Monday, January 26, 2009

It Has Been a While Since I Have Been Here!

It has been a while since I have been here. I took a much needed respite over the holidays. Seniors need those too. It is just as critical for senior citizens to change their routines and invite variety as it is anybody else. So I vacated the scene for a while.

Now it’s time to return to the previous routine. This is more difficult than it might first appear. Resuming a habit, particularly good ones, is much more difficult than breaking one. I tried writing an article the other day, finished it, and promptly lost it. I took that to mean my vacation wasn’t quite over. Probably a rationalization, but it worked for me.

So now on Monday morning I am attempting my return. Some of you have likely broken the habit of visiting me. I invite your return. You are the reason I am here, after all. While you are at it, you might encourage some of your friends and acquaintances to join us.

Vacations and respites are rewarding and often fulfilling, but, like all good things, they must come to an end. My mother in law suggests retirement is that time when “everyday is a holiday.” Maybe so, but when doing the same thing over and over, eventually it becomes boring.

So, now that we are into the first month of 2009, it probably is time for me to give up the temptation of doing little. Productivity of some kind is the tonic that keeps life interesting and the body healthy and mind energized. Rocking chairs are for verandas at southern resorts. As a permanent fixture, they are a liability, unless used with prudence.

Winter is a tough time, particular in some areas, to keep occupied. Do it anyway. Reading is a good habit, but also a sedentary one. Find some way to get up and get out and get going.

Being on the computer is fun, but it too holds one, like television, too long in its grip and doesn’t allow for more than mental exercise.

Sewing and working on hobbies, in which sitting is required, are good activities, but we need to do something to stimulate our body and heart and blood flow.

So help me I plan to be busier this next six months. Then, I will review what I have been doing and discard those that aren’t useful and take on more that are. How about you? Even if every day is a holiday, we still have the option to be alive to possibilities.

1 comment:

BlueDragon said...

I am just entering the "senior citizen" band, turning 60 this year. Like my parents and aunt -- still active in their eighties -- I find that attempting a few puzzles every day helps to keep the mind operating well.

In this venue, I have recently written a book of puzzles I created over four decades. If you are interested, look up "Increasing Your Brain Power", published under my pen name of The Blue Dragon.