I looked in the mirror yesterday, and at 74, I smiled at what I saw.
I'm beginning to look so much like my mother and I think that's pretty darn good. She was graceful and lovely until the day she died at 94. She also had lots of grandmotherly wrinkles, yet I never once heard her say I wish I looked the way I used to look.
You know how little kids tie a towel around their neck to fashion a magic cape and become superheroes? Well secretly, in my mind's eye, I am a super hero, too, with a bright, tomato-red cape and an undercover badge that announces in bold, embossed silver: URBAN WOMAN.
If only in my imagination . . . I am fearless as I set out each morning to right the wrongs committed by selfish, arrogant city dwellers.
Recently I was in the Arctic with a tour group that consisted of travellers from all over the world. Chatting with one of the women, she told me that she had read my 'diaper bag' idea a long time ago and it was the best travel tip she had ever received. I had forgotten about that bit of advice written so long ago; however, it was a very useful tip, so I've decided to resurrect it in this blog post. It goes like this:
It's hard to avoid the subject of aging nowadays. Just pick up a magazine, surf the net, or read comments on Facebook—it's a safe bet someone (20, 40, or 50) somewhere will be lamenting the fact that they are getting older. Products are being invented to make us look ten years younger, and I keep wondering why, oh why, our society thinks aging is such a terrible thing.
This post is my tribute to mothers and grandmothers who are old enough to recall these ancient artifacts of days gone by. A girlfriend recently sent me one of those emails that you are supposed to pass on to all your friends. I didn't do that. Instead, I thought I'd share it in this Aging Disgracefully blog space, because that's where many of my "cyber oldies" congregate. I knew that they would appreciate the nostalgia relating to these items.
Lately I have been stunned by how simple it seems for one person to kill another. Often the killer doesn't even know who his victim is. It is the random, senseless snuffing out of a life leaving people to mourn their innocent loved ones for the rest of their lives.
It’s a well known fact that little kids generally turn up their noses at both eggs and carrots, unless these foods are disguised very, very well within other recipes (and even then you are not always successful). It’s a pity, because both these foods contain great nutrients.
Since my grandson Josh was very young, we've gone on photo walks together. I'd see something I like, take the photo, and then I'd explain to him why I liked it and why it caught my eye. Perhaps it was a reflection in a puddle or a close-up of an object on the street, or the particular way the sun was hitting a building. Then I'd ask him what he saw in the scene, hand him the camera, and get him to "capture his own version." It was our time together. We loved it and we never tired of it.
March 8, International Women’s Day, follows very shortly after the closing of the Olympic Games in Sochi. And what a wonderful Games it was for our Canadian women athletes. In fact, we can celebrate the fact that our women held their own during those Games and captured even more GOLD medals (6 medals) than the men did (4 medals).
Before you become a "believer," there are a few things you should know about me. Yes, I really am a 73-year-old grandmother. Up until four years ago, I didn’t own an iPhone (or a Blackberry) and I have no idea what HootSuite does. My travel website, journeywoman.com, was posted 17 years ago and the template has never been changed.
On Valentine's Day, I am always ultra aware of my state of "aloneness." The other 364 days—not so much. Honestly, after 32 years of flying solo, it feels very normal to me.
As Journeywoman, a female travel journalist who has crisscrossed the world solo, I am considered quite brave by my readers. However, eight years ago when it came to caring for my toddler granddaughter, Jessie, I was scared silly. Frightened enough that I really had to build up my courage to be left alone with her.
You see, when she was just a toddler, Jessie wasdiagnosed with a severe allergy to fish and nuts.
Recently my grandson celebrated his thirteenth birthday, his Bar Mitzvah. In the Jewish Religion that birthday is considered a coming of age celebration. It’s when a young boy takes his initial symbolic steps into manhood. It is both a religious occasion and a joyous birthday party rolled into one great big milestone. And, whichever way you look at it, it is a very, very big deal.
Secret Mom Behaviours (SMB) are the little luxuries that keep us happy and Mr. Christie's Fruit Krisps asked some of the moms at YMC to share theirs with you. As the kids head back to school, hopefully you'll have time to indulge in a little SMB, too.
When you are a grandmother who loves to travel you often pick up information that you know your grandchildren would be really interested in. And if I use my grandkiddies as my 'sample audience of four' I believe most kids of seven+ who know about Winnie the Pooh would sit quietly as you showed them these photos and retold this story in your own words. This is especially true if you also tell them that Winnie turns 99 this year.
This year Air Canada lost my orange bag for 99 days. 99 days! Kudos to them, though, for returning it to me after three months. Three months! (I live in Toronto, Canada; I think they found it in Angola and it arrived at my home with an ironic RUSH ticket affixed to it). I admit I was so grateful to have the bag back with nothing missing that I thanked them profusely and kinda forgave them. So what if my bag was much worse for wear with a chunk torn out of it.
