Don’t Let a Little Rain Stop You

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 called retirement. Her blog, public lecture, and new self-help 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. Synopses of her books follow her blog below. Both books are available at Amazon.com by clicking here and here. Her website is: LeeGaleGruen.com

Here we are in the middle of winter which brings with it the coldest iterations of H₂O. Brrr, we crank up the heaters and pull out turtlenecks, long underwear, gloves, fur lined boots, and extra blankets.

I’ve heard it said that when it rains in New York, people get wet, but when it rains in California people die. East Coast folks usually don’t let a little rain or even snow stop them. We Californians, on the other hand, hole up inside at such weather changes. I, having lived in the “Golden State” since toddlerhood, am among the guilty.

Covid 19 with its new Omicron variant has caused so many to isolate. Now, cold weather just ramps up that choice. Staying at home indoors becomes a habit which is hard to break. We become listless and depressed with such an agoraphobic lifestyle.

When too many days, weeks, or months are less than optimum, many of us can’t seem to adapt. It is disturbing when the status quo slips away. We like our comfort zone which is predictable and safe. The reality, however, is that nothing ever stays the same. Life is always changing.

All seasons have their delight. Winter is beautiful if you’re bundled up and comfortable. Skiers know this and frolic in the snow. Warm and toasty in their ski pants and parkas, they slalom down the mountain, skis parallel for speed or in snowplow position when brakes are needed.

The rider in this photo has turned a power mobility scooter into an all-weather vehicle. We can all do something similar to suit our own particular style.

Those who roll or ski with the punches seem to make it through life easier than those who are rigid and fight against change. Flexibility is the key. Tree branches bend in turbulent winds. Structures such as houses are destroyed.

Exchange the cloak of rigidity for a rain cloak. Then, grab an umbrella and go out and about although there’s a shower outside, even if it’s just to your car to drive to another destination. Enjoy nature regardless of its inclemency. Find the beauty in every season, and make it work for you. You will be uplifted and the better for it.

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SYNOPSES OF BOOKS BY: LEE GALE GRUEN

Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement Years: Find Joy, Excitement, and Purpose After You Retire (self-help): Not a one-size-fits-all approach, this self-help book for retirees, those soon to retire, baby boomers, and seniors offers an individualized, detailed guide to assist readers in discovering activities and pursuits in this new stage of their lives called 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. CLICK here TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON.COM.

Adventures with Dad: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Through a Senior Acting Class (memoir): After retiring at age 60 from my 37-year career as a probation officer, I mistakenly enrolled in an acting class for seniors.  A few weeks later, my mother died, and I invited my grieving, 85-year-old father to come to class with me.  This is the true story of our magical journey attending that class together for three years, bonding more than ever.  I wrote the comedy scenes we performed onstage twice a year in the acting class showcases, and all six scenes are included in the book.  I eventually transitioned into the world of professional acting.  As my fledgling, second career started going uphill, my dad’s health started going downhill.  I would recount to him each of my new experiences while I sat beside his bed at the nursing home where he resided in his final years. CLICK here TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON.COM.

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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.

Holiday Time with Friends vs. Relatives

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 called retirement. Her blog, public lecture, and new self-help 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. Synopses of her books follow her blog below. Both books are available at Amazon.com by clicking here and here. Her website is: LeeGaleGruen.com

Now, on to my blog:

We’ve all heard the expression which dates back to the 12th century: “Blood is thicker than water.” It means that you can always trust and expect loyalty from blood relatives, but not from outsiders. We’ve also heard the polar opposite saying first coined by Harper Lee of “To Kill a Mockingbird” fame that goes something like: “You can choose your friends but not your family.” This means that we pick those we like and feel comfortable with as friends, but we are always bound to blood family no matter how deceitful, duplicitous, or hurtful they may be to us. Occasionally, some rare few can fill both roles.

At this time of year where so many major holidays converge, it’s traditional to gather with family members around the dinner table featuring roasted turkey or goose with all the trimmings. Although the stereotypical event is portrayed in the media as a happy, joyful happening, that’s not always the case.

Maybe the holiday breaking-of-bread includes contrary Grandpa Morris, Great Aunt Lillian whose stories stretch on interminably, Uncle Joe who always tells those off-color jokes that make everyone uncomfortable, perennially pissed-off cousin Ethel, socially inappropriate nephew Sam, or the ever fighting and whinny grandkiddies. Perhaps your daughter/son-in-law manages once again to make that passive-aggressive comment that leaves you reeling. Possibly your own dear progeny devote too much time trying to pry more bucks out of you.

Holidays are artificially created, celebratory days or weeks. Dig a little deeper and you may find commercial interests lurking with their own version of prying more bucks out of you. Yes, from the point of view of those having no family members at all or any nearby with whom to spend the holidays, they may feel always on the outside looking in at a world they can’t enter.

Humans experience a sense of warmth and contentment spending time with people who make them feel valued and welcome. Friends may fill that role far better than relatives. If you fall into the category of nose-pressed-against-the-glass at holiday season, don’t forget that those with family members most likely have some relatives they’d never choose as friends.

Have a happy holiday season however you spend it and with whomever you celebrate!

Photo credit: Sirelroka on Visualhunt

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SYNOPSES OF BOOKS BY:  LEE GALE GRUEN

Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement Years: Find Joy, Excitement, and Purpose After You Retire (self-help): Not a one-size-fits-all approach, this self-help book for retirees, those soon to retire, baby boomers, and seniors offers an individualized, detailed guide to assist readers in discovering activities and pursuits in this new stage of their lives called 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. CLICK here TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON.COM.

Adventures with Dad: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Through a Senior Acting Class (memoir): After retiring at age 60 from my 37-year career as a probation officer, I mistakenly enrolled in an acting class for seniors.  A few weeks later, my mother died, and I invited my grieving, 85-year-old father to come to class with me.  This is the true story of our magical journey attending that class together for three years, bonding more than ever.  I wrote the comedy scenes we performed onstage twice a year in the acting class showcases, and all six scenes are included in the book.  I eventually transitioned into the world of professional acting.  As my fledgling, second career started going uphill, my dad’s health started going downhill.  I would recount to him each of my new experiences while I sat beside his bed at the nursing home where he resided in his final years. CLICK here TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON.COM.

***

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.