40th, 50th, 60th, 70th,80th Birthday Behind You? There Are Still Perks to Enjoy!

 

If you thought the best years were behind you, think again!

 

The Perks of Being 40 and Older 

Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

No one expects you to run into a burning building.

People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

Things you buy now won't wear out.

You can eat dinner at 4 PM.

You can live without sex but not without glasses.

You enjoy hearing arguments about pension plans. 

You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.

You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

 
You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.

You sing along with elevator music.

 
Your eyes won't get much worse

.
Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

 
Your joints are a more accurate meteorologist than the national weather service.

Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.

Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.

 

http://www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/grandparents.htm

Humor like this one for Grandparents, Parents, and Kids can be found at the Butlerwebs.com.

 

Summer in the USA, Yes? Island Vacation, No? What About This Idea?

This trip could be the answer to your summer vacation plans.  Whether you are flying, driving, biking, hiking or touring with grandchildren, children, nieces, nephews, or friends, you could travel through this itinerary in one, two, or three weeks.

Fly into Phoenix.  Travel up Interstate 17, stopping at Montezuma's Castle

(Montezuma's Castle Photo by Dick Bevevino)

and  then on to Sedona.(Driving time from Sky Harbor Airport=2 to 3 hours

Continue to Flagstaff(less than an hour from Sedona)

(Grand Canyon Photo by Dick Bevevino)

 turning west to the Grand Canyon(Flagstaff to the Southern Rim=2 hours).

Or turn right and drive to Walnut Canyon National Monument(30 minutes from Flagstaff at I-17).

Then continue to Page, AZ and visit Upper Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell(2 hours from Flagstaff).

(Upper Anteloope Canyon Photo by Dick Bevevino)

You can also decide to turn east from Page to Monument Valley(2.5 hour drive).

Or continue north from Page, AZ and visit Zion National Park in Utah(1 hour 45 min.)

Want to end up in Las Vegas?  Travel from Page north and west to the Valley of Fire, NV(4 hr. drive)
and then on to Las Vegas on Interstate 15 (1 hr.)

So much to see depending of the length of time you want to spend on your southwestern vacation.  Now, it's time to explore the possibilities!

(Thanks to Dick B for sharing his photos.)

The Best Singles Ad Ever.

Granted that this has been shared by many of us, but it's so cute that it bears reposting.

  Single Black Female
This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal.
Love the response this ad got!!

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me.... Call (404) 875-6420 and ask for Annie, I'll be waiting.....

Over 150 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society   Over 150 men called the Atlanta Humane Society!  So cute.  Let's hope one of them adopted this pup.   (Thanks to Joan H, Ken A, and Tom Z for forwarding this to us.)

Are You Dreaming of A Vacation Near the Water This Summer? If You Prefer to Stay in the USA, There Are Great Islands to Explore.

(Photo by Dick Bevevino)

True, three of the islands are not on the mainland, but we all know friends who have said that vacations on any of the three are outstanding choices:

• Maui, Hawaii
• Oahu, Hawaii
• Island of Hawaii

But if you want to stay in the continental USA, there are 7 other islands designated  as "Top 10 US Islands, According to TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards":

• Key West, Florida
• Mount Desert Island, Maine
• Hilton Head, South Carolina
• Amelia Island, Florida
• Marco Island, Florida
• Chincoteague Island, Virginia
• Macinac Island, Michigan

Pick the area for your travel and have fun exploring the possibilities of an island vacation  here at home.

(Vanessa Wilkins, ABC's Good Morning America, April 19, 2016

Have We Had A Negative Vibe About Someone, or Are We Turning People Off? This Might Be Why.

Tons of very nice people can create negative vibes without intending to do so. Hard to believe, I know, but we might have done these unconscious things ourselves.  Here are some of our actions that might turn people off.

 Dr. Travis Bradberry, co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founder of TalentSmart, shares his research with us.

He describes a study (UCLA) of "500 descriptions of people based on their perceived significance to likeability. The top-rated descriptors had nothing to do with being gregarious, intelligent, or attractive...Instead, the top descriptors were sincerity, transparency, and capable of understanding (another person)."

He continues, "TalentSmart research data from more than a million people shows that people who possess these skills aren't just highly likeable; they outperform those who don't by a large margin."

Dr.Travis Bradberry says these habits might be the culprits.

• Humble-Bragging
• Being Too Serious
• Not Asking Enough Questions
• Emotional Highjacking
• Whipping Out Your Phone
• Name-Dropping
• Gossiping
• Having a Closed Mind
• Sharing Too Much, Too Early
• Sharing Too Much on Social Media

Hmmm...I'm thinking I see some I've done on this list. Sigh!

To read Dr. Bradberry's complete explanation and to see the examples given, just click on the link below.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/silly-things-you-do-make-less-likeable-dr-travis-bradberry?trk=v-feed

Happiness, Better Health, and Fun At the Same Time?

Photo by Dick Bevevino
Anthem Community Park
Anthem, AZ

That's right.  If we want the benefits of increasing stamina, whole body strength, and endurance while sharpening reflexes, boosting eye-hand coordination, losing a little weight painlessly AND having fun with family and/or old or new friends at the same time, the go-to sport is pickleball.

It started as a way for a family to lower the boredom factor for their children while on vacation. That was in the 1960's.  Now it's a sport for all age groups, including the 80-year-old who beats some of us every time he walks onto the court. And then there are the six and seven-year-olds who learned to serve the ball after two times out with their grandparents. Plus, it is a growing middle-school extracurricular activity and has been added to  the high-school phys. ed. curriculum in many schools. The USA Pickleball Association promotes the sport through its 1000+ volunteers who are ambassadors throughout the world;  they recruit and teach all age groups to play

If you've played tennis, handball, racquetball, table tennis or badminton, you have an advantage.  But many of us have never played any sport and yet have learned because of so many willing people on the courts.  Local YMCAs have added pickleball, and many municipal parks and recreation departments have converted tennis courts to pickleball across the country. Leslee Komaiko of the LA Times calls the sport "beginner friendly"("Pickleball:  a little bit ping-pong, a little bit badminton, a lot of momentum," August 8, 2015).

Interested?  Start by yourself. There will be plenty of people waiting to help you.  Or take a friend  or family member.  Children, tweens and teens,  adults, and people in their 70s, 80s, 90s can play. Go to USAPA.org and search "Places to Play." For example there are 84 places and contact people listed for PA and many that aren't listed, like the Edinboro, PA,  YMCA and Warren, PA,  YMCA. Texas lists 121 places to play, and Kentucky has 20 although cities like Richmond aren't yet on the list. Florida has 320, and Ontario has 155.  Canadian sites are listed by provinces, and international sites are listed in 10 countries. places to play pickleball 

Oh! And one more benefit- we need to do stretches before pickleball play so that we don't invite unnecessary injuries to muscles or joints.  And best of all, the stretches increase flexibility AND we end up able to touch our toes again.   Nice, right?

( Thanks to Pickleball Ambassador, Walt Schlittenhard for lessons and info that inform this post. And also to Dick Bevevino for the photos and  to Joan H for the news article)

And You Worried That Your Best Years Were Behind You? Not Even Close!

Look at these inspiring elders and reconsider what you want in life.




(growingbolder.com)

(growingbolder.com)

(growingbolder.com)

(growingbolder.com)

 

Go to www.growingbolder.com/inspiration  to see what those older than you are may be doing with this stage of their lives.

 

(Thanks to Joan H for sending this site to us.)