Seeking Prince/Princess Charming

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. Books descriptions 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:

Ah, Valentine’s Day is here again. That means that a special someone will bestow upon us a present as a gesture of his/her love of wonderful us? Or, does it?

Everyone is looking for the perfect partner. Does such an ideal exist? For a few lucky ones, the answer may be yes. However, for the majority of us, the reality is that no human being with all of their imperfections and foibles can meet all of the needs of another.

The only thing one can do is reduce expectations and compromise, or go without partnering. Neither choice is the ideal, but it is hoped that the seeker will find some modicum of happiness.

Many have filtered through numerous potential candidates and eventual partners, always looking for the better one just around the corner. Online dating sites have made this churning speedier and more efficient. However, the constant testing and discarding these sites enable prove wearisome and disappointing.

The truth is that finding your own Prince/Princess Charming is most likely a pipe dream. It always amazes me when some man complete with beer belly and bad breath posts his ideal candidate as young, slender, and attractive, or an unkempt woman seeks a fit, good looking, financially stable man. What planet are these people living on? And, are those the traits that will guarantee you compatibility and happiness together?

If you are seeking a perfect mate, stop fantasizing and realize that all of us are only human. After all, are you the perfect Prince or Princess Charming? Probably not, unless you stepped out of a book of fairy tales.

Photo credit: RavindanLEGO on VisualHunt

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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.

Stability

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. Books descriptions 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:

What is stability? One definition: restoration to the original state after knocked off equilibrium.

Stability can be a factor in many different areas of our lives. Financial stability means that we have enough money to meet our needs and enjoy a comfortable life. Emotional stability is when our thoughts are on an even enough keel to yield happiness and contentment. Physical stability happens when our balance is such that we can move with confidence of not falling. Spiritual stability occurs when we have settled on a faith or belief system that provides comfort to us. Cultural stability means that we are part of a group with shared behaviors and pursuits. Social stability is when our institutions provide a secure framework in which we can function successfully. Global stability comes about when the world’s countries have a working relationship which provides for the benefit of all inhabitants of our planet.

Why is stability important? Because, when we are trapped in its opposite: chaos, we are thrown into a constant state of agitation, uncertainty, and fear. Such a condition contributes to ongoing misery, a horrible way to live.

Some people seem to “roll with the punches” no matter what life hands them. Why is that? Part of the answer probably has to do with their inherent nature. However, another contributor might be that they grew up in relative stability in the aforementioned areas and are better able to weather life’s storms as adults. None of us makes it through unscathed; we all encounter disruptions as the years pass. A solid foundation and ongoing framework of stability leads to a better outcome after the hurricane is spent.

No country or institution has figured out a way to provide continuous and complete stability to its inhabitants or members. As with so many things, each group sits somewhere on a continuum from high to low. Their stability depends on many considerations: leaders, followers, environmental factors, the advancement of time, and the like.

Stability can change in an instant. Don’t take it for granted! Identify those things that create stability in your life, seek them out, nurture them, and cherish them. You will have a happier and probably longer life if you do.

Photo credit: Amaury Laporte on Visualhunt.com

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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.