An elderly man was once asked what it was like to be old and to know the majority of his life was behind him.
He said that he has been the same age his entire life. He said the voice inside of his head had never aged. He has always just been the same boy.
His mother’s son. He had always wondered when he would grow up and be an old man. He said he watched his body age and his faculties dull but the person he is inside never got tired. Never aged. Never changed.
Our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention and purpose.” ❤️
We first became aware of Jamie Lee Curtis when we laughed atA Fish Called Wanda, accurately described by Rotten Tomatoes as a brainy comedy with widespread appeal. She was smart, tall, beautiful, funny, quick, and had fabulous short hair. We loved her. But she never won an Oscar. Finally, in 2023, after about 45 years of acting, she won the Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once, apparently the eighth oldest actress to win the award.
Why do we care about Jamie Lee Curtis? Because we have continued to love her over the years, as she has remained smart, tall, beautiful, funny, quick and has kept wearing fabulous short hair. (Except in her Oscar role.)
That era seems finally to be on the wane—we were thrilled to see The Woman King. Perhaps studios have begun to realize that older people, including older women, like to see themselves in authentic roles, and have plenty of money to spend on movies.
As we age, nearly all women notice that they become somewhat invisible in the world, but in the golden era of the women’s film, older women really were expected to fade quietly into the wallpaper. Aging actresses would be relegated to playing anonymous matrons and dowager aunties. But the women in 80 for Brady and Book Club want to be seen on their own terms, whatever those might be.
this for a taste! Tom Brady, playing himself, shares our ideas about retirement—try not to do it but if you have to then start something new. And because of the star actors—and Mr. Brady—-this is not a sacharine story about the doyenne of a large family with nothing to do but cook for them. As Time magazine put it:
Do we really want to see them [i.e. women over 40] stuck playing wise matriarchs of big, sprawling families? Ho-hum to that.
Time also has the best line, about dressing up:
Fonda’s Trish, a beauty queen who’s still got it, comes decked out in a great wig (she travels with a suitcase full of them) and some sort of evening garb. But Tomlin strides in, leggy and elegant, in a drapey black sequined tuxedo that, rather than coming off as an effort to turn back the clock, merely stops time. It’s a statement look that whispers rather than shouts, a kind of shorthand for all the ways it’s possible to assert your space in the world, through word and deed as well as the way you present and carry yourself.
That’s how we see Jamie Lee Curtis, too. Leggy and elegant, not trying to turn back the clock but instead stopping time.
Ms. Curtis, we are your best fans, and so happy about your Oscar! Even those of us older than you see you as a role model. That’s why we are issuing an open invitation: please come and speak with a group of fabulous women, here on Lustre’s platform. If you say yes, we think Tom Brady will come too. Imagine the conversation! No stepping back for this crowd!
Treadstone Funding, one of my recommended mortgage lenders, publishes a magazine which has several great articles geared toward our local real estate market and interest rates. I encourage everyone to take a moment to read it, especially if moving is one of your goals for 2023. Bottom line, don’t wait.
Last fall my husbands newly replaced knees were giving him some trouble climbing up onto our lift station and then the big dive down into our fishing boat. It was time for a change … pontoon boating here we come!! We sold the boat, sold the lift station and this spring we had our Slyvan delivered. Easy in, easy out, on the same level as the dock. It’s also a safer place for our 11 year old Golden Retriever, and a safer place for our 14 month old great grandbaby as it’s pretty much a playpen with sides all around and secure GATES. It’s also a great place to sit and entertain guests and of course treat them to a sunset tour of the lake.
Where do you really want to be today, are you living in the home you want or is it time to review your plans and simplify your lifestyle? When we are in our 50’s and even 60’s and 70’s there may yet be other steps in our journey. Other places to land. So is where you want to live now the same as where you might want or need to live when you’re 85? We have a lot of life to live yet, so explore your options and be free, do what you want to do. One step at a time, enjoy your journey.
Bill and I just got back from our winter break, 10 days in St. Thomas at Frenchmans Cove. While there we started planning next years winter vacation, which got me thinking. Once the family is grown and we don’t have to plan around elementary and/or high school spring break anymore, the world just opens up to so many possibilities. Even if you still have kids in college, they seem to want to travel with friends. That’s ok, because we have our preferences too. So are you finding yourself falling into the category of “snowbirds”, spending the entire winter in southern climates? Or is a month away enough to shake the blues away? We are winter oddities I guess, we still like the change of seasons and love December and most of January at home with family, a cozy fire, a good book and a cosmo. Watching the snow fall, baking cookies or scones is my hibernating time and a needed break from the always on the go time of the other three seasons. By February, the thought of sun, warm weather and the sand in my toes sounds pretty good and 10 days seems to be the magic number. We like the Caribbean and purchased a villa there while on our honeymoon in 2006. When we get back home, we delve back into the tail end (hopefully) of winter, but still will consider shorter times away in the southern states, usually visiting one or the other of our kids and their family’s. We don’t seem to need the entire winter away, plus I tend to be a homebody and can’t bear to leave the dog or cats for any long period of time. It may be cold at home, but there is always plenty to do to pass the time. So, what is your winter pleasure and where do you go, if anywhere?
