Through Grandma's Lens

I watched a movie years ago about a young man who was autistic and one of the ways his therapist enabled him to walk on a busy street without becoming overwhelmed was showing him how to look through the lens of a camera while walking.  It distanced him from the throngs of people and helped him integrate into society. 

I have embraced the view through my lens for a very different reason but it actually accomplishes the same thing for a different end.  By viewing the world around me through my camera lens I can eliminate the extraneous visual clutter and find the one, special detail that might just make a good shot great. I am not a proficient photographer - I play, I snap AND snap and after a few hundred pictures I might find one or two pictures that - well, that satisfy my inner artist!

Dying Longer

I just finished reading Lyndsay Green's "other" book You Could Live a Long Time: Are You Ready?  Her statement that we are not actually living longer as much as we are dying longer caught my eye and caused my heart to blip! Many of us have seen our parents pass on over the last few years - some were blessed with a quick exit while others lingered in various states of being - dying longer. Not really something we can choose but, while we are still in the driver's seat, some thought and planning could make it less harmful and feel less uncharted. 

Ms. Green's perspective is summed up so well by the name of her final chapter "Embracing Old Age".  So often the media plays to our desire to stay young and the creams and diets and exercise regimes flooding the airwaves (and our bathroom counters and bookshelves) these days are just the tip of the fear mongering  iceberg we boomers keep attracting while more and more marketers are looking to access our millions of hard earned retirement nest eggs! Youth is for the young!  Bail off that Titanic - you know where it is heading!  I plan on acting my age by being the healthiest, smartest, strongest old person I can be but, I will still be old!

Class Reunion 1968 to 2013

The cracks in the oiled wood floor ran parallel to the beat up filing cabinet and work table pushed against the far wall.  Secure in the knowledge that three of my best friends were lined up along this same crack in the floor gave me the courage to raise my eyes to Mr. Kitchen's level and focus more consciously on what he was saying.  Being one of the quietest students in my class, this was my first foray into the principal's office in twelve years of school and I was shocked that I was still being expelled.  His gaze moved from one student to the next as he lectured us on the seriousness of skipping class and the consequences - wait, there were consequences - a BIG consequence - none of us would be allowed to go on the planned trip that day to tour two post-secondary institutions in a nearby city unless our parents called the office to re-instate us.  I straightened my back, unconsciously threw my shoulders back and dared to look him in the eye.  Even in my 17 years of life experience I could recognize that little glimmer sparkling for a few seconds as he flashed me a look.  Why, he was smiling on the inside - maybe even struggling to keep a straight face as he lectured "little Miss Goody Two Shoes" and her friends.  I hurriedly shifted my gaze back to the old floor and wiped my face clean of that little grin just starting to spread at the corners of my mouth, choked down the giggle rising in my throat and began to plan the "story" I would have to tell my Mom so I could take that bus trip to the promised campuses. 

Boomer Living - Where's the Pot of Gold

I have been gnawing on the whole retirement thing for a few years. Where, when, how? Today I listened to an interview with a Canadian author, Lindsay Green (and bought her book - thank you Kindle - The Perfect Home for a Long Life) and found myself stopped cold hearing her say out loud what many of my peers whisper to each other - most of us over the age of 65 are more afraid of living in a nursing home than dying.

My Journey Through Life - One Heartbeat at a Time!

My Journey to Health has become my journey through life - a new story I am scripting daily - or so it seems.  The ending exists in my heart of hearts but I only get glimpses of the details.   Along the way, I know I will engage with my world and revel in the smells, tastes, sounds and sensations - in countries around the world or from my own back deck.

This became so evident during our recent trip to SE Asia.  So much filled so few days, that the memories overloaded my communication zone - what to share without drowning my friends in post-trip euphoria?!  I have attempted to distill the experience into a few sensory phrases: smell, taste, sound and sensation!