Grugger’s Way

I wrote about Power and Productivity contributing to Men’s longevity the other day and someone commented that women have a difficult time as they age, with too much emphasis on appearance and glamour.  I acknowledge the misperceptions about women, but feel really good about praising some very powerful women, all of whom are considered “older,” and all of whom have reached new highs in personal influence and productivity as they have gracefully aged.  First of all, when someone’s first name can be mentioned and virtually everyone knows who is being discussed, there is hardly any measure that is more obvious.Oprah is one of those.  Do you think that she can pick up the telephone and call the President of the United States…and get connected within a few minutes?  Ya.  I think so.  Barbara Walters is not so instantly known by her first name due to the fame of the one named Barbra Streisand, but Walters can command a stage or a screen as well as any woman in Hollywood. That she has been face-to-face with most of the World’s Leaders during the past fifty years puts her on a level above that of “tv news reporters” and creates a separate category of her own.  Even today, well past her 20/20 days, you see how she can command the attention of the World’s most powerful.   Meryl Streep is another person fairly well-recognized by only her first name.Whether singing the lead in Mamma Mia or portraying a nun in Doubt, there is absolutely NO DOUBT about her acting range and her legacy.  She is the ultimate LEAD actress.  Ellen DeGeneres has made monstrous strides in recent years, with a successful television program and line of products from pet food to bottled water to tee-shirts and ellen underwear.  She is funny and successful and now a Cover Girl model too! Her marriage to a beautiful woman broke barriers for hundreds of others. Since I mentioned an “older” male athlete the other day, I will include Dara Torres here, a powerful woman in more than one respect, who shamed many a younger swimmer during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. I was thrilled to see her success and absolutely floored by her fitness and attitude!

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