Category Archives: Aging Well

Dream the Impossible Dream

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Congratulations to swimmer Diana Nyad on her successful Cuba to Florida crossing. Diana’s success came on her fourth attempt at the age of 64. Emerging from the water at Key West on September 2, 2013, Diana is reported to have told waiting TV crews: “I have three messages: one is we should never ever give up; two is you are never too old to chase your dreams; and three is it looks like a solitary sport but it is a team.” After three previous unsuccessful attempts, this dream may have seemed impossible but Diane never gave up chasing her dream. Diane is the first person to swim from Cuba to the US without a shark cage. Whatever your dream, and however impossible is seems, today’s message is: dream the impossible dream then make it happen.

Conversations on Aging

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At 2Young2Retire, we are all about conversations that matter in the second half of life. Changing the conversation around aging is one of Karen Sand’s missions and her recent post on the multiple conversations on aging is well worth a read. Karen talks about conversations with ourselves, with our own generation, and with multiple generations. Convening these conversations is the work of 2Young2Retire facilitators. To read Karen’s article, go to: http://bit.ly/15djyDd

Happy Thanksgiving and The Cure

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I always knew The Cure as an English rock band originally formed close to my home town in Southern England but now I have learned “The cure is …” a transformational movie not only for those of us too young to retire® but for all ages. This transformational film experience is about how every human body is brilliantly designed for vitality and longevity. It provides inspiration on many levels and many of the important aspects of positive aging such as health, nutrition, and spirituality. Even Napoleon Hill, author of the best-selling book, Think and Grow Rich, makes an appearance reminding us of the natural law he describes as: “What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”

Another reminder in the movie and the three accompanying shorts is about the importance of love. In the season of gratitude, love yourself and everyone. Start by sending love your own way today.

So in addition to wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving, I encourage you to find out what the cure is… Cut and paste this link into your browser: http://thecureismovie.com/?page_id=395/#!/deployment_code=16589227mdswr1

Paul G Ward, Principal, 2Young2Retire

Celebrating Dr. Leila Denmark

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Leila Denmark’s passing last week has been well reported in the news media. Dr. Leila, 114 years old when she died, was world’s oldest practicing physician when she gave up her practice at 103 years of age. Dr. James Hutcherson, one of Dr. Leila’s grandsons, is reported to have said, “She absolutely loved practicing medicine more than anything else in the world. She never referred to practicing medicine as work.”

“You keep on doing what you do best, as long as you can,” Denmark told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I enjoyed every minute of it for more than 70 years. If I could live it over again, I’d do exactly the same thing.”

Dr. Leila Denmark is a wonderful role model for all of us who are Too Young To Retire®. We celebrate the life of this exceptional physician.

Maturity is…

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realizing that the brilliant thought is probably not original but feeling good about having thought it anyway.

OK, who said that?  I found it in my iPhone Notes along with poems I like, poem fragments that might grow up some day, reservation numbers, addresses of hot restaurants, and notes to self about this and that (mostly that).  I put it in  my Commonplace Book.  If you don’t have one of these notebooks that contain scraps of wisdom you encounter and hope to remember and maybe even USE, what are you waiting for?

I’ve Googled this quote and nada.  I know it isn’t original with me.  Well, never mind.  How about you take a turn here and send in some thoughts about what maturity means to you.  Use the comment box below and have at it.  All will get automatically published and maybe we’ll dream up some way of acknowledging the quote we deem the best.

It’s Not That Easy Being Gray

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(After It’s Not Easy Being Green, The Muppets)

It’s not that easy being gray,
hair the color of Spanish moss
hanging from the banyans,
absent the silky shine of children,
photographers’ models,
impeccably groomed socialites

It’s not that easy being gray,
hair the texture of wire
springing away from the scalp,
shocked at its own existence,
like it has lost its way
and doesn’t know where to roam.

Gray is hormone-sapped split ends,
dread-locks framing a lived-in face.
People tend to pass you over
‘cause you remind them
of things they would rather forget.

But gray’s the color of clouds before rain,
and gray can feel cool and friendly, like
a ball bearing that broke loose and rolled
free, far from home.  And gray’s what you get
if you’re lucky enough to live that long, and I think
gray is what I want to be.