Mid Life Celebration

Springtime Grass

The grass isn’t greener on the other side.

The grass is greener where you water and fertilize it.

(next blog)

Quotes Supply The Essence For Comprehension

Do you enjoy quotes? Most people do. What is it about quotes that draws us to them? For me, it’s the ability to summarize something profound in a small sound bite. It’s the simplicity that does it. What does it for you?

Here’s one of my favorites:

“It doesn’t matter what I say and do, it only matters what you say and do.”

Any guesses on who said that?

Main Street USA

Walt Disney died 44 years ago. Do you think he’d blog if he were still alive?

“Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestioningly” -Walt Disney

No Two Shells Are Exactly Alike

You are unique, just like everyone else.

Most people privately think they are special in some way.

And the rest of the world is challenged to believe this, because unless you are the tallest human, the fastest, the strongest, the smartest, the longest hair, the oldest – it’s really challenging for others to readily see your uniqueness.

But each of us is unique. Every single one of us. We have something that only we bring to the party.

“You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.” — Martha Graham

“The interesting thing about greed is that although the underlying motive is to seek satisfaction, even after obtaining the object of one’s desire, one is still not satisfied, it becomes limitless or boundless and that leads to trouble. On the other hand, if one has a strong sense of contentment, it doesn’t matter whether one obtains the object or not; either way, one is still content.” — Dalai Lama

Time Waits For No One

“It is no simple matter to pause in the midst of one’s maturity, when life is full of function, to examine what are the principles which control that functioning.” — Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973)

We reap what we sow.

Blinding flash of the obvious, eh?

Knowing Isn't Enough

“To know is to do.

To know and not do, is to not yet know.” -- Dennis F.

Common sense at midlife should come easy.

And it usually does.

However, most people don’t practice common sense.

So in reality, they really don’t have any.

What Do You See?

“If we could only see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” — Buddha

Not sure about you, but my days are a flurry of activity.  And I am fully aware that this busy pace can lead to many negative consequences.

And even in knowing and having awareness, it is still difficult to stop.

Your Clock Is Ticking

“Aspire to inspire, before you expire.”   — unknown

Before we know it, our time will be through. No second chances. No do overs.

If tomorrow never comes, will you be ok with that?

“Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.”   — Robert Collier

What is the difference between confidence and arrogance?

What is the difference between self-assured and boastful?

What is the difference between succeeding and failing?

Odds are we’ll fail.

But at least now we know how to increase our odds for success.

One Card Does Not Make A Stack

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”   — Robert Collier

Did you hear that?

Day in and day out.

Committed. Relentless. Focused. Confident.

Spring Grove, Pennsylvania

Mid Life Celebration readers, I am pleased to introduce our Guest Blogger, Lorie Sheffer, from York, Pennsylvania. Lorie and I graduated from Spring Grove Area High School in 1997 1977. Lorie has a spin on midlife that will entertain and enlighten you. You are in for a treat. Take it away Lorie….

My email box usually contains at least one “Stupid, clueless men” joke a week, sent by my gal pals. The most recent: Q: What is gross stupidity?  A: 144 men in one room.

This is one of the kinder jokes. Most involve man parts and the use/misuse of said parts. I’m not so politically correct or dishonest as to say some of this stuff isn’t pretty darned funny. But underneath it all there is this undercurrent of a battle of the sexes as to who has it rougher, especially when it comes to aging. As a woman who has always had male friends, I seem to find myself defending men more and more often these days.

I was out shopping with my grandson a few years ago and the check out girl at the grocery store, when speaking to him, referred to me as “Mom”. “She’s my grandmother”, Carter corrected her. I actually looked into that sweet little face of his and asked him to “Shut it!”  Actually, since I am trying to be honest, it was more of a hiss. Was I becoming so age obsessed that I had hoped if some kid who had an after school job checking groceries mistook grandma for mom that magically made it so?  As if “Grandmother” is a dirty word.  No wonder my grandson looked puzzled. To a small child, Grandma equals magic!

This was about the time the realization hit me. We women are so obsessed with our changing hormones and expanding waist, our hot flashes and our mood swings, we seem to forget that aging is no picnic for the men, either. We tend to talk about it, while men seem to remain quiet for fear of appearing weak. Notice what the overwhelming theme of the commercials are when “guy shows” are on TV. They usually involve a 50-something couple in claw foot bathtubs (I still don’t understand the tubs), baby boomers giving one another “that look” before dancing down the hallway toward the bedroom, or my personal favorite, the teenaged girls advising newly divorced Dad he would be dateable if he used some man-color on that gray hair of his. (Maybe someone should tell Mr. Clooney and Mr. Gere they would be attractive to women if only they hit the Grecian Formula.)

I honest to God have a male friend who colors his chest hair to cover the gray.  If men aren’t lucky enough to have hair TO color, then surely they can send for some Rogain. Because, grand sense of humor that God seems to have, men start to lose hair where they want it around the same time women sprout hair in places that send them running to the waxing salons in droves.

Our age group is being bombarded by an industry that is literally making billions of dollars by playing to our insecurities, when in fact most times all you need is some dim light and a little patience. Most men would be thrilled to have their wives call them sexy or hot of whatever words we use to describe the above-mentioned George and Richard. I would be willing to bet most men are so concerned with their own age related issues that they don’t notice if our legs (or chins) are freshly shaved.

Test it out; say something nice to your significant other. Give a genuine compliment once a day, and let them know you appreciate them. Really, I think that’s all any of us wants. Maybe if we all just stepped outside of ourselves and tried to see through the eyes of the opposite sex, we would realize that we all have our issues. We’re in this together.

A friend sent me an email forward photo of a pretty teenaged girl, circa 1968; below the photo was the question, “Where are the cute hippie girls from the 60s?”

I scrolled down to another photo, this of a totally naked, very overweight, out shape, gray haired woman in her 60s. She was covered with stretched out and faded tattoos of Woodstock era images. She wore only flip-flops as she walked down the street, head held high.  Amazingly, she looked happy.

Humor goes a long way, so long as the object of the joke is laughing WITH us.  As Robert Browning wrote over a century ago, “Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.”

Relax and Enjoy?

“What can be added to the happiness of a person who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscious?” — unknown

If ever there was a logical goal in life, perhaps this one should be near the top.

Simple.

Elusive.

Impossible?

They Could Ask You At Any Moment

“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence.” — Saint Peter

Perhaps hope is elusive to us during a midlife crisis.

Perhaps hope surrounds us during a midlife celebration.

All this time, I’ve been asking you to think about your answer to the simplest, but most important question a young person may ask you.

Are you inspired enough now to come up with your own unique and special answer?

Simplicity

Simplicity.

“There are single thoughts that contain the essence of a whole volume, single sentences that have the beauties of a large work.” — Joseph Joubert

So here’s my favorite:

Love.