sherryderen

Better Late Than Never— Sometimes

I was up-to-date in my profession, always incorporating new ideas in my research and writing. But lately I have realized that I am slow in incorporating some new products or inventions into my life. There is a theory that categorizes people in terms of how quickly they accept or embrace new technology or new ideas.Continue reading “Better Late Than Never— Sometimes”

Act Your Age!

As a child, I remember parents and others telling me to “act my age” — usually when they thought my behavior seemed immature — sometimes when they felt I was reaching too far beyond what was appropriate for my age. But what does it mean to “act my age” now as an older person whoContinue reading “Act Your Age!”

Silver Alert

There they were, at least seven people in wheelchairs who appeared to be in their 60s-80s, queued up and waiting for the boarding call at LaGuardia airport for the flight to Fort Lauderdale. My husband and I were waiting for this flight too; we travel to Florida two-three times yearly to visit family. As IContinue reading “Silver Alert”

Unassisted Living

On a recent visit to Florida, I called an elderly cousin and learned that her telephone number had been disconnected. Fearing the worst, my husband and I drove to her housing development, where she lived with her spouse, and learned that they had sold their home and moved into a senior facility. Checking the locationContinue reading “Unassisted Living”

My First Walker

I recently had to get a walker for a short time period. I had two tumors removed from my thigh that were benign, and the prognosis is that I will make a full recovery. However, because some muscles were affected during the surgery, when I left the hospital I was given a walker as aContinue reading “My First Walker”

WORRY NOT

I have always been a worrier. I have worried about important things, like the illness of a family member, a critical project at work, or concern about a teen-ager being out too late. Worry or stress has been shown to be useful, and can signal you to avoid danger or get into action, so IContinue reading “WORRY NOT”

Managing Doctors

For most of my life the doctors I saw were older than me, and it seemed that was how it should be. I believed that their age brought experience and wisdom. When I noticed that the pediatricians who took care of my children were my age, that seemed fine too. Their youth meant they mightContinue reading “Managing Doctors”

TO DO AND NOT TO DO

When I had a full-time job and two children at home, I prepared multiple “To Do” lists. The lists were long; they included necessary tasks related to family, work and friends. Each week I made new lists and prioritized items in the lists, most of which got done, eventually. Now that I have retired, IContinue reading “TO DO AND NOT TO DO”

Collections

I need to make room in my apartment for new collections. Since retiring I have some new interests, like reading biographies, learning more about my city, and keeping personal journals, so I need to make space for books and other things these interests require. I reviewed my collections in hopes of identifying things to discard.Continue reading “Collections”

Maintenance

As I struggled to stay in the “plank” position for one full minute I thought: “why am I doing something so uncomfortable?” After I finished and collapsed onto the mat I raised that question with my trainer. “For maintenance, that’s why” he said, “I am proud of you and often use you as an example.”Continue reading “Maintenance”