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Creative Aging Expert
November 2009
In This Issue
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The Positive Aging Conference
"It's been said that the best way to predict
the future is to create it, and that's what
this conference will begin to do. We at AARP
see the aging of America as an opportunity,
and positive ageing is the future we want to
create." Harry R. Moody, Director of
Academic Affairs, AARP
I plan to attend the third Positive Aging
Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, at
Eckerd College December 7-9. This conference
is upbeat and talks about the excitement of
the 20 to 30 extra years of living retirees
are experiencing. It focuses on life
transitions, creativity, wellness, and
community. Keynoters are prominent people
in the field of positive aging like Dr.
William H. Thomas, founder of the Eden
Alternative and the Green House Project;
Susan Perlstein, Director of the National
Center on Creative Aging; and author Richard
J. Leider. View
agenda.
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Book Coming Out
My 16 years of retirement have been filled
with spectacular adventures in the
out-of-doors — a bicycle trip across
America,
hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, cross
country skiing in Yellowstone National Park,
kayaking in the Florida Everglades, to name a
few. I will share them in a small book,
working title: Appalachian Trail Stories
and Other Adventures. Five of the
stories take place on the Appalachian Trail,
two are of my recent nine-day Elderhostel
wilderness canoe trip on the Allagash River
in Maine, and two describe backpacking trips
in Sequoia National Park.
My plan is to have it available in time for
Christmas. If you are interested in
purchasing a copy, send an e-mail to etkimball@aol.com,
and I will inform you when it is available.
The price is $12 plus postage.
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Passion and Aging
Heather Hill writes about passion and aging
in the Latrobe University Gerontology
Association newsletter. Passion is probably
the last thing one associates with older
people, so I felt it was worthwhile sharing
the words of two older women who had led full
and active lives, living well into old age,
and who wrote of their experiences of
aging.
In Florida Scott-Maxwell's book, The
Measure of My Days: The Private Notebook of a
Remarkable Women of Eighty-Two, passion
is a prevailing topic. She writes, "As we
age we are more alive than seems likely,
convenient, or even bearable. Another secret
we carry is that though drab on the
outside-inside we flame with a wild life that
is almost incommunicable."
Passion is also experienced intensely by
Elisabeth Polk. She eschews being "old," by
which she means how we stereotypically think
the old feel and behave. Instead, she
retains her playfulness and enthusiasm,
perhaps more so than the young because with
age one knows how to savor and enjoy the
everyday.
"I am considered an old woman — at
least to a
stranger looking at me. I can't believe it.
I don't feel old. What is 'old?' If I
can't laugh, heartily laugh, and enjoy little
things that must be 'old' behavior. I look at
the fresh fallen, fluffy, white snow and I
want to touch it, taste it, and put my face
into it. I want to throw snowballs-a big one
at a passerby! Is this the proper behavior
for an old woman?"
"Can I cry? Yes, but I don't waste my life
on trivia. There is so much joy in watching
a young mother nursing her baby, watching
stars come out, and turning a dark sky into a
shiny Christmas tree, watching children
running home from school, bursting with
energy, throwing their schoolbags at one
another. Telling them to stop is for old
ladies. I watch and laugh. This is life.
Dear God, keep me alive — not just
living, and
I shall never feel old."
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Doing Less
Are we all supposed to aspire toward "Active
Aging?"
Maybe not. "Doing less can actually be very
hard. Too often we mistakenly believe that
doing less makes us lazy and results in a
lack of productivity. Instead, doing less
helps us savor what we do accomplish...Every
day has great meaning, but the meaning can
often be obscured by the fog of constant
activity and plain bad habits. Doing less
leads to more love, more effectiveness,
internal calmness, and a greater ability to
accomplish more of what matters most to us,
and by extension to others in the world."
From LESS: Accomplishing More by Doing
Less by Marc Lesser as quoted in August
1, 2009, Human Values in Aging newsletter.
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Vacation on a Cargo Ship
Some cargo-ship companies make their
freighters available for a limited number of
guests traveling to several exotic
destinations, sometimes for less money than a
conventional cruise. You have your own room,
TV and movies, reading and exercise rooms,
but no planned activities except for meals.
Often on ships with less than ten passengers
you share meals with the ship's crew and get
a personal tour of a working freighter.
Lounging on the deck is very peaceful.
However you do share the deck with massive
cargo containers! For more information go
to: FreighterCruises.com
or FreighterWorld.com.
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Dying Happy
This Associated Press article caught my eye.
"The husband of U.S. Rep. Carolyn B.
Maloney, D-NY, has died on a climbing trip in
the Himalayas, aides to the congresswoman
said yesterday. Clifton Maloney, an
investment banker, had finished a successful
ascent of Cho Oyu, at 26,906 feet the world's
sixth-highest mountain, when he died. He was
71. His last words were, 'I am the happiest
man in the world. I just climbed a beautiful
mountain.'" What a way to go!
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Words to Live By
I found this bit of advice by Eckhart Tolle a
very good mantra for my busy life full of
unexpected twists and turns.
Whatever the present moment contains,
accept it as if you had chosen it.
Always work with it, not against it.
Make it your friend and ally,
not your enemy.
This will miraculously transform
your whole life.
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Canoeing Adventure in Maine
This September I joined four seniors age 70
to 80 on a nine- day, 70-mile wilderness
canoe trip on the Allagash River in Maine.
This adventure was sponsored by Elderhostel
and led by Chenowki Outdoor Center staff
members, Alana and Colin. The Allagash is
close to the Canadian border in the north
Maine woods and very remote. It was not
unusual to see golden eagles and bald eagles.
The soothing call of loons lulled us to
sleep. One night a moose clopped through our
campsite banging his rack on the trees. The
group bonded and the two leaders in their
mid-20s were talented and fun. Alana worked
as a "personal chef" in her other life. We
ate amazing gourmet meals complete with wine
and fresh fruit. Colin played his fiddle
around the campfire at night singing songs he
had composed. We even survived the class
three Chase Rapids, but that's another story.
To hear more about this exciting trip, buy
my book of adventure stories mentioned above.
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Elderhostel Takes New Name
Elderhostel has lowered its age range and
taken an additional name, Exploritas.
Participation in Elderhostel trips has gone
down over the years. They are looking to
attract a younger boomer crowd from 45 on up.
The average age of current Elderhostel
travelers is 65. I can't decide how I feel
about this. I often hike with groups where I
am 10 to 20 years older than most of the
participants. However, I really enjoyed the
over 70 group on our canoe trip.
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Upcoming Adventures
In January, several of us from the Richmond
Hiking Club are going on a ten-day Caravan
Tour of all the environmental hot spots in
Costa Rica. A friend and I will remain in
Costa Rica another week visiting with Peace
Corps friends at their Spanish Immersion
Camp. In February, I will return to
Yellowstone National Park for a five-day
cross country skiing trip with Yellowstone
Expeditions. I skied there several years ago
and it was the trip of a lifetime. We stayed
in heated yurts and skied in remote sections
of the park passing close by bison and elk
and viewing the resident wolf pack. At the
end of the day we soaked in hot springs
surrounded by snow. More information about
these trip offerings can be found at yellowstoneexpeditions.com and caravan.com.
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