Time is ticking, the second half of life is underway, no time for slacking off, so let’s get ready to rumble, and rage, rage, against the dying of the light, eh?!
The Art of Aging Brilliantly
This is the post excerpt.
The Art of Conversation — Sages & Seekers organization creates magic when it brings younger & older people together
Warm-hearted Elly Katz, the founder of Sages & Seekers charitable organization, pinpoints one challenge that younger people have today in a blog called “The Art of Conversation,” explaining:
“In Fall 2015, MIT Professor Sherry Turkle’s book ‘Reclaiming Conversation,’ hit the bookstores (and Amazon), highlighting the unintended consequences of technology. Although I am painfully aware of the lack of empathy and other social-emotional skills in our young adults today, I found Turkle’s research and information fascinating, but also disturbing. In her first chapter, she quotes the Dean of a Middle School in upstate New York, ‘Students don’t seem to be making friendships as before. They make acquaintances, but their connections seem superficial.’ This lack of a deeper connection, leads to a lack of empathy, and a deficit in many areas of development.”
This smartphone obsession has obvious and negative impacts — instead of technology bringing us together, it’s actually driving wedges between human interactions. For example, according to a new global study by B2X, nearly a quarter of consumers feel frustrated, lost, stressed and sad without their smartphones.
B2X, the leading provider of customer care for smart mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, also notes that, “Consumers will give up family and friends, even go to prison to not lose their smartphones.”
Really, like, wow! In a bad way!
And young people have it really bad — 25 percent of Millennials check their phone more than 100 times a day as opposed to less than one tenth of Baby Boomers.
But Elly Katz sees conversation as an answer to the challenge of this disconnect, continuing:
“We are living in a technological world. A quarter of American teenagers are connected to a device within five minutes of waking up. Eighty percent of teens are sleeping with their phones, and send over one hundred texts a day. And forty-four percent of teens do not unplug, ever, not even in religious services or when playing a sport or exercising…we have sacrificed conversation. We turn away from each other as we turn to our phones. (But) in order to fully understand and engage with the world around us, we must be in conversation. ‘It is the most human, and humanizing thing that we do.’ Face-to-face conversation is the cornerstone not only for empathy, but democracy as well.”
The charitable foundation Elly founded, Sages & Seekers, attempts to address this “communication breakdown” (as Led Zeppelin once sang) by creating its Experiential Learning Program, which brings savvy seniors and hopefully inquisitive students together to simply have…a conversation.
Although Elly says the program was designed to help our elders, they quickly discovered that each student became invested in the experience: “In fact, they loved it. Many have said the Sages & Seekers program was the highlight of their school year. And, when you bring these two generations together, it’s pure magic…”
One elderly female “sage” tearfully and insightfully expressed: “There was an intellectual exchange and an emotional connection. That’s what the world needs more of. We need to be able to connect to one another as human beings. We need to be able to have empathy, and compassion for one another. If we’re ever going to improve it, no matter where we live…we need empathy and compassion and the willingness to get to know another human being, as just that, another human being.”
The Beatles once hopefully sang, “All You Need is Love,” and I intuitively think they were spot on.
So, maybe, that’s what it takes, the vision and desire to bring younger and older people together, to have a conversation. Elly Katz and Sages & Seekers seems to be on the right track.
Check out Sages & Seekers. And watch for contributions to the Art of Aging Brilliantly by Elly Katz.
GO BONKERS on colorful vegetables/fruits, lose excess weight, seriously cut back on saturated fats, and stay off prescription drugs — if you have high Total Cholesterol
Listen, TIME is the scarcest commodity we have, and it’s ticking as the second half of life is underway. There is no TIME for slacking off.
I had a infectious illness earlier this year (the worst and only serious illness I’ve had in 25 years). So, I just stepped up my pretty healthy lifestyle anyway. I plan to live forever, or die trying, eh?!
But listen to this other person’s story. A public transit operator I know in LA works out a lot but his Total Cholesterol just spiked and his doctor wanted to prescribe a statin drug like Lipitor. My pal didn’t want to take it, so he asked me what I do to keep my cholesterol levels down.
Basically, I’m serious about my “second half” — I swim daily each morning and stepped it up to also now walk every afternoon; I’m not “religious” but I mostly avoid dairy products, and totally avoid meats like beef, pork, lamb, veal, and goat which are high with saturated fats; and, I’m now going bonkers on fresh fruits and vegetables — my choice of colorful protein-rich plant foods include garbanzo beans and various lentils, along with nuts and seeds over meat, especially red meat.
Sorry, you steak and hamburger lovers, and I was one, but red meat is a killer. It’s now been 15 years since I’ve had a steak, it can be done!
Hey, since it’s summer, delicious and satisfying salads are easier to make and I’ve got one killer “peasant salad” recipe from Chef Joe DiMaggio that just rocks and includes fruit, veggies and tasty flax seeds. No excuse, really.
As for taking those drugs, Fuggedaboudit!
Have you seen side effects of a drug like Lipitor, well, here you go:
Lipitor (atorvastatin) is a statin used for the treatment of elevated total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, and to elevate HDL cholesterol. Side effects of Lipitor include: constipation, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, heartburn, headache, mild muscle pain, and, oh yeah, GAS! Contact your doctor if you experience serious side effects of Lipitor including: wasting muscle and muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) — I don’t even know what that is; confusion or memory problems — well, that goes with the territory of getting older but who wants more confusion; fever, drowsiness; dark urine (oh, great); increased thirst or hunger or even loss of appetite — I don’t get it, how can two opposite symptoms be in play here; yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice) — you cannot be serious!
Like I said, Fuggedaboudit!
Time is ticking for us Boomers, so let’s have fun with food, and find healthier alternatives to all the crap that raises our cholesterol levels, okay? ‘Cause our only true wealth is our health!
Pot-Related Products—from cannabis grow books to inexpensive stoner gifts—Increasingly Available on Amazon for Us Boomers
Fifty years ago in the Summer of Love, young boomers born in the 1950s were turning onto pot in North America.
Fifty years on, with Canada legalizing marijuana by July 1, 2018, and eight U.S. states now allowing recreational marijuana, those same boomers make up the fastest growing group of pot users. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that from 2002 to 2014, marijuana use among those 55 to 64 years old rose by 455 percent. Another survey found that people who started using marijuana before age 30 made up half of all those over age 50 who said they had used marijuana recently.
BTW, that’s us Boomers.
On July’s first weekend, “green” firework displays, long lines marked the start of recreational marijuana sales in Nevada— making it the eighth state to allow the purchase of pot in dispensaries. But if you Boomers visiting Vegas are hoping to find pot dispensaries on the Strip, fuggedaboudit—due to state casino laws, for now. But, in California, where recreational pot sales will become legal January 1, 2018, a technology company called Eaze already delivers medical pot right to your home!
In anticipation of these massive changes in the marijuana laws, Amazon.com is selling all sorts of marijuana related products and services: books (The Cannabis Grow Bible, Medical Marijuana, Cannabis Edibles, Cannabis Extract, Cannabis Cookbook, The Cannabis Encyclopedia, Cannabis Pharmacy, Cannabis Growing); products like rolling papers, apparel/jewelry, etc.
There’s even “50+ Stoner Gifts You Can Buy on Amazon for Under $20” including: Mini-Hookah; Electronic Herb Grinder; Pot Cookie Cutter; RAW Bundle (sampler set); Canvas Storage Bag, among so many other cool pot related gifts for medical and recreational users, alike.
And, increasingly, there’s “Sponsored Links” on Amazon offering services such as: Top Herb Stocks to Buy; Cannabis Business Recruiting; 420 Lifestyle PR; Cannabis Business Consultation; and, Cannibas, up to 75% Off!
Wow, I know, right?!
So, put ‘em on! Light ‘em up! And, nibble on ‘em! Or, not!
“The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get” — User-friendly Corkscrews for the “Wino Forever” in All of Us
Perfect gadgets for us “Wino Forever”
Another great advantage to aging is that we can get away with more things. Hey, if you want to have that extra glass of wine, why not? And, who really cares if someone else calls you a lush, because you know what, we’ve earned it. Even actor Johnny Depp, who at age 54 now qualifies for AARP membership, is proud to show off his ink on his right arm that now reads “Wino Forever!” It was formerly in honor of his lover Winona Ryder, but she left, and he’s still proud to be a “Wino.”
Anyway, with summer now fully underway with the Canada and Independence Day holidays already celebrated, if you really do enjoy your wine, then you should have a corkscrew/wine opener that is idiot-proof, right?
Here are some of the top corkscrews as ranked by the Independent. Not all are available over here, but for us professional or amateur oenophiles, these openers rock.
In no particular order, they include: Le Creuset Waiter’s Friend corkscrew; IKEA 365+ VARDEFULL corkscrew; Alessi Anna G corkscrew; Brabantia Classic corkscrew; Brabantia Napoleon corkscrew; Vacu Vin Twister; Le Creuset LM350 Trigger corkscrew; and, my personal fave, which I bought in Sweden and have been using non-stop for 15 years, the Screwpull Classic Table Corkscrew and Foil Cutter.
If you get one of these, you’ll be good to go, trust me. And to top it off, we always need something to cork the unfinished bottles. The Proimb Wine Saver Pump Preserver can helps create an airtight vacuum that preserves wine once the bottle’s opened, preventing the oxidation process that’s responsible for the deterioration of wine. It can help keep wine fresh and for up to two weeks, and it also comes with four bottle stoppers, to also help the wine not go bad.
So, drink and sip away, you fellow “wino forever” because no one’s really watching! Cheers!
Oi, it’s “Getting Better” all the time “With a Little Help From My Friends” especially “When I’m Sixty-Four!”
We could use the timeless track names of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band recording by The Beatles to write our own Boomer story, to wit: “Good Morning Good Morning” because even though “Lovely Rita” well, “She’s Leaving Home” but truth is, it’s “Getting Better” all the time “With a Little Help From My Friends” especially “When I’m Sixty-Four” and even more now that we totally get what “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is all about—LSD, love’s secret domain, right?
The Art of Aging Brilliantly — or, I plan to live forever, or die trying!
“He who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age…” — Plato
Okay, I’m jazzed, that Greek fellow is right, let’s get started! What, you’re feeling a little sleepy? Sleep when you die, I say. I’m more of the Groucho Marx ideal, I plan to live forever or die trying. Or, something like that. Because if you’re 40 or older, and think the long slow slide home is underway, well, it might well be. But let’s not get our knickers in a twist. Let’s not go out without a fight, eh? Rage, rage against the dying of the light, and all that rot!
So what if the first half of this game of life is over. I mean, we’ve got so many cool gadgets and doohickeys and gizmos today to make our second half more fun and even easier. Let’s list a few: like wine, we should be getting better with age, making better decisions, like kicking back to enjoy a nice rich, bold glass of something red — and, I have the perfect wine opener, the Screwpull, because it never fails; my pals, John and Becky Fulgoni, now have quality time on their hands, and like to take hiking vacations to verdant places like Wales and New Zealand, so John recommends the Osprey Talon 22 pack as your go-to carry solution for day hiking; you’ll need a perfect wallet to stash your valuables like the MKC “Swiss Army” Wallet, which holds everything but the kitchen sink; and, if you always like to have energy bars or athletic recovery snacks close at hand, check out these healthy cannabis superfoods. Hey, why not, let them sue you!
So, in upcoming “The Art of Aging Brilliantly” Blogs, we’re going to have some fun, mention doohickeys and gizmos that can help us during our second half — hey, the game ain’t over till Tottenham-born Adele sings! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink…
The Art of Aging Brilliantly 