This blog is written by Lee Gale Gruen to help Baby Boomers, seniors, retirees, and those soon to retire find joy, excitement, and satisfaction in life after retirement. Her public lecture on this subject is titled: “Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement.” Her memoir, Adventures with Dad: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Through a Senior Acting Class, is available by clicking here Amazon.com. Click here for her website: http://AdventuresWithDadTheBook.com
Now, on to my blog:
Almost forty years ago, a wartime drama film, “Das Boot,” was released to movie theaters. It took place on a German submarine during WWII. Das Boot actually translates from German as: the boat. However, in my case, I am interpreting the literal English meaning: the boot–you know, for a foot.
Yes, the boot has come into my life. Although I don’t anticipate a submarine attack from my particular one, it’s arrival has similarities. It was stealthy, unexpected, and out of nowhere.
It started a few weeks ago when I was returning a rental car at the airport. While walking to the pickup area to catch my Uber ride, I failed to see that my narrow sidewalk–with rental cars whizzing by on each side–took one step down. Yep, one step down is how I went–horizontally! Long story short, I broke my fifth metatarsal bone in not one, but two places. Hence, “the boot.”
That minor misstep has cut me down. The boot, upon which I am dependent to get around along with an attendant cane, has ruled my life for several weeks now. It dictates where I go, how fast I go, and how often I go. Lacing up the six, mean looking Velcro straps of the contraption alone wears me out. However, I must do so several times a day for foot icing, showering, and sleeping.
Friends from out of town visited for a get-together we had planned months ago. I had to alter my plans to go out and about with them and to travel for a few days after they stayed in my home. I knew I couldn’t do the walking, hiking, hill climbing, stair stepping, metro riding, etc., so I begrudgingly opted to stay put as they departed.
So many unforeseen mishaps change our plans, routines, trajectories. Most people have had their own version of “the boot.” It commands your undivided attention while everything else is put on hold.
How do we survive a case of “the boot”? It’s not easy; it clips your wings. However, we must survive and carry on. I’m doing a lot of staying in/sitting down stuff: busy work that has been on hold for months, phone calling, clearing out my overloaded email box, mending clothes, etc. Actually, it feels good to get a handle on mundane things that have been relegated to the back burner and gotten out of hand.
Try to make the best of your down time. What other choice do you have? And remember, be careful–it’s dangerous out there, folks–sigh!
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I arrived some months ago at the San Diego train station ready to board an Amtrak Southern Coaster to travel up the coast of California on my way to my cousin’s house. I had not taken the train in years, and I was pretty excited about the whole thing.
I stated in a raised voice, “I apologize if I offended you, but you are always welcome to change your seat.” She did not respond.
I was sitting on a metro train a few weeks ago next to a woman with a Chihuahua in her lap. She kept stroking it and talking to it. The lady seemed a bit deranged. She had a knitted cap pulled over her hair, no teeth, and her clothing seemed mismatched. Parked in front of her was a baby stroller with a second Chihuahua in it. I’m sure both dogs occupied the stroller together when the woman was out and about on her daily routine.
Some people seem to think that they are more entitled to the goodies of life than others. They’re the ones who fight to be first in selecting everything. Here are a few examples: they rush to the best seats, cut in line, cherry-pick the choicest portion of the food, maneuver themselves into the most advantageous spots, grab the…well, you get the idea.
It’s easy to get left behind with the rapid-fire changes that have happened in our lifetime. New ideas, new discoveries, new ways of living, new technology, and on and on. Each time something new happens, it presents us with a steep learning curve.
Some months ago, I strolled a lovely community labyrinth. Some anonymous person or persons had searched for the stones, gathered them, hauled them to the site, and laid them out in an intricate maze, all so I could enjoy it and discover its message. Labyrinths date back more than 4000 years, and have been found all over the world. Although many dead ends abound for the labyrinth voyager, there is only one pathway which leads to the center–the goal.
