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:
There is something about the color purple in all its hues that is intriguing. It’s rich and rare. The kings of old claimed it as their own, dubbing it “royal purple.”
Purple dye was first used in clothing in the 1200s BCE by the Phoenicians. It was obtained from sea snails found in the Mediterranean Sea. It was difficult to produce which made it expensive, so only the very wealthy could afford it.
Purple’s exclusivity carried down through the centuries and into the Elizabethan era (1558 to 1603). Colors, fabrics and clothing were strictly regulated as to which classes in English society could wear what. Only relatives of the royal family were allowed to wear purple. If it was part of your wardrobe, onlookers knew that not only were you of great means, but also that you were royalty.
Magnificent wisteria vines with their hanging, lavender flower clusters bestow that color upon us briefly in springtime. They surprise us in the most unlikely places such as alleyways, commercial businesses, parks, and residences. Other flowers also weigh in with breathtaking displays of purple.
We tend to use purple sparingly in our clothing, building colors, and everywhere else humans can choose the tints of commodities. It is almost too intense to use on an entire object or item to wear on our bodies.
Nevertheless, some have the audacity and confidence to flash purple in the most unexpected places. I came upon this purple car, a mustang convertible, that stood out in the parking lot of drab, mostly neutral colored automobiles. I can only imagine what the owner looked like. Did he/she/they wear exclusively purple attire and perhaps dye his/her/their hair to match? Or was the driver a milk-toast who blossomed briefly while in such a transport?
Purple of another shade is the color of the nectar of Dionysus (aka: Bacchus in Roman times), the son of Zeus (the big honcho). “Dion” held the enviable position of the Greek god of wine and the vine. He was believed to be responsible for the elixir which today we sip from special glasses with much decorum and ceremony. Wine has also been used historically by many religions and incorporated into their sacred rituals. On that point, I have to hand it to those early influencers of mankind’s spiritual beliefs; they sure knew how to party.
I’ve written in this forum before on the importance of color to the human experience. (To read my blog of 7-26-15: “Dare to Be Colorful,” click here.) Incorporate purple into your life. It brings boldness and excitement to its devotees.
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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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Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement Years 