Aging Well in the Gorge October 24th 2018

You hadn’t finished the latest chapter in your life and now another chapter starts and you’re in a new living situation: a new town, new residential living facility, or living with one of your adult children. And it’s good: greater safety, less physical demands, fewer worries; but often it also means making new friends. And at our age it isn’t as easy as making friends on the playground. But it is possible. Here are four tips from Margaret Manning, author and founder of Sixtyandme.com. that might help.

Get to know yourself. To make new friends, you will need to be motivated and confident; and knowing what you want and who you are is often the first step. Learn to become your own best friend.

Chase passions not people. Take a class or volunteer in an area that interests you. At the Center, we offer many classes which are always looking for new faces. You will then have that common conversation starter - and who knows where it will lead.

Develop Your Physical and Emotional Resources. Start some simple exercises. Or try Pickleball. Make sure it’s something you enjoy. And emotionally, do activities that make you happier such as the ideas promoted by Gorge Happiness Month.

Invite people into your life. Now that you have a better idea of who you are, and are committed to pursuing your passions, it’s time to reach out and get to know other people. But if it doesn’t work out, not everything does, don’t take it personally!

Making new friends isn’t easy. Don’t compare yourself to those folks who seem to have been bred to make friends. It takes a belief in yourself, getting out and taking a few emotional risks – which often requires time and persistence. But it’s worth it.

Many people look forward to retirement - trading in the stress and worry of work for extra free time, neglected hobbies and grandchildren. But those retired years are not without their own challenges: money, health and loss. The theme for our next “Let’s Talk: Conversations about Things that Matter” on Friday, October 19^th from 11:00 – 12:00 is “What do you have to worry about? You’re retired! Come and join the conversation.

We’re coming to the end of Gorge Happiness Month, and after this week you’re on your own. Until next October, keep practicing the Daily 3’s: Three Gratitudes, an Act of Kindness and a Moment of Silence.

25^th – Say yes; 
26^th – Have a conversation where you listen more than you talk; 
27^th – Pick a good moment from yesterday and draw it;  
28^th  – Let someone go in front of you in line; 
29^th   – Come up with a new idea to do and then send it to Gorge Happiness at info@gorgehappiness.org; 
30^th  – Go back and do one you have missed; and  
31^st  – Give candy to a stranger.

The name of the gentleman gunfighter who worked as a mercenary gunfighter in the television series Have Gun Will Travel was Paladin played by Richard Boone - who according Diane Weston also starred as the bad guy in the John Wayne movie Big Jake.

(I also received correct answers from Cheri Brent, Herman Nueberger, Merle Gearhart, Jerry Taylor, Dale Roberts, Alice Mattox, Sandy Haechrel, Kim Birge, Jerry Betts, Lana Tepfer (who said you can still watch it on channel 2.2), Dale Roberts, Carol Staves, Kay Tenold, Carol Irwin, and Gary Van Orman who with his acting experience is this week’s winner of quilt raffle ticket. And as is my habit, last week I missed Rhonda Austin, Lucilee Stephens, Sandy Haechrel and Cheri Brent.)

Okay, I promise this is ABSOLUTELY the last western television series question for this year.  I was going to ask about one of Sandy Haechrel’s and my favorite Saturday morning westerns, Sky King. But I went back in the archives and found I had asked about Sky King just last March. So instead, hopefully you’ll remember the first network television western series when it aired on NBC in 1949.  For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of this western series starring a reserved and well-spoken hero dressed in black who traveled the west on his white horse Topper and starred William Boyd? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send your answer with a bottle of nonalcoholic sarsaparilla.

Well, it’s been another week looking forward to each day’s new surprise.  Until we meet again, before you call the electrician, check the breaker box.

“If fate means you to lose, give him a good fight anyhow.” William McFee, writer