Younger Men and Bolder Women By Melissa Yi

  

When I was in grade six, I asked my friends, "What's the worst age?" as we climbed the steps to our classroom.

"This one," one said.

The other agreed. "We're old enough to know, but too young to do anything."

I had to think about that. I was expecting an answer more like "202."

For me, eleven was a good age because I got to read a lot of books and eat bananas and Baby Bell cheese, although I'm happier now. I was more anxious when I was younger.

Would I get the highest marks? (Yes, but not past elementary school. High school and university bring all the most brilliant to the yard.)

Would I fall in love and get married? (Yes, to my high school sweetheart. Still love you, babe. Younger than me by three months, ha ha. Pic enclosed.)

Would we have children? (Yes, after shedding many tears.)

What would I DO when I grew up, like everyone was asking me?

That one's tougher. Med school interviews taught me that I couldn't say I wanted to be a doctor. What kind of doctor? What specialty? Academic or community?

Nowadays, the thing that brings me the most anxiety is my writing. Will it sell? Does anyone care? Aaargh!

This is especially hard on a platform like Kickstarter, where a) If you don't fund, you lose every penny, and b) Each cent is posted publicly. Humiliation (or gloating) complete.

 I'm doing something especially adventurous this time, too, with Cthulhu's Duo . I'm remixing H.P. Lovecraft in a medical thriller called Killing Me Sloth-LY, and offering a companion book of art and poems. So this could all be an expensive failure.

Some may question my morality too, since Lovecraft was considered racist even a century ago.

But my husband said, "It's hard to do something new without doing something risky."

For myself, it gives me great pleasure to set Cthulhu head to head against Dr. Hope Sze, a strong woman of colour who is not straight and who is firmly grounded in science as well as learning about the supernatural.

"H.P. Lovecraft is rolling in his grave right now," said our daughter.

Roll, H.P. Roll.

I have grown more confident over time. This is something my 11 y.o. self would enjoy. No wonder my friends joke about their dirty thirties and their F.U. forties and fifties.

I'm reading Romancing the Genre blog posts with interest. We need more older and honest role models! Here are some more pearls I've collected recently.

"I am the opposite of an overnight success. I am in my 80s and, for most part, I have been a slow-moving, long-term failure." Annie Korzen

    I'm 41. I have gray hairs and lines and scars because I have lived a life of joy, sorrow, pleasure, pain, early mornings, late nights, days on end without leaving the woods and days on end without leaving my couch. My skin has felt every kind of weather and my heart has known every emotion. I wear my life right out in sight and I am fucking proud of it.

    Embrace your face, loves. It's imperfect and it's perfectly yours.

@Littleyellowbike

 

If you can, please follow my campaign and the leap into unknown worlds with me (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/melissayi/weird?ref=8nqjsx).

The earth needs bolder woman! And men and non-binary people!

Xoxox

Melissa

 

Living My Best Life

By Diana McCollum

We are lucky. We, my husband and I, live in a small flourishing community. We have a large loving family, a lovely home, and beautiful yard.

We hope to live out our days here. With the increase in fire insurance and taxes there may come a point where we can't stay here any longer. (less income since we retired).

That is the worse thing about retiring. Stretching Social Security and the pension from my husbands Union work.

BUT until that point we are enjoying our retirement. My husband is gardening and building structures in the yard. I am taking painting classes, colored pencil classes which I've always wanted to take but didn't have the time. I work on my book too.

I stop and literally smell the roses everyday. My husband build me a rose trellis and planted a rose garden for my birthday this year.

I plan on living a long time yet. We have great grand children with another baby on the way. I hope to stay healthy and able to live long enough to see them grow up.

So twice a week I go to senior exercise and balance class. I walk in the park 4 times per week and we eat healthy mostly plant based meals.

So my thought on the future, I will continue living a healthy lifestyle. I will continue seeing family as much as I can. I will continue with a happy and joyful outlook on life.

Do you do any exercising on a daily basis?

(all pictures are mine, except the last one is from Deposit Photos.)

What I Look Forward to As I Age by Lynn Lovegreen

 I am “a woman of a certain age,” as my grandmother used to say. I’ve been happily married for more than thirty years, have a wonderful adult daughter and son-in-law, and an adorable grandchild. I consider myself truly fortunate to have all of those and other wonderful people in my life. And I am lucky enough to have a decent retirement so I can spend my time on writing, volunteering, and whatever else I choose. At this point, there isn’t much I look forward to that I don’t have at present.

 

Eventually, my life will slow down as my body ages, and I’ll be less willing or able to travel or leave the house as much. Then my world will be more restricted to family, friends, and books. I can’t say I’m looking forward to that restriction. But I am confident that there will be rewards in my elderly life. I’ve seen my parents look around the room at family gatherings, proud that they helped my generation and the next ones flourish. Someday, it might be my turn.

 

If I’m lucky, I’ll see my family grow and change over time. I’ll watch my grandchild grow up, and have fun introducing them to some of the things I loved over the years. I’ll see my daughter age and possibly become a grandmother herself. I hope to lend support to her and other relatives for many years down the road. There might be more additions to the family, too. I might have the privilege of being a matriarch of a large clan, who knows?

 

I look forward to experiencing life as an elder. If love is all you need, then inter-generational love is as precious as it gets. That’s something to cherish.

 

May your life be as rich and rewarding as your greatest hopes and dreams. Best wishes!

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

His Sacrifice Has Given My Future Dreams A Chance

 

As I grow older, I want to be able to look forward to the future of this country, my home that I love. To be able to spend my elder years watching as the United States moves forward toward the goal of becoming a more perfect union. That goal has been in dire danger from things like Project 2025 and some people’s desire to fall backward into a new dark age. If not for the recent sacrifice of President Joseph Robinette Biden, a man who has dedicated his entire adult life to making America better, the future would loom very bleak.

 

It's one thing for a politician to say they will sacrifice for the good of the nation. Biden actually demonstrated this by sacrifice his career for the sake of truth and our country. When he realized that continuing his race could result in re-electing Trump, he made a decision that went against his own self-interest and personal ambitions. That sacrifice gave me hope for the future. That makes him a real American hero in my eyes.

 
The issue was never Biden’s competency. He accomplished a great deal during his presidency. He increased infrastructure funding, green jobs, and protected Obama Care. Right now, President Biden continues working on the situation in Gaza on keeping the government working so he can hand over functioning institutions in January. He was asked to step aside simply because of Ageism.

 
Thank you President Joseph Robinette Biden. You did the most unselfish act in American history in order to protect American Democracy. I now have a reason to hope my country will continue advancing forward. Your unselfish sacrifice has given me a chance to get my wish and live to see a better future. In my opinion, Biden qualifies as a true American hero. I know history will look kindly on him and what he has done for us all.