All We Can Do Is Approach

This blog is written by Lee Gale Gruen to help retirees, those soon to retire, baby boomers, and seniors reinvent themselves in this new stage of their lives. Her public lecture and recently published book on senior reinvention are titled: “Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement Years: Find Joy Excitement, and Purpose After You Retire.” Her memoir is: Adventures with Dad: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Through a Senior Acting Class. Both books are available at Amazon.com. Her website is: LeeGaleGruen.com

CHITCHAT: **MY BOOK IS PUBLISHED!** My new book is now available on Amazon.com. The title is the same as this blog and my public lecture: Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement Years: Find Joy, Excitement, and Purpose After You Retire. Not a one-size-fits-all approach, the book offers an individualized, detailed guide to help readers discover activities and pursuits in this new stage of their lives, “retirement,” based on their own likes and comfort level. I learned the secret the hard way transitioning from retired probation officer to actress, author, public speaker, and blogger. Audience members at my lectures on senior reinvention requested a book on the subject. This is the result, and it contains the content of those talks and six years of posts from this blog. BTW it would make a great holiday gift!

MORE CHITCHAT: I will be one of the presenters in a four-day, virtual summit online via Zoom. Here is the information and link:

For Seniors in Quarantine “Breaking the Isolation with Entertainment”
Hosted by: Babette Home Care
Date: December 2, 2020, 2:00pm
Link https://www.babettehomecare.com/lee-gale-gruen/ 

Now, on to my blog:

Life is a series of infinitesimal steps toward goals. We might think that the goals are such things as obtaining a job, finding a mate, amassing trendy material goods, and the like. However, scratch the surface and we see that drivers such as those just mask our true aims. What we are really seeking are feelings such as satisfaction, purpose, contentment, joy, purpose, and all the others that make us feel good.

The reality is that such feelings can never be attained completely. We might touch the heights momentarily, but there will always be the pull from the polar opposite and all degrees along the continuum that lurk and intervene as we meander haltingly toward the ends we crave.

We’ve all heard the old adage: two steps forward, one step back. None of us can escape that in our less-than-perfect lives. If it’s any consolation, it is part of the human condition–all of us, not just you.

That shouldn’t stop you from your quest. Use your skills and talents to propel yourself in the direction you want to go. When you hit that roadblock, and you will, work around it, over it, or under it. Rest for a while if you must. Regenerate. Then, forge on. The trick is to continue moving toward your aspiration regardless of setbacks.

During your travels, you might change methods and even goals, but that’s okay. None are carved in stone. You may discover that buying a yacht will not make you any happier than volunteering at the local charity of your choice. The target in this example is happiness or contentment, and they can be pursued through many different paths.

Find the size that fits you. Try not to stray far from the direct path with enticements that hinder rather than help you in your journey. However, if you do wander, just take note of it and push yourself back onto the truest trajectory. You’ll approach closer and closer to what you desire as you travel the right route.

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Please forward my blog in its entirety to anyone who might be interested and post it on your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts. To reprint any material, contact me for permission at:  gowergulch@yahoo.com. If you want to be automatically notified when I post a new blog, click on the “Follow” button in the upper right corner of this page and fill in the information. To read my other blog posts, scroll down on this page or click on “Recent Posts” or “Archives” under the Follow button. To opt out of receiving this blog, contact me at the aforementioned email address, let me know, and I’ll remove you from the list.

Photo credit: goatling on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA

Make Your Bed

This blog is written by Lee Gale Gruen to help baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those soon to retire find joy, excitement, and purpose after retiring. 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: LeeGaleGruen.com

CHITCHAT: I will be a presenter in a four-day, virtual summit online via Zoom. Here is the information and link:

For Seniors in Quarantine “Breaking the Isolation with Entertainment”
Hosted by: Babette Home Care
Date: December 2, 2020, 2:00pm
Link https://www.babettehomecare.com/lee-gale-gruen/ ​

MORE CHITCHAT: My new book on the topic of senior reinvention will be published very soon on Amazon.com. The title is the same as this blog and my public lecture: Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement Years. The book will contain all the material from my lecture as well as more than six years of posts from this blog. I will announce in this forum when it has been published and is available for purchase.

Now, on to my blog:

I remember my mother telling me when I was a new bride that to make my house look picked up, even on stressful days with no time for such things, “always make sure that the table is cleared and your bed is made.” I’ve carried that bit of sage, household advice with me down through the decades.

To this day, as soon as I get up in the morning to start my day, the first thing I do is assemble the pillows, sheets, covers, and bedspread into a neat, ready-for-company appearance. I mean I do so before I go to the bathroom, before I have breakfast, before I take a shower–well, maybe after I go to the bathroom, but the point is that I know if I don’t attack that job ASAP, it won’t get done. After all these years, it’s automatic; I don’t even think about it. On the rare occasions when I’m so rushed that I don’t carry out that task first thing, the bed tends to stay unmade all day, just as I knew it would.

So, why is it important in this day of COVID-19 and sheltering-in-place to tidy up your abode? We’re not inviting company inside anyway, so what’s the big deal; no one is going to see it?

The big deal is for our own psychological well-being. Those who live in a disorderly, unkempt manner are more prone to feeling down and depressed. We must do all we can in our isolation to keep our spirits up; we must be self-motivating. Maintaining a routine and having expectations of ourselves helps to that end.

Yes, do it for Numero Uno (practicing my Spanish here). You must work to feel good about yourself and your life. You must survive and thrive in these trying times.

Make a list if it helps so you will remember your daily routine, and follow it! Gather up those clothes strewn around on the floor from the night before, clear the table of yesterday’s dirty dishes, and make your bed rápido! (I’m on an Español roll.) Better yet, don’t leave the mess in the first place. Along with that, clean your house, apartment, trailer, cave, or wherever you reside: vacuum, dust, wash floors and countertops… If it doesn’t improve your mindset, at least it will provide you with a little free exercise.

Thanks, Mom!

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Please forward my blog to anyone who might be interested and post it on your Facebook, Twitter and other social media. To reprint any material, contact me for permission at:  gowergulch@yahoo.com. If you want to be automatically notified when I post a new blog, click on the “Follow” button in the upper right corner of this page and fill in the information. To read my other blog posts, scroll down on this page or click on “Recent Posts” or “Archives” under the Follow button. To opt out of receiving this blog, contact me at the aforementioned email address, let me know, and I’ll remove you from the list.

Photo credit: firepile on Visual hunt / CC BY