Conversations with Calliope- The Old Gray Mare

(New Orleans Moss)

It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.~ Mark Twain

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. Out of bed a bit late aren't we?
JOE: I've been up but not functioning on all cylinders.
CALLIOPE: Are you ailing?
JOE: I don't think so. Perhaps it is the change in my routine. I got back to the gym on a regular basis this week and worked three days in a row.
CALLIOPE: So you are still adjusting to being back in the real world?
JOE: I suppose I am. I didn't think it would be that much of a change.
CALLIOPE: You're not getting any younger.
JOE: The old gray mare and all that.
CALLIOPE: Well said.
JOE: I also have my column, blogs and a new writing project to fit in. Maybe it's time to consolidate.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps so.
JOE: Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Long in the Tooth

(Preservation Hall)

It is sad to grow old, but nice to ripen.~Brigitte Bardot

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Not bad. I had my annual physical yesterday and found that I had few signs of aging.
CALLIOPE: I suppose that's not surprising.
JOE: It's better than the alternative.
CALLIOPE: Anything serious?
JOE: No. Just little things that most people face as they grow older.
CALLIOPE: How do you compare with others?
JOE: I don't have any life threatening or debilitating conditions. I did have a bout with rheumatoid arthritis but now that's under control.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you're doing better than most people.
JOE: I think so. I count myself fortunate to be in such good health.
CALLIOPE: Do you need to make any adjustments?
JOE: I will have my vision checked to make sure nothing serious is going on. I also need to get back on the track with my nutrition since I have put back on some of the weight I lost.
CALLIOPE: In other words, you just have to be a little more careful.
JOE: Correct. I can't just take my body for granted. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- The Aging Purple Cow

(Original Wall- Tower of London)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: I'm fine other than being a little sore from shoveling mounds of snow.
CALLIOPE: That's what you get for living in Western New York. You have a rather intriguing title for our discussion today.
JOE: You noticed. I suppose you would like an explanation.
CALLIOPE: Indeed I would.
JOE: Okay. I have been reading two books recently, Seth Godin's Purple Cow and Joan Chittister's The Gift of Years.
CALLIOPE: What do the two have in common?
JOE: Not much on the surface. Godin's book is about marketing and how what works is being unique and appealing to those who appreciate your uniqueness. Chittister's book is about reevaluating aging, looking at as the freedom to be creative after the demands of earlier life are relaxed.
CALLIOPE: Got it. So what's the connection?
JOE: I'm working on marketing for my writing and also not getting any younger. Aging is an opportunity to let my uniqueness shine without worrying so much about what people will think about it. It's a freeing idea.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do about it?
JOE: Stop censoring my ideas so much and start making better use of the unique insights I have gained over the years.
CALLIOPE: Sounds good.
JOE: Stay tuned. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Life and Writing Priorities

(Oatka Geese)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. You mentioned Joan Chittister's book yesterday. Any further thoughts about what she has to say?
JOE: I haven't finished reading The Gift of Years yet but so far I have read about her thoughts on the challenges and fears of growing old and look forward to reading her thoughts about the opportunities.
CALLIOPE: What do you think got you interested in this topic?
JOE: I just celebrated ( I was going to say "had") my sixty-sixth birthday. It seems like it crept up on me. Joan would say that people perceive us as old even if we don't feel old.
CALLIOPE: Do you feel old?
JOE: Not really. I have some difficulty with arthritis which I never had when I was younger.
CALLIOPE: So you're doing okay physically?
JOE: I can't complain.
CALLIOPE: What about psychologically?
JOE: I feel released from family and work responsibilities and able to set my own direction without anyone else getting upset about it. That's a freeing feeling.
CALLIOPE: What are you going to do with it?
JOE: I was thinking this morning that none of us knows how much life remains. There's no point fretting about it. Many people don't live as long as I have already.
CALLIOPE: So what challenge remains for you?
JOE: Right now, to use my writing to continue unfolding life's mysteries for myself and helping readers make the best of their lives for their benefit and that of others they encounter. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Golden Sexuality

Key West Sunset

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: I thought you took the day off.
JOE: Actually I was up before five, read the paper and went back to bed. I got back up and went shopping. Now I'm here.
CALLIOPE: Okay. I'll let it slide for today. Catchy title for today's blog. Care to explain it?
JOE: Okay. In my travels yesterday, I ended up at Preferred Care (health insurance) in Rochester yesterday afternoon for a presentation on the topic.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Eileen Merges, a psychologist from St. John Fisher College presided over a presentation and discussion of myths, perceptions and enhancements regarding sex for seniors.
CALLIOPE: Did you learn anything new?
JOE: I mostly confirmed what I had already learned in my psychology practice with couples, some of them older. We discussed the importance of communication critical to the success of any sexual relationship and expanding our definition of what constitutes sexual activity as well as hindrances and enhancements of senior sexuality.
CALLIOPE: What else?
JOE: I was surprised to see the rate of sexually transmitted diseases among seniors. Current patterns suggest that two and a half million people over 40 will contract an STD.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a worthwhile presentation. Have you been concerned about aging lately?
JOE: Of course. I'm not getting any younger.
CALLIOPE: Have you run across any good books on the topic.
JOE: I have found some not so good. One I thought was excellent was Joan Chittister's book, The Gift of Years: Growing Old Gracefully. She stresses the wisdom, freedom and prosperity of old age. She also sees this as "the time in which a whole new life is in the making again. The gift of these years is not merely being alive, it is the gift of becoming more fully alive than ever." I would recommend it to anyone facing older age or who has older relatives facing it. Talk with you tomorrow.

Stop Lights

When I was five, my father bought our first family car. Our first trip was from Fredonia home to Rochester. Halfway home in the pre-Thruway days we drove through Batavia. I thought we would never get past the endless stoplights and that my days were numbered. Needless to say, I did survive the trip although for years I thought Batavia must have more stoplights than anywhere else in the world. I am still not sure about this. In the ensuing 49 years, I have learned to be more patient and to enjoy the journey rather than being so anxious to get somewhere. I guess getting older is good for something.

(City traffic light)

Spring Breezes

I sat on my porch this morning with my coffee in hand. I felt the swirl of the spring breeze, watched the whispy clouds on the edges of the sky, listened to the birds sing and felt the long awaited warmth on my skin. As I watched the cars speed by, piloted by determined drivers, I thought back to the days when I ignored nature's beauty in my quest to get to work on time. I once thought that getting older was not something to look forward to. Now I appreciate having the time to commune with nature without having any pressing engagements.

(Gulls at Canadaway Creek)

Am I a Senior Yet?

I have been wondering lately if I am a senior citizen yet. AARP thinks I have been since I was fifty. That was a little unsettling although I have benefitted from some of their insurance programs. More recently I have been in somewhat of a quandry about senior discounts. Some start at age 55, some at 60, some at 62 and some at 65. I bought some tickets not too long ago which had a senior discount available. I asked what constituted a senior. The clerk scratched her head and asked, "Do you feel like a senior?" I did at the moment and walked away with my discounted ticket. I am sixty-four today and starting my last year in senior limbo. At my next birthday I will be an official senior by all accounts. I haven't decided yet how I feel about that.