The Joys of Home Ownership
A Needle in a Haystack

Big Questions

My friend Frank doesn’t email often. But when he does, his message is always thought-provoking. In his latest email, he asked, “What does it mean to be taken seriously at our age?”

My answer?  It depends. It depends on our attitude. Are we open to the changes in our society, or do we insist on living in our pasts? Do we spend time only with people our age, or do we find ways to relate to younger people too?

Frank is taken seriously. In his eighties, still teaching graduate students and executives, he commands the respect of his students. My coaching clients know how old I am, but they seem to respect my experience and objectivity. In public places, however, I often go un-noticed. And I notice that. So, it depends.

Frank’s other email question was “Can we ever live hassle-free?” That’s easy. No, never. But the challenge is in how we respond to hassles. I find that I handle them less well these days. My stress meter ticks in a little earlier than it used to. Something else to work on…

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Still the Lucky Few

I get annoyed at the invisibility factor as older people go about their business in public. We really are unnoticed!And younger servers do call us 'Dear'! I can't seem to think of a good response when they do!

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