Technological Advances

Some years ago, one of my sons gave me a cell phone as a Christmas gift because he didn’t want me traveling alone without a means of communicating in case of problems.

            It made me feel secure. I have upgraded it a couple of times, but it’s still just a phone which allows me to make calls, send texts and take pictures. That’s all I need at the moment. It certainly is not as smart as my children’s and grandchildren’s devices which keep them connected all the time with apps for anything and everything.

            It seems to me technological innovations have been coming on stream at an amazing pace in the last few years. Faster than at any other time in the past. Those of us who remember when The Beatles took the pop world by storm, have seen many new technologies over the years, but these changes were gradual. Today you turn around and some new gadget is in the offing. You’ve got to upgrade your computer before being completely at ease with your current software or touch-screen capabilities, CDs (marvels that would never wear out) have given way to Blu-ray, etcetera. To say nothing of eyewear that can take pictures and keep you connected to the Internet.

            In the early 80s, a calculator watch made by Casio hit the market and was considered a marvel. BTW it still sells online. Today we can keep in constant touch with the Apple watch and a choice of apps. Personally, I’m not sure that I’d want to use a screen that small. Those of us who make use of reading glasses most certainly prefer using something a little larger.

            And what’s in the future? Now there is talk of apps being developed so they can be applied to clothing. So you’d wear your t-shirt and press one of your apps when you need info or data. As a woman, I’m not sure I’d like that. For example, would there be a guarantee that the apps would not be offensively placed?

            And there is also talk of apps being developed for use in cars. The idea at the moment is that hand gestures would activate their use. I can just imagine what that would look like! Should be fun for other drivers!

            And selfies could take on a whole new meaning with cameras on personal drones. The idea is that you would be able to get a video of yourself as you do things like walk, jog, ski or run with the camera turning around you. I don’t know about you, but I can see a whole new world of problems if everybody gets one!   

And what else? The question right now is whether or not we should be afraid of artificial intelligence which could one day outsmart mankind. I’ve got an idea, why don’t we perfect artificial intelligence to eliminate terrorism. Would that not be great for all of us?

 

 

 

Summer Wear

As we age, like it or not, our bodies change. We tend to put on a few pounds and may find ourselves with some bulges that were not there just a few years ago. To me, that means that dressing to camouflage accordingly is important if we want to look our best.

            This summer, as I people watched, it became quite clear that not everyone is concerned with dressing to suit their bodily shape. I saw women of a certain age, who should know better, trying to look young by cramping fat hips into leggings better suited for teenagers with perfect shapes, while others were wearing tight tees that emphasized expanding waists. 

            And then I saw men wearing belts that emphasized fat bellies. To me, trying to minimize those bellies under loose shirts would have been a better choice.

            I find that in the summer months, some people seem to care little about the image they project and what people think of their attire no matter their shape. Nobody is perfect, right? Of course, but that doesn’t mean that we need to bring attention to aspects of our bodies that have found a way to expand over the years.

            A friend of mine who has put on a few more pounds than she would have liked, now dresses in flowing tops and skirts. She avoids clingy knits that look great on those with perfect bodies, but have a different effect when worn by less-than-perfect bodies. As a result she is always elegant, no matter the time of day or the occasion.

Of course, we should live and let live, but I say thank God that we can look forward to many cooler months when everyone will need to wear a jacket or a coat, perfect for deemphasizing imperfections.

Summer Woes

After a few weeks away from my blog, it’s nice to get back to a routine.

           On a particularly muggy day in July, I remarked that it was hot; my son wisely replied:  Mom, it’s summer!

            It seems to me that no matter how many summers we have seen, we tend to forget that it does get rather warm in July and August in this part of the world. And by the same token, when winter comes around, we are somewhat shocked when the temperature dips to what we consider an indecent level.

            Perhaps it is in our nature to complain about the weather whether in winter or summer. One thing I’m sure of is that the complaints will multiply as climate change becomes more and more pronounced. It has been confirmed that the temperature of our planet has definitely increased in the last year and will no doubt continue to do so.

Can we reverse the trend?

            It all depends who is talking. Some say we are already well on our way to doing so, others have a more negative view of what lies ahead, not only temperature-wise but also climate change-wise i.e. that we’ll be seeing more and more natural disasters.

            One thing I’m certain of, is that the grandparents I know, as well as myself, are worrying about this uncertainty as we watch the young ones grow. What will happen in 30 or 40 years? Will the temperature of our planet affect human life itself? Perhaps not if the current trend of reducing dependency on fossil fuels and increasing our use of solar and wind power continues.

            The new electric cars are certainly a step in the right direction, and the concept is expected to be feasibly adaptable to aircrafts. Wouldn’t that be something? Instead of spewing waste from fossil fuel into the atmosphere as they soar, the countless planes that dirty our air every day would keep it clean for future generations.

            The part of me who believes that this is possible has a positive view of the climatic future. I pray it will become a reality.

             Now, something to make you smile: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. “It means carrying a child."

Summertime Grounding

Summertime and the living is easy, the old song says. The living is indeed easy in this part of the world after a harsh winter as we make the most of the warm months in the great outdoors.

            The good weather makes us all feel better, but there seems to be another reason for improved mood. According to environmental medicine which looks at the interactions between human health and the environment the surface of the earth offers energy linked to our health and wellness.

            I don’t know about you, but as a child being raised in the country, I still remember the pleasure of walking barefoot outside in the summer. Today, researchers call this and other outdoor activities in nature earthing. It essentially means coming into contact with the surface of the earth, something we don’t do often in our cities today.

            Summertime is a good time to reap the benefits of earthing which studies have found may protect against stress and depression and strengthens the immune system. It simply is a matter of being in contact with the earth by walking in a nature trail or in a forest, swimming in the clear cool waters of a lake, walking on a beach, camping, or simply relaxing with a good book under a lush tree. Or, for those with a green thumb, gardening, even if it is only in pots on a balcony.

            So much to do, so little time, so I’m taking a few weeks off from The Booming Life to enjoy as much as I can of this wonderful season and get grounded in nature. I will be back in August.

            Have a wonderful summer!

 

Successful Aging

Successful aging is the expression du jour these days. And rightly so. We talk of successful careers, successful marriages, and a slew of other successes, so why should we not talk about making aging a successful time of life? As we reach mid-life we should all be aware that it is up to each of us to manage the art of aging smart.

To me, it means being involved in life and developing effective strategies so that we can cope with change and feel that we matter. Social ties are important at all ages, but as we get on in years, things change because of life events. Children may move away, siblings and friends may die which may alter our family and social relationships. It then becomes imperative to get up and get involved in new activities as much as we can to meet new people.

But with age there is a tendency to become set in our ways. We do things the way we’ve always done them, so it can be difficult to take steps in a new direction, to step out of our comfort zone. I say hooray to those who try. A sixty-eight-year-old neighbor who recently lost his wife, was telling me the other day that he used to enjoy bowling when he was younger, so he decided to get back to it by joining a group that bowls every week. It’s a night out and for a while I forget my loss, he said. I think he’s definitely aging successfully. Especially since he’s also trying to grow a mustache, something he had been thinking of doing for a while. It’s great that he is finally taking the step.

We all have different abilities. When singing voices were handed out, I must not have been in the room because I cannot carry a tune, and I envy those who can sing. Like a former colleague who informed me the other day at lunch that when she retired a few months ago, she joined a choir. Good for her, I say. Not only is she making the most of her talent and extending her social circle, it is said that singing is good for the mind as well as the body.  Now that’s successful aging!

The choices are numerous. If you want to read about what boomers, some well-known, have and are still doing, take a look at Sanford Holst’s book Boomers Rock Again. It’s sure to inspire.

 

 

Amazing Creativity

           A while back I wrote “iPod in rice” on a piece of paper which I put on a container on the kitchen counter at my son’s house.  My grandson’s iPod had gone through the wash cycle and no longer worked. Someone had told him that putting it in rice would fix the problem, so I buried the device in the white grain. Since his parents were out, I thought it would be wise to put an explanatory note on the container.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect much. I mean, how could a grain as ancient as rice be of any help to such a modern device. But lo and behold, it was. A week later my grandson was proud to call me to tell me that his iPod was again working properly. I find that totally amazing. Don’t you?

The creativity of mankind is as old as time.  Modern gadgets result in modern problems, but somehow we are able to find adequate solutions. Perhaps that was the idea from the start. A “let’s see how long it takes them to figure it out” sort of approach by the Universe. I believe we have all the solutions. The trick is to be able to fit them to the right questions. And that’s what researchers are attempting to do all the time no matter their field of study.

Sometimes answers and discoveries come up totally by accident, whether it’s in the medical field or any other area of endeavor. Perhaps the Universe is the one guiding. 

Makes sense to me. If rice can be used to draw humidity from inside a modern electronic gadget and revive it, surely the same principle can be applied to countless elements in our world. All we need is to nurture our ability to be amazed. At any age.

 

 

 

 

 

A Question of Time

My eleven-year-old grandson was recently expounding on the reasons why, he believes, school days and holidays should be switched. He believes there are too many days when he has to go to school. I can certainly see his point of view. When I was his age, there was no end to the time spent in the classroom.

However, time is an amazing thing. It goes from being painfully slow to racing at the speed of light—or so it seems—in just a few decades. At first it loses its ability to stand still then begins to rush quite dramatically as if pushed by an undisciplined wind. When you’re busy with work and raising a family, there’s never enough time for all you want to do. And when you retire, whether it is a full retirement or you still work part time, you are amazed that there never seems to be enough time to do all the things you want to do, and you wonder how you ever found time to work. But you realize you’re not the only one to see time as an ever changing commodity when you hear your children bemoan the fact that they run out of time.

But seeing time fly by is not all bad. It reminds us that we’d better get busy doing the things we want to do and stop putting them off because as we all know, without warning, time could run out of steam.

The other morning I was leisurely working on shaping my toenails at 8 a.m. when I realized that the demands on my time have changed drastically. When people are going to school or working, 8 a.m. is a time of necessary rushing to catch the bus or the train, or to get in the car to make it on time. When you’re working at home, time priorities are no longer dictated by others. You are the master of your own schedule. Other people no longer impose time restrictions on you unless it is for important appointments like the doctor or the dentist.

The rest of the time you can sleep in when you’ve had trouble falling asleep the night before or when you stayed up to watch an interesting TV program or to work on a hobby. And you can eat when it pleases you, when you’re hungry rather than at the preordained time of a lunch break. Those things I find to be the most welcomed aspects of getting older. Finally, your time is yours, you are the master of your day.

That means that you can indulge in long lunches, you can travel city streets and highways when the traffic is less intense, you can grocery shop on a week-day morning instead of on busy evenings or weekends. And you can shape your toenails at whatever time pleases you. Or, can you?

The fact that your time is your own does not escape your children who feel they can impose on you to sit with the grandkids whenever … a day, or a week. You’re not doing anything important that week are you? they ask. Well, you say, we wanted to take a trip to wherever. You can do that anytime, can’t you? they retort. And since you enjoy spending time with the grandkids, how can you refuse!  And so it goes. Doing your own thing at any time is a road with a few bumps, but who’s complaining.