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Archive for the 'Senior Living' Category

Aug 13 2009

Awaiting the Flash of Genius

Published by dougkueffler under Humor too, Senior Living, Writing Edit This

Ever hear about the “flash of genius” that inventors and novelists speak of? I’m a wannabe writer, and I’m still awaiting the brilliant flash.

idea-blog-for-money.pngI have a feeling that I could wait “until the cows come home” (which is every night), but never have that “AH HA!” moment that will enable me to find the story and angle to publish a best-seller. I have Writer’s Block and, when I am stuck–I am really stuck.

Posting to a blog is a good excuse NOT to work on my novel or memoirs. I used to put out a new post on this blog every day. I was brimming over with ideas, and once I got going I could write five to seven posts at one sitting, and would frequently stop to write down additional ideas on a note pad. I’ve had “Blogger’s Block” for about three months now.

Note pads can be good or “good and useless.” I just counted 12 separate yellow notepads in my desk drawer that each have three or four pages of notes and ideas. Most of the ideas are not much good. I think it is like the “brilliant” observations a person makes when drunk; they never sound as “profound” when sober.

I notice that I write with a lot of “quotation marks.” That can be annoying. It’s sort of like speaking “tongue-in-cheek.” (There I go again with the quote marks.)

Making lists of stuff “to do” has also become a habit. As I have gotten older I haven’t gotten any wiser, just forgetful. If I think of some chore that needs doing, I have to write it down or it will slip my mind. It’s awfully frustrating. I find myself walking into the kitchen and forgetting what I am there for. As the joke goes: “I believe in the hereafter. Whenever I walk into a room, I ask myself, ‘what am I here after?’”

Perhaps some day I will make a list of all the stuff I have forgotten.

Now doesn’t THAT make a lot of sense?
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2 responses so far

Aug 06 2009

Moving Along in Life: The RV Phase

Published by dougkueffler under Boomer Generation Stuff, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Retirement Activities, Senior Living Edit This

I don’t recall when I first fantasized about traveling around the country in a motor home, wild and free, I imagined, like a wandering saddle tramp in the Old West. But it was probably during high school in the 1960’s. I wanted to buy a used school bus, fix it up (PAINT!) use it as a place to live at college. I figured I could take it camping on the weekends and then take cross-country trips during the summer months. Ha Ha. Reality check, 18-year-old. Every thing takes MONEY! So I joined the Navy.

Forward about 43 years. My wife and I decided to purchase a used motor home to see if we would enjoy the “RV lifestyle.” Crawling around inside a tent had become just a bit too confining for a 60-year-old with back and knee problems. We got a pretty good deal on a 1991 Fleetwood Flair 25Y.

motor-home-camping-fleetwood-flair.jpgThe 17-year-old motor home proved to be pretty cramped and confining. Why would we not expect that? Two people can barely move past each other. There are all sorts of overhangs and sharp corners to bump my head. I hope I have found them all.

Cooking in the motor home makes the entire place smell like food. For hours. And it heats up the entire place too. Summer camping in 95 degree temperatures is unbearable without air conditioning. We ended up cooking outside on a campstove half the time. And we set up a tent so we could sit outside in the shade without BUGS! So here we are, a tent and a campstove, sitting alongside a big ol’ motorhome.

We tried dry camping, which means there is no electrical service, water service, sewer service, or cable tv hookups. What an eye-opener! Unless we run the generator we have no air conditioning. Batteries can run down and leave you stranded. When the vehicle is 17 years old, refrigerators don’t always work well, nor do generators. Holding tanks fill up WAY too fast, too.

I now understand why MOST motor homes and 5th wheel RV’s seem to be crowded into RV Parks WITH all the services. I don’t much care for that. Too confining, too crowded, too noisy, too many people. What’s the point of “getting away” if all you manage is to sit around in an air conditioned coach, watching tv and eating junk food and drinking beer? I can do that at home, with a whole lot more privacy.

So, the jury is still out on the “joys” of RV camping, but I DO know that cross-country traveling and/or being an RV “full-timer” will NOT come to pass. Ever.

One response so far

Mar 03 2009

Excluding Family from our little Retired Lives

Published by dougkueffler under Family, Retired Life, Senior Living Edit This

Whether or not it seems intentional to our families, in retired life we often seem aloof, far removed from the daily lives of other family members.  Why?

I think as we get older we do change.  For one thing, I have less patience for annoyances than I did when I was actually raising little kids.  Haven’t you even been in a grocery store and wondered WHY that parent doesn’t control the crying and yelling child?  Do you wonder if the parent doesn’t even HEAR that child?  

I’ve been there.  I was a single parent for 15 years.    Now, my tolerance for certain things is WAY LOWER.

Another thing that bothers me are dogs that jump up on me.  Not even do I blame the dogs as I blame owners who pay no attention, provide no discipline.  So I get bad reactions when I yell at someone else’s pet.

I also tend to be happiest at home.  To the consternation of my adult children who seem to be traveling around all the time, going out to shows or concerts, ALWAYS having to find something to ENTERTAIN themselves and THE CHILDREN, I am quite content to remain at home now.  I don’t travel cross-country.  I did that when I was their age.  I don’t fly around the World.  I did that when I was in the Navy.  I don’t go on cruises. (ditto the Navy years).  

I avoid movie theaters when there are new openings that attract a lot of people (especially KIDS).  I avoid restaurants that cater to families (meaning kids), and ABSOLUTELY never go to such places (or ANY PLACE) when they are advertising “family day” or “kid’s day.”   I hate going to the circus or carnival or the State Fair! 

I am VERY conscious about sanitation and hand-washing and avoiding germs, viruses, and public restrooms; that in itself is a good enough reason for me to avoid public places and children.

Some might think I am a crazy old man, stubborn, or ornery; I have heard “grumpy” of course.   In actuality, I am very happy in my quiet, and peaceful, home.  It is my “refuge” from the World that I had to live in for so many years of work and raising a family.   I don’t resent OR regret any of those years, they were wonderful.  

It is simply that I am tired now and feel like these remaining years are for me. 

10 responses so far

Feb 25 2009

Power and Purpose Feeds Longevity

Published by dougkueffler under Boomer Generation Stuff, Lifestyle, Senior Living Edit This

I’ve wondered about what keeps some people going for so long.

Not just that they live for a long time, but that they remain productive and creative and active.

clint-eastwood.jpgHere we have Clint Eastwood, age 78, not just being nominated for his work as a film director, but for song writing and scoring a movie.  I believe he is really a genius, not that this has been overlooked, but that he seems to be getting better with age. No one talks about his “retirement.”

Another is Dustin Hoffman.  Not as old as Eastwood, but still powerful enough in Hollywood to obtain Leading Man roles in major films and make them successful.

Both Eastwood and Hoffman are powerful figures, creative and  productive.dustin-hoffman.jpg

Then there is Lance Armstrong, for so many years the most powerful figure in bike racing.  His retirement was painful to watch.  What a disaster!  He was so unhappy.  So now, at age 37, he decides he wants to race again.  Most recently, in the 2009 Tour of California, he put up respectable times and placement, racing in support of one of his former Tour de France team, Levi Leipheimer, who won the Tour of California.   Lance wants to be active in his sport; and whether or not he ever ascends to his former greatness doesn’t matter.  If he is happy, then he should race.lance-armstrong.jpg

Three men, different ages, still doing what they love.  Whether it is power or productivity or creativity or just good genes, I believe personal fulfillment has a lot to do with maintaining one’s purpose and interest in life.  I applaud all three and look to them as inspiration.

9 responses so far

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