Celebrating 60 Something

Everyone loves Christmas stories, they warm your heart and make you feel good.  But, I think those of us in our sixties love them just a bit more than most because we grew up in that magical era of the 50's, 60's.  So many new Christmas songs were introduced during those years and so many new toys were created!  You don't have to be old, or retired, to remember "Barbie" the teenage model doll, because even though she was introduced in 1959 she is still around today! Those were wonderful years to be a young child anticipating Christmas.  
Christmas stories make us remember those feelings all over again.  One of our stories today was submitted by Laurie from Rexburg Idaho.  The other was written by John L. Meisenbach and you have probably heard it before as it has been around for a few years.  So sit back, relax, remember, and resolve to make this Christmas full of wonder and magic!

Loneliness isn't reserved for the older generation but it does seem to affect them more than most.  We all enjoy "alone time," our solitude, our own space.  But being alone and loneliness are not the same thing.  Loneliness is unpleasant.  It can bring about feelings of sadness.  It is hard to focus when you are lonely, and it can cause depression, and unhappiness.  It boils down to thins... people need people.  Especially during the winter months, and holiday season.  The circumstances for many people who are sixty-something, maybe retired, maybe single, are sometimes a perfect petri dish for cultivating loneliness.  The trick it to not let it take over your life.  Listen to "Wintertime, Christmas and Loneliness" and learn what you can do to enjoy the holidays avoid being lonely.  

I have been an avid pantyhose wearing woman for many, many years.  But today, women my age do not wear pantyhose.  They have bare legs, as do younger women who also have even skin tones, no varicose veins, and they don't bruise easily.  They have legs that aren't dimpled or scarred, or fat or boney.  But I'm sixty-something and I'm not confident with bare legs.  And now I am not confident in pantyhose either! 
Then there are leggings.  Should older women even wear leggings?  If we do, are we trying too hard?  If we don't, are we being old fashioned and frumpy?  Are there rules for women of "a certain age?"  And what about jeggings?  Does anyone even know what they are? 
No boring retirement and Medicaid questions answered here but you will find out the latest bits and tips about Pantyhose, Leggings and Jeggings.  Oh My!   

It is often easy to be grateful for the “big blessings" in our lives; home, family, food, enough of what we need, friends, good health, a job, etc.   It is also easy to be grateful after a crisis.  But what about the little things?
It is easy to remember the negative things that happen in a day, like the guy who pulls in front of us and cuts us off in traffic.  And, we are often quick to share that story with others.  But, what about the occasional driver who let’s us pull in front of him?  Do we remember that even five minutes after it happens?  
What do you think might happen to our attitude if, at the end of the day, we wrote in a little notebook, a gratitude journal… ”I am thankful for kind people, like the guy who let me pull in front of him in traffic today.”   
Over time, reflecting on the positive "little things" that happen in a day, can change our attitude, and even who we are.  

Although she is sixty-something, Patty Liston, who throws her heart and soul into everything she does, is making a difference!  A big difference. In Ghana, no less!
She and her husband Roger, felt a "call" to do something to help young boys, and lift them out of the cycle of poverty, broken families and hopelessness.  So, they started a school, from the ground up and with no money, where their young students learn how to repair motorcycles.  But it is so much more than that!  
Listen to the podcast "Sixty-something and Making a Difference" and learn how it all came about.  Then hopefully you too, can find your passion and "do what makes your heart sing!"

Anxiety, defined by Google is "worry, stress and fear."  These emotions are all "futuristic" meaning we feel them by having thoughts about the future.  They are created by our thoughts and are unnecessary, as we have no control over what might be... the future!  
Feeling fearful, anxious and stressed is actually feeling, for no reason, the feelings you would feel, IF what you are worrying about, actually happened."  Why not wait until it happens, IF it actually happens.  When we control our thoughts, we control our own fear, stress and anxiety.

Inheritance and legacy, two words many people often interchange.  But should they?  What do they mean and how are they different? 
Inheritance is generally used when referring to monetary or material goods being handed down from one person to another, like your grandmother's wedding ring.  But a legacy is different from an inheritance and actually has more than one meaning.  But, the one we will talk about on today's podcast is the one that refers to how a person will be remembered by others.  Remembered... that is an important word.  What are you doing to be remembered?

Being "Sixty-Something" gives us a lot of reasons to celebrate!  We have laughed, rejoiced, loved, danced and had so much happiness during our lives but, we have also overcome the difficult things, worked hard, sacrificed and endued... and we did it!  We have lived more than half-a-century, and then some!  
But life isn't over yet!  We still have a lot to celebrate no matter our circumstances.  The things that helped get us this far, can continue to help us move forward, help us accomplish our dreams, and choose to be happy, now.  
Some things are better now, and somethings are worse, but we have had a lot of experience in navigating life, so we can continue to make our lives fun, exciting, and happy whatever circumstances we find ourselves in!