LifePower

Catch Your Dreams

Naramata is a small town in the Okanagan Valley and home to many of British Columbia's best vineyards.  Naramata is one of my favourite places to visit!

After ten years of operating the Red Rooster winery, Beat and Prudence Mahrer, sold their interest and went on a long holiday, the start of what they deemed to be retirement.  But the urge of growing grapes and making wine never really left them and they missed the fabulous Okanagan Valley.  So they cut short their travels, returned and built a new and smaller winery called Ruby Tuesday... the title of a Rolling Stones song.  The winery is very funky and only produces six thousand cases right now.

The owner's creative side shows up in the unique bottle labelling and the story behind this new boutique... check it out... as they say they are baby boomers who are proud of their wrinkles! 

Theres no time to lose, I heard her say
Catch your dreams before they slip away
Dying all the time
Lose your dreams
And you will lose your mind.
Aint life unkind?

 

Forgetting Something

Have you ever stood in the bathroom first thing in the morning marvelling how you do all those bathroom things in the same order.  You know... stripping down, showering, drying yourself, teeth, hair and more!  Well you are not alone.  Currently I am consciously attempting to do everything in a different order each day.  According to HAPPYneuron.com this keeps my neurons firing!

And how about all those other wellness things we do... eating a balanced diet, taking supplements, going to the gym and getting our sleep.  Well it turns out that many of us are forgetting the mother of all fitness trainings that unless paid attention to WILL result in you forgetting something!

Yes, you've got it... brain training.  Studies show that far too many of us take our brains for granted... yes, we just think with them and assume they will perform efficiently day after day.  The science of cognitive fitness is exploding.  Dr. Gene Cohen, Director of the Centre for Ageing, Health and Humanities at George Washington University is a man to follow.  

Dr. Cohen also has major interests both in creativity and aging, and in intergenerational programs involving older adults and children.  He has developed three new intergenerational board games that have received recognition in national and international, juried game and art shows and attention on national TV; the games were the subject of three featured lectures that he was asked to give by the Smithsonian Institution.  A PBS film has been developed on his book, The Creative Age. 

I have found more than a few brain training on-line sites.  But my very favourite is HAPPYneuron.  My first visit was totally scary... I signed up to do one of their very basic assessments and failed miserably.  But then I realised I was exhausted mentally and decided to complete it another time... which I did and my score was more encouraging.

HN is a great place to start and to get into the habit of healthy brain training a few times a week.

Favourite readings - The Brain that Changes Itself or Train your Mind Change your Brain

YOUR TURN... TELL US WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO:

• Train your mind
• Change your brain
• Keep your grey matter healthy

 

How Boomers Can Change the World

Here is another article published by Harvard Business.  I make no apology for including material from American sources when I perceive it to have value to you, my readers.  There is so much more research being undertaken because of the sheer numbers of Americans over the age of 50.

...The generation that marched in Washington in the 1960s is marching into elementary schools, high schools, hospitals, and homeless shelters seeking opportunities to serve. Activists in civil rights and women's movements four decades ago now want to eradicate diseases, transform education, reform health care, or alleviate global poverty.

Read more of this report...

Ageing Populations

The Economist included a Special Report on Ageing Populations in their June 25 issue.  The complete report may be reviewed on-line.

• Pensions will have to become far less generous
• The Burdens of old age
• The end of retirement

Books:

“The Age of Aging”, by George Magnus. Wiley, 2009

“Social Security Reform”, edited by Robin Brooks, IMF. Cambridge University Press, 2009.

“Europe’s Demographic Future”, by Steffen Kroehnert, Iris Hossmann and Reiner Klingelholz. Berlin Institute for Population and Development, 2008.

“The Healthcare Fix”, by Laurence Kotlikoff. MIT Press, 2007

“The Coming Generational Storm”, by Laurence Kotlikoff. MIT Press, 2004

“The Denial of Aging”, by Muriel Gillick, Harvard University Press, 2006.

Gratefulness on Canada Day

One might be tempted to ignore speeches given by politicians on Canada Day or to suggest they are merely being gratuitous.  But several speeches I heard had a common theme... that as Canadians we live in an incredible country that enjoys many benefits that are only dreamed of by others in the world... some of these might include peace, good food, water to drink etc..  Things we take for granted.

That was confirmed for me when I met two violinists David and his daughter Yullia.  They had travelled to Kelowna to participate in a Canada Day concert.  They had been billeted by a friend of mine and following the concert we returned to my friend's house for a drink and something to eat.

Our conversation was spirited as David and Yullia recounted some of their past life experiences.  David was born and grew up in Kazachstan, Russia as was his daughter.  At some point he left his homeland because of the war.  He had become a well respected musician and principal of a government music academy.  He was married with three young children.  It sounded like they lived on a farm property... and then had to leave it all including his elder parents.  A gut wrenching decision no doubt based upon the need for safety.

Despite all of that he has survived... no doubt because his purpose in life invloves music and bringing happiness to those who he plays for. 

David has a keen sense of humour... suddenly he disappeared and came back with a couple of small cases... announcing that he and Yullia were going to play for us.  Out came their violins and a few electronics were quickly hooked up.  There followed half an hour of them doing what they do best... making music from polkas to classical. 

Finally David explained he was also a bee-keeper.  That provided another topic of conversation and the opportunity to sample the honeycomb he had packed as a gift for his hosts.

It was an extraordinary evening of music, goodwill, story telling and laughter.  How grateful we all felt to be in each other's company.  Oh Canada!