Category Archives: Inspiration

May3

Travel Adventure

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I recently took a mini vacation up north to visit my daughter, and her family. They have a small ranch, and live in a very rural area. I love it up there because I can sit in the middle of nature, and talk to all the animals.

I usually fly when I’m traveling alone, as I did this time. But things are different these days. The airlines have changed policies, and it’s a bit stressful trying to figure out exactly what is required of you. After watching many Youtube videos on the airline’s “New Rules,” I still wasn’t any further along than when I started.

I just didn’t want to get to the gate, and be turned away because my case was too large, or I had something inside that was the tiniest bit larger than they required. I’ve had my luggage gone through before, had things taken out and tossed. Some of it was my fault, I should have known better. Other times they pulled something that wasn’t too large and tossed it. That one really got to me!

All in all, because it was my daughter, there were many things that I didn’t need to bring because it was already up there. Lucky for me, the cary on’s that are required are really small now, and one has to be a really efficient packer to be able to get away with a mini cary-on.

The next thing was for me to mark my luggage so it would be easily identified. After spending hours selecting a bag that was just the proper fit at TJ Max, I then had to decide what to put on the side so it could be recognized. That took another day or so. After all it had to be my signature look!

Finally, after trying many different things, this is what I decided on. It took me about three days due to drying time. I’m happy with it, and it didn’t get scrapped up even after being thrown around by the people that love throwing baggage around.

I stayed twelve days, and had a very relaxing visit. My Granddaughter turned eighteen the 4th of April, and I love seeing her on her birthday. She picked a dinner place for us all to enjoy, and just to top it off, she had a very excellent place for the three of us girls to go for lunch the following day. It’s never an inexpensive trip, but it’s always a memorable trip.

How do all of you find these little get aways, or even big vacations? Do you get stressed out, or are you a chill traveler? Is it more stressful unpacking when you get home? If you are traveling with family, do you end up being host? My husband joyfully play host, and hostess every time. After all, what is Grandpa, and Grandma for?

I love going, but it’s really nice to get back to the comfort of my own home. Never do I feel unwelcome, but I am aware of the fact that my family needs to make me feel comfortable. I always feel relief when I can get on the plane, allowing my daughter and her family to take a deep breath, and get back to normal.

Thank you for stopping by and allowing me to share my little adventure with you. Until next time, “United we stand,” Karen

These are just a few pictures of the ranch, there are many more, and many more animals to be seen…

Mar1

Hair Color Choices for Older Adults

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As I adventured through all my years, I had so much fun with hair color. The only color I didn’t have was black, or anything dark. Being of fair skin, the darker colors washed my skin out. It just wasn’t done in the olden days. The days of Hippie Love, and sex, drugs, & rock ‘n roll. So having long hair with bleached blond was about where I belonged. I could never grow my hair very long. Maybe to my shoulders was about it. Probably because being a blond, I had fine hair, and adding it all up didn’t amount to the same thing a handful of dark hair did. The longer it grew, the more straggly it became.

Today as I’m approaching the Golden Years (ha, ha), I have let my hair go completely gray, or silver as I like to call it. Many of my friends have let their hair grow gray, and why would that be? It’s easier than taking time to color, they might be allergic to the dye, it’s very expensive in our present climate to budget that expense into our monthly obligations.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to look younger with even a slightly tinted hair color. I’ve thought about it, asked about it, but I’ve not done anything about it. Several of my friends who are older than I still color their hair, and it does make them look younger. They don’t seem to mind going to a stylist for color correction, and a cute cut.

For me I think attitude has more to do with looking younger than the color of our hair. And…I’ve always said I was going to grow old gracefully. Now that I’m saying it, gracefully sounds quite boring! So I’ll rephrase that statement.

I want to skid into home plate with a “paint brush in one hand, and a glass of Champagne in the other!” The other thing is, I’m not ready to skid anywhere!

I have oh so many thoughts and ideas. Thoughts that you only have when you get “Older Than Dirt!” I share them with you because many of us seem to have the same thoughts and ideas about staying upright, and the challenges facing us as we glide through our Golden Years. Hair, and hair color and/or length is only part of the exciting process of growing old, we have to make sure we have a positive attitude even if it seems impossible.

Well, what do you think? Gray or Red?

Let me know what you think about this subject, I would love a different perspective.

Thank you for reading my blog, don’t forget to send me a quick not with your thoughts and ideas. Much love to all of you, Karen

Dec21

Fun, What’s That?

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Lady in a hat.

We all had fun years ago. Some more than others. Sure life isn’t always a bowl of chuckles, and it comes differently to each of us, but at one time or another we had real fun. I hope in our own way, we still do have fun.

Growing old isn’t always fun, and it definitely isn’t for the faint of heart! Since we can’t change any of the old age stuff, negativity is a waist of time. I’m not waisting my time being grumpy, and complaining. The flip side of that is always being positive. That isn’t always easy either. What I can tell you is that each time you have a negative thought, be it nasty or just plain down, if that thought is replaced with a positive thought it will go a long way. Of course, that’s difficult also. But, if you keep doing it, soon it will work. I’ll be the first to admit that the bad stuff doesn’t go away, but before you know it, those negative thoughts will be much less consuming.

Dr. Weil from the University of Arizona is a man I’ve listened to for years. He is progressive in the sense that he believes we can go a long way by thinking positive. He also believes in clean food, but that is an entirely different blog..

Since we are heading into the Holiday season, I’m keeping this short. As usual, these are my ideas and opinions, you don’t have to agree with me. I’m ok with that, I think we should all have our own opinions.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy Chanukah, and if you have a different holiday you celebrate, I wish for you a magical holiday. Much love.

Thank you for stopping to read my blog,

Together we Stand, Karen

Dec7

Accepting our Flaws

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My dear friend Barbara’s beautiful waterfall.

Peace and tranquility is our ultimate goal! We each want that, and it seems when people get older, that’s exactly what seems to elude them. Why is that?

For me, this means accepting what is, and letting go of what we’d like it to be. Letting go of being perfect. Why is it that we look in the mirror and see all the flaws? Those flaws really mean we have lived, loved, gotten smacked down, and gotten up again stronger, and better.

That little old lady looking back in the mirror tells me not to be so hard on myself, you are beautiful the way you are. Just like everything else, accepting our beauty with all its spots, wrinkles, and scars is a gift. A gift we can give ourselves!

We all know this isn’t an easy ask! All of us are most critical of ourselves, but much more accepting of the flaws of other’s. Actually, my own girlfriends have been the ones to pull me out of despair, and hopelessness after a major surgery. If it weren’t for them, I’d still be a woman unable to leave my own home thinking everyone would be looking at me!

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This is what a support group looks like. These ladies are some of the most important women in my life. I wish all of you are able to gather a few really good friends you can support, and be supported by for whatever the reason.

Thank you Susan, Beth, Trish, and Sally for all your creative energy, and support when I need it.

Wrinkles…. That’s an entire different disturbing occurrence. Do I love them? Hell no! Is there anything we can do about them? Well yes and no. Without surgery, we need to give in and learn to live with them. They are stubborn little lines and crevasses. I don’t have as many as some, but more than others.

That is the way I reason away my flaws. [They aren’s as bad as some]. I also work very hard at seeing the good parts to someone, and not the flaws.

Gray Hair ……. Oh boy, how do we learn to live with yet another sign of aging? Gray hair is definitely a sign. I have always said, “I’m going to learn to live with all the things that go with getting older,” I didn’t realize how many things that meant. Another words, I’m going to grow old gracefully.

To be honest, I never thought I’d get old. I thought it was a lifetime away, why worry about it now. Little did I know that a lifetime away meant right around the corner! How does that lifetime slip away so fast?

I feel like I’m living in an alternate reality, I’m really only 40, and someone is playing a terrible joke on me. I’ve learned to love my gray hair. It’s nice to not have to color it every month, or worry about the roots showing after two weeks, so yes I love my gray hair.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have times of yearning for a color that would help me feel more vital, or a style becoming a much younger woman with a wild side.

Scars… Scars are sometimes telling and sometimes they can be emotional. We won’t get into emotional scars today. Many of us have had surgeries, or accidents leaving us with scars all over our bodies. I myself have a couple of, as I call them, zippers here and there. I can’t say they are beautiful, or that I love them, but they aren’t going anywhere, nor do I care to show them off.

We can’t do anything about scars, but once again, learn to live with them. Anything that can be covered up, for me, isn’t a problem.

Let us not forget this message of the Power of Positivity!

It will serve us well to be positive, to embrace the life we have, or change it for the better. It is so much easier to make an effort to be happy, and to keep a smile on our faces.

The right people will be attracted to a woman with a happy personality, and a beautiful smile on her face. Most people will love what is on the inside, and not even notice the outside.

Thank you for stopping to read my blog, I very much appreciate all of you.

Leave some feedback, and let me know how you feel about aging. I’d love to hear from you.

Together we stand, Karen

Oct19

We’re Getting Better & Better

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We’re Getting Better & Better

How do you feel today? As the weather gets cooler, everything changes, but we still can look fabulous even if we are a little off inside. For me I’m more stiff, everything aches, and now I need to get use to the new winter challenges. We are all alike, our challenges are different, but the boat is large, and holds us all!

I mentioned a while back about the Advanced Style, so now I’d like to show a video featuring some of the ladies from that group of very interesting women.

I love watching, and listening to all of them talking of their creations, how they feel about aging, & much more. It’s not a long video, but an interesting one.

The first thing I realized was that they are pretty much all from New York. I’m sitting here on the West Coast!” I know a lot of you are not in California, but I’m guessing we have different ways of dressing depending on where we live. So even though the women in NY are fabulously dressed, we are much more casual here in the west. Maybe it’s just an age thing. We dress up, it’s just a more casual dress up.

I went to the Opera several years ago, and my husband and I were all dressed up because it was the Opera. Hardly anyone was dressed nicely, and more than half were dressed in what I would call cleaninng clothes. The T-shirts. and jeans were dirty, and yes they were younger, but I was younger at the time too. The whole experience was so disappointing to me. The opera was great, but the people around me not so much!

As I watch women get all dressed up for little outings, ie: Doctor appointments, grocery shopping, even going to fuel up the car, I now understand why they do this. Is there any other time, or any better time to dress up? Now I’m loving being home, safely tucked away, able to do what I want, listen to my own kind of music, and dress up in my PJ’s if I want.

Personally, I put makeup on to make me feel good. It’s only to help me feel better each day, and just for me. Sometimes it’s a effort, but I still do it.

Let me know what you think of these interesting women…..

Thank you for taking time to read my blog, have a beautiful day.

Karen

Sep26

A Little Halloween Fun

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A Little Halloween Fun

Since I don’t really participate in Halloween any more, I thought I’d post a little collection of Halloween treasures my girlfriends and I have made over the years.

The pumpkin is real with succulents hot glued to the top. As long as you spray the succulents with water every couple of days, they last quite a long time.

I’ll bet you can’t imagine how much fun I had creating skulls! Each different, with their own personality.

The little skulls are even fun to decorate…

This skull is my favorite. By the time I painted, and decorated it, it started to speak to me. Something only artists may understand .

I hope you enjoyed seeing all my skulls, now I just have to pull them out this year.

Happy Halloween

Together we stand, Karen