at you when you're barely 5 or 6 years old. When you don't know anything about the world or the possibilities it contains. Why aren't kids exposed to more of the world before they're asked that question? I think it would change a lot of lives.

I knew.
When I was 5 or 6 and asked that question my answer was always "an artist."
I knew it then.
"Oh dear, artists don't make any money, pick something else."
As if it were that easy.

Now I know who I am but I'm not where I want to be or would be had I been encouraged instead of told to "pick something else."

To be who you are meant to be is a sense of freedom. To be encouraged allows dreams to launch. You're okay! You can do this! Keep going!

Dreams are meant to be chased.
Don't ever forget that. 

Style at Sixty? Pinterest can Help!

I remember my mother at sixty. She had gained weight over the years and dressed comfortably. Stretch pants, blousey tops, comfortable shoes.  Things matched, but there wasn't a big stretch to style it up. Back then, she dressed like all the other sixty year olds.

So now as I approach 60, (5 months to go!) I've turned to Pinterest to see what's styling at sixty. What I found were a bunch of extremely stylish women rockin' the 50's and 60's. It's so inspiring and I'm getting GREAT ideas (and compliments!) on what to wear and how to wear it.

I have to admit, I'm addicted to Pinterest. In our house we always say, "You can find anything on Pinterest." We use it for recipes, home decorating ideas, and advice on almost anything. Of course, like anything else found on the internet, you have to be choosy on which advice you take, but overall, Pinterest is a fountain of information.

Things I searched on Pinterest in my quest for style?
1. Style at 60
2. How to wear scarves
3. Work outfits for women
4. Blazer ideas for work
5. Style at 50 years old
6. Pants outfits for 60 year olds
7. Accessories for work
8. Casual outfits for older women
9. Casual style for work
10. Work outfits with scarves

The list goes on... When I see an accessory like a scarf or broach or necklace, I get over to Pinterest and see what the world has come up with for style.
>Sigh<
I think I'll head over and look for some Spring Style for Work....

See you on Pinterest!

Treadmills and Road Blocks

A long road trip & moving furniture equals back ache. Yikes!

For a week my back has been twisted muscles sending waves of pain every time I lifted, turned or bent over.  All just in time for the treadmill I bought last week and the plan I have for taking off some pounds. (30 or 40 of the little buggers)

Now I have to start. This week of heating pads and Icy Hot are wearing on me, frustrating me, and its time for a change. Ten minutes on the treadmill won't hurt, right? It might even help.

Sometimes I forget my age, I forge ahead and just do things. Get things done and never look back. Other times it weighs on me. It's like a slap down; "Oh no, you're getting older every day! Don't forget that!"

I'm watching Grace and Frankie. A Netflix original about two women who find out their husbands have been having an affair with each other. Now there two older women (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) need to figure out their new lives as they watch their husbands go off and marry each other.  Together Grace and Frankie show everything can be possible in spite of their ages. They are true to their personal styles and go forth and conquer.

I think this reminds me that I need to figure out that personal style thing. Somewhere between getting married young, raising kids, gaining weight, and working I lost that personal style thing. I dress in what fits and what's comfortable.

So, how does one find their personal style after all these years?

Monday Motivation

Hello Monday!
Back to the grind. Although I love my job, it does cut into my writing time.

It was a four mile weekend. Yay!  Walking two miles a day and I have hope this is just the beginning. With the help of Map my Walk, I've charted out kind of a track through the neighborhood that is exactly two miles. I tried to include as many of the little hills I could since that would improve the work out. I was about a mile and a half yesterday when it started raining. A light drizzle, nothing that would make me quit. I was back in the house less than a minute when the downpour started. I'm glad I wasn't on the far side of the neighborhood when that hit!
 Haven't hit the weights, yet. Really have to get that part done. However, I ate the last frozen yogurt bar in the fridge and I pledge not to buy any more until I lose 20 lbs. Ha! Wish me luck. I think I'm addicted to frozen yogurt!

Summer is here and the weather finally warmed up. It's nice to be outside again. Each new season makes me think it's time to set a goal. Not just exercise, but everything. I'm thinking about going back to school. I have a partial degree in English/Creative Writing and I'd like to finish. If I can finish the associates, there's a place in Vermont that will let you finish the bachelors within a year. It's called "low res." You go up for a week for orientation, then work on your own. I'd like to try this one. Even at my age, I still want that degree. It's been a big regret in my life. I should have done it in my 20's.

Any regrets in your 50's and 60's?

Exercising at 50 or 60?

Does exercise get scarier when we get older? Maybe, to some.
Then I see an older man running past me as I walk the neighborhood. He looks great, runs at a good pace, and, I imagine, has no fear of pushing his body.

The thought of working up to a run kind of scares me since I haven't run since I was in my 20's.

There's a program called Couch to 5K that combines walking and running/jogging to get a person ready to run a full 5K. Which I think is 2 or 3 miles? Yesterday I walked 2 miles through, up and around my neighborhood. Stupid me, I did it at 1 o'clock in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day. I really can't take the heat when I'm sitting still so by the time I got home I was kind of dizzy. But I did it! (There's a phone ap called Map My Walk that will track it for you.)

Today calls for rain so unless there's a break in the rain, I might just hit the weights today. I was reading Body for Life by Bill Phillips and one of the success stories was an older woman, 60+, who did the program. They showed her standing there in a bikini with an amazingly buff body. Made me think it was possible. A quick internet search found Bonnie Ave, champion body builder at age 60! So I believe there is hope.
Not sure if I'm ever going Couch to 5K but I am going to get off this couch.
Anyone else start an exercise program after 50? What's your story?
Come on! I need some inspiration!

The Empty Nest Syndrome

Life changes dramatically after the kids grow up and leave the nest.

I think this hits women more than most men. When my kids lived close, it wasn't so hard. We'd meet for shopping or dinner. It was a fun relaxing time. They were still here, just a little over there.
Now my kids are states away from me and it's very hard. I've given up our usual shopping haunts for online shopping because I can barely step into those old favorite stores without tears. We used to go out for coffee and lottery tickets. We'd sip our coffee and scratch the tickets and talk. I love coffee and lottery tickets. I've bought some scratch off tickets, but now can't bare to scratch them. They sit in a forlorn little pile on my desk. Who knows? There might be a winner in there somewhere that I'm missing.

Maybe I'll just mail them to the kids.

I know enough about loneliness and loss that I should keep busy. I lost both my parents while i was still in my 20's. I think the only thing that kept me going then was my kids. They weren't even in school yet so they kept me very busy. I think they saved me then.

I write. I have a couple of books up on Amazon and I'm working on two more. I have a full time job. Things that keep me busy, but weekends are hard. I know I should just schedule writing hours or painting hours or blogging hours or exercise time, but for some reason I hold back. Guess I have to kick my own butt here and DO SOMETHING! Plotting to move and job hunting in that far away state where my kids are consumes a lot of time, but when nothing tangible shows up, it's depressing.
Still its time to shake it off and DO SOMETHING. I think I'll start with setting up a weekend schedule.

New Saturday Schedule

• Clean till noon
• Write till 3 p.m.
• Run errands (Always better to do this in the late afternoon as most like to get this done early. Less crowds in the afternoon.) 
• Exercise-probably walking

New Sunday Schedule

• Exercise-walking
• Painting till noon
• Laundry -all day :)
• Write

Wish me luck!  All advice welcome! Please leave a comment and let me know your best advice for Empty Nest Syndrome.