He wants to be a grey nomad!!!???.

Hi BB
There's a man in my house! 
Yes, I know that he's been here for a long time, but on & off.  Now, he's actually here!  Like - retired.  And I don't quite know how to handle it, and him. 
He's actually out of context.
C
ps - he wants to be a grey nomad!




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Our daughters don't even know they have been liberated.

Dear Babyboomers
R wrote,"I tested the waters today by trying to enlist my 30 something employees in a discussion of the the women's movement. Nothing, nada, zip. I fear we have done such a great job of liberating our daughters that they don't even know they have been liberated. In fact, it seems the most important items on their agenda are Facebook (their faces), the latest episode of Housewives of Orange County and how they look in a pair of jeans. I long for a meaningful discussion of a great book or a critique of a movie rather than a reality show. It seems that I have become an old model rather than a role model. Invisible to most everyone. And yet it is this invisible cloak that has liberated me. I can spend an entire day absorbed in my work without even a glance in the mirror. For me the blueprint to retirement is not to retire. I plan to spend every precious moment creating, designing, reading, recording, expanding. I hope we will be cogging for a long time to come."

Clara - I doubt if you will ever be invisible - your creativity and energy will rule that one out. However, "and yet it is this invisible cloak that has liberated me", is a very liberating concept to me. It takes me beyond my ego, my self as I present to the world, to a deeper level, where I can just be 'me'.

Our daughters are not really as different as the 70's feminists expected they would be - 'You've come a long way, Baby', appears from my observation of successful women, to put a lot of pressure on them to juggle work with family life. No doubt, however, if they choose this path, the climate is more supportive and their partners more aware of sharing the load. We should make sure that our daughters are taught this aspect of history in order to help them develop a perspective and if they choose to, take important aspects from the lesson and apply it to their lives

'Life is not a series of isolated ponds and puddles;
It is a river which flows from the past to the future
Only in the most literal sense are we born on the day we leave our mother's womb
In the larger, truer sense, we are born of the past - connected to it's fluidity,
Both genetically and experientially"......

Our children have grown up in a different pond, but it is all connected. They inherit what has evolved before their time, then like us, have their opportunity to make the most of it in order to survive and grow.

The process of writing has given me a new perspective (not always comfortable) where in looking to the past, patterns do emerge:- Creativity - always a different way of looking/thinking ; Enhancement of self and environment - (I love to decorate) ; Love of great food ; a passion for preparing food - creatively yet with health ; and wine (not always great but quaffable) ; Joyful appreciation and love of children, in particular facilitating their creative development ; and in latter years a love of writing, having fun with web pages which allows me to express the many ideas I/others have to share (children's books are on the agenda.)
Above all, the need / appreciation of loving stable family / friendship relationships emerges with prime importance. I have a need to be authentic and hope that my voice is true.

ps - the word 'successful' is one which today seems to refer to women who are out there in the work force. Society needs also to value highly the success of stay at home mothers for their stable contributions to the well being of the next generations.
Cheers Clara

http://www.shopatnextdoor.com/

Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year...

Loom knit cardi with hand printed birds, worn with flower necklace.

Bird Bath...March 12th


Hand printed as well. Is there no end to your creativity?

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Thanks for being my first follower

Celebrations - Multi multi thanks for being my first follower R. This is sooooooo important to me to know that someone has actually read my blog. A very good reason why it would be a fabulous win/win idea to somehow co-blog - perhaps a new term and I am not quite sure how it would operate but I love it.

Your lovely creative friend who is encouraging you to blog and be part of 'etsy' sounds very special.

A big relationship day for me today - future weddings have the capacity to stir up the past - which is happening. Even when one has the best of intentions, a phone call can undermine everything and bring it all to a whole new dimension.

Perhaps it is a time when everyone has to set aside the past and focus on the new positives.

New Year Resolutions

Hi Gentle Boomers
Prime time for bloggers to start tapping away, as the year draws to a close.

I actually like New Year better than Christmas, which has far too many expectations for my liking. New Year's Eve provides me with a greater sense of hope for the future, as one door closes metaphorically and another one opens with fresh new good intentions. Speaking of which, my New Years Resolution is to lighten up and release my 'Inner Dragonfly' - Prosperity and harmony - skilful action while maintaining a free and joyful sense of being. I attempted this process last year but I am new at this retirement stage and am not quite there.

2009 to me, doesn't merit any more discussion except that we seem to have gone full circle and that the world in general will benefit from a correction.
I scanned the papers for inspirational articles of which there were plenty. I'll leave all the really important events to others and concentrate on the ones which caught my eye (dragonfly like.)
'First Flush of Boomers Line up for Pensions', where our rapid ageing is causing general panic (what about us - we're the ones who have to put up with all these ageing emails which graphically describe our ongoing downward spiral?!) I am going to put a ban on such emails because to be quite honest the older I get the less amusing they are.

I have already outlived (agewise)the women in my family ie my maternal grandmother, my mother and my sister, with the paternal side of the family holding out more hope of longevity with my grandfather receiving a telegram from the queen when he turned 100. I don't even feel much older and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up! So, my state of denial is working very well thank you. Besides with stem cell procedures such as "Cells that turn into teeth spell doom for dentures" who knows what will be available in our lifetime.

Then the article in the SMH re "Man-cave manoeuvres" which highlights 'Because males process information internally they benefit from a place for quiet contemplation' - and informs us that real estate agents recognise the need for a special room to accommodate all of his manly belongings, an update of the study. Apparently, according to Hugh McKay we are increasingly staking our own spaces, as if the Information Revolution hasn't transformed our lives enough with people spending more and more time on computers, email and mobile phones and less on face to face relating.

Our relationships with each other have tended to become more complicated - "Court upholds parenting orders for lesbian partner" - the court found that the de facto partner was not live-in at the time of the artificial conception - and ordered that the mother have sole parenting responsibility but that the child spend time with the ex de facto partner.

Finally, the advice on "Learning how to use leisure well" seemed topical, "We engage in activities that do not bring us enjoyment and lasting satisfaction", and suggests we give more thought as to how we make the most of it. Pursue your passions and interests by doing the things we most value and enjoy - watch less TV, give shopping a miss, instead read a good book, visit new places, meditate and get plenty of physical exercise. Sounds good so get off the computer Clara.

Hope you all have a relaxing, satisfying holiday pursuing your passions and interests, and may 2010 be a better year for us all.

Cheers Clara