Resolution #8- Park It; Plant it: Pedal it: Preserve it!

This is post number 8 of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 10 days of New Years Resolutions.
The past several years have seen an emerging emphasis on buying and being “green”. While we do our part to recycle and conserve energy we either don’t really know what else to do for the effort or we think it all sounds a bit PCG (politically correct to be green). I have a proposal for the new year- Park it, pedal it, and preserve it, at least on the occasional weekend.

You drive to work all week. Driving is boring and fraught with hassles. Why not leave the car in the garage and ride your bike wherever you need to go. Put saddlebags on your bike and only buy as many groceries as will fit into your bag..biking makes everyday chores more fun. Take a ride on a bike trail. You get the triple benefit of exercise, being outdoors, and actually getting to a destination. Bike riding is one of my favorite activities. I feel youthful and free like I did when I was a kid and my ticket to freedom was my bicycle. It’s a fun way to help protect the planet.

Meet Your Best Self In the New Year

This is the twelfth and final post of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Years Resolutions.

 Previous posts have urged Lady boomers to exercise their creative muscles, to infuse their lives with more color and fun, take mini adventures, evaluate their empty nests, and even examine their purses for excess baggage. 

The ultimate objective of the exercises proposed in these posts has been to encourage Lady Boomers and other empty nesters to transform their lives a little bit at a time, through daily activities and choices. “Transformation” can be an intimidating concept. Little steps, however, make this objective easier to achieve. These exercises are designed to remove the obstacles obscuring who you really are. As Rod Styker, meditation and yoga instructor says, ” We are not transforming into something we aspire to. We’re transforming into the very thing we are innately- our best self.”

Here’s hoping you meet your best self this year.

 

 

New Year’s Resolution- Park It; Plant it; Pedal it; Preserve it!

Post 10 of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Years Resolutions is Park it; Plant it; Pedal it; Preserve it!

The past couple of years have seen an emerging emphasis on buying and being “green”. While we do our part to recycle and conserve energy we either don’t really know what else to do for the effort or we think it all sounds a bit PCG (politically correct to be green). I have a proposal for the new year- Park it, pedal it, preserve it, at least on the occasional weekend. 

  You drive to work all week. Driving is boring and fraught with hassles. Why not leave the car in the garage and ride your bike wherever you need to go. Put saddlebags on your bike and only buy as many groceries as will fit into your bag..biking makes everyday chores more fun. Take a ride on a bike trail. You get the triple benefit of exercise, being outdoors, and actually getting to a destination. Bike riding is one of my favorite activities. I feel youthful and free like I did when I was a kid and my ticket to freedom was my bicycle. It’s a fun way to help protect the planet. 

Post 11 of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Years Resolutions is “Throw Yourself a Tea Party”.

The white rabbit in Alice In Wonderland kept muttering…“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date“ And I say, yes you are! That very important date is with yourself, at least once in a while. It’s a great idea to take a break from stress and schedules and invite yourself out to a virtual tea party. If you don’t want to actually host a tea party for your self complete with mismatched cups and saucers, tea sandwiches, and one rather toothy cat, why not envision some other kind of afternoon or evening date with yourself. It can be in whatever form you choose – a walk in the park, a shopping expedition, a spa treatment, a museum outing, a movie, rifling through an antique shop – whatever the activity, it should be one of your favorites and it should be done alone. It’s amazing how little time we spend with ourselves and how rejuvenating it can be. Pamper your passions. This is your opportunity to be just a little bit selfish.

 

Dump the Diamonds

This is post eight of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Year’s Resolutions.

If you don’t have the stomach to dump the diamonds, at least demote them. Put them on the lower tier of your jewelry box or cabinet. Store them in the safe deposit box. What is so great about diamonds? It’s not as though they are all that rare, after all. Ok, I’ll give you the fact they are prisms for an array of color but I still maintain they are basically clear crystals. Yes, I realize they are expensive and you feel loved when your mate buys you a multi-carat, princess cut pair of earrings. But are diamonds really all that interesting? Other gems and stones like jasper, lapis, turquoise and tourmaline possess deeper, richer color, design and shape and are generally less expensive than their South African cousins. Wearing an imperfectly shaped Australian opal communicates you are interesting and unique a little apart from the rest of the maddening crowd.

New Year’s Resolution #6- Try Taking Mini-Vacations

This is post #6 of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Years Resolutions.

Adventures don’t always have to be big and bold. Who said the definition of adventure is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or back packing through Europe? Adventures come in many sizes and forms and help us feel young all over again. As we age into our 50s, 60s and 70s, let’s take a sip or two from the Fountain of Youth, at least on occasion.

The other night my husband and I hopped on our bikes and rode to the grocery store. The night was beautiful, the air cool, and the stars luminous. We did not exactly look hip and cool bundled up and helmeted with our flashing bike lights. We did, however, feel exhilarated in the cold air and just a little daring venturing out late on a “school” night.

Friends later chided us saying, “Why didn’t you just take the car? That would have been easier and safer!” Convenience was not the point I responded. Don’t you remember that feeling of freedom you experienced as a kid when you jumped on your only means of transportation- your bicycle- managing to escape from parental oversight and control? I harken back to that time and feeling often when I ride my bicycle.

So, go ahead, dip your toe into that Fountain of Youth a few times in the coming year. Try something even just a little bit out of your comfort zone. Maybe learning to do something you have never done before, such as snow skiing. Even if you don’t ever leave the Bunny Slope, you will be thrilled and proud of your adventurous self.

Resolution #12- Meet your Best self In the New Year

This is the twelfth and final post of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Years Resolutions.

 Previous posts have urged Lady boomers to exercise their creative muscles, to infuse their lives with more color and fun, take mini adventures, evaluate their empty nests, and even examine their purses for excess baggage. 

The ultimate objective of the exercises proposed in these posts has been to encourage Lady Boomers and other empty nesters to transform their lives a little bit at a time, through daily activities and choices. “Transformation” can be an intimidating concept. Little steps, however, make this objective easier to achieve. These exercises are designed to remove the obstacles obscuring who you really are. As Rod Styker, meditation and yoga instructor says, ” We are not transforming into something we aspire to. We’re transforming into the very thing we are innately- our best self.”

Here’s hoping you meet your best self this year.

 

 

 

New Years Resolution #11-Throw Yourself a Tea Party

This is post 11 of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Years Resolutions.

The white rabbit in Alice In Wonderland kept muttering…“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date” And I say, yes you are! That very important date is with yourself, at least once in a while. It’s a great idea to take a break from stress and schedules and invite yourself out to a virtual tea party. If you don’t want to actually host a tea party for your self complete with mismatched cups and saucers, tea sandwiches, and one rather toothy cat, why not envision some other kind of afternoon or evening date with yourself. It can be in whatever form you choose – a walk in the park, a shopping expedition, a spa treatment, a museum outing, a movie, rifling through an antique shop – whatever the activity, it should be one of your favorites and it should be done alone. It’

s amazing how little time we spend with ourselves and how rejuvenating it can be. Pamper your passions. This is your opportunity to be just a little bit selfish.

Park it; Plant it; Pedal it; Preserve it!

This is post number 10 of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Years Resolutions.

The past couple of years have seen an emerging emphasis on buying and being “green”. While we do our part to recycle and conserve energy we either don’t really know what else to do for the effort or we think it all sounds a bit PCG (politically correct to be green). I have a proposal for the new year- Park it, pedal it, preserve it, at least on the occasional weekend. 

  

You drive to work all week. Driving is boring and fraught with hassles. Why not leave the car in the garage and ride your bike wherever you need to go. Put saddlebags on your bike and only buy as many groceries as will fit into your bag..biking makes everyday chores more fun. Take a ride on a bike trail. You get the triple benefit of exercise, being outdoors, and actually getting to a destination. Bike riding is one of my favorite activities. I feel youthful and free like I did when I was a kid and my ticket to freedom was my bicycle. It’s a fun was to help protect the planet.

 

 

 

Santa’s 12 Tips for Celebrating Christmas

This is post #9 of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Years Resolutions.

The 2010 holiday season is waning.  As women, we are prone to feeling responsible for holidays and special occasions. We shop for the perfect gifts and spend countless hours adorning packages with colorful paper and bows; we make endless trips to the grocery store buying food for feasts; we organize tree trimming gatherings, and climb rickety ladders retrieving lights, ornaments and wreathes to decorate inside and out.  We often spend money we don’t have in pursuit of an ideal nestled into our memories leftover from Christmases past.  Sometimes those memories don’t match the reality of the frenzy inherent in the festivities.  Now, let me be quick to add, I LOVE CHRISTMAS.  When I contemplated converting to Judaism in my former marriage, I was perfectly willing to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and spend the day fasting in quiet contemplation on Yom Kippur.  However, giving up Christmas was out of the question. But, why not try envisioning a different kind of holiday for next year, one that might not feel as harried.

1.       Color Your Christmas.  Keep the color and delight in the holiday season. 

2.       Hang Out With Friends-   Spend time with friends and loved ones during this holiday season. 

3.       Do Traditional things- Trim a “real tree” not an artificial one.  Make the holiday authentic.

 4.       Go on Vacation – Use the holiday season as an excuse to take a much needed vacation.

 5.       Enjoy Others’ Traditions – There is Chanukah, Ramadan, Quanza, Boxing Day.  Christmas isn’t the only       celebration occurring during this season. 

6.       Sing Holiday Songs- throw your head back and sing those traditional favorites. 

7.       Eat Forbidden Foods – Take a vacation from dieting during this holiday season.

8.       Give to Others – let generosity be your guide during this holiday season.

9.       Breathe – relax and breathe in the midst of the frenzy and festivities of the season.

10.     Enjoy Your Family – Pause amid the Christmas chaos and spend precious time with those you love.

11.     Ask for Toys – don’t let the kids get all the toys; ask for a few for yourself.

 12.     Toast Yourself for Living Through one of the worse economic years in our history.

 

New Years Resolution #8- Dump the Diamonds

This is post eight of Be Brave. Lose the Beige’s 12 days of New Year’s Resolutions.

 

If you don’t have the stomach to dump the diamonds, at least demote them. Put them on the lower tier of your jewelry box or cabinet. Store them in the safe deposit box. What is so great about diamonds? It’s not as though they are all that rare, after all. Ok, I’ll give you the fact they are prisms for an array of color but I still maintain they are basically clear crystals. Yes, I realize they are expensive and you feel loved when your mate buys you a multi-carat, princess cut pair of earrings. But are diamonds really all that interesting? Other gems and stones like jasper, lapis, turquoise and tourmaline possess deeper, richer color, design and shape and are generally less expensive than their South African cousins. Wearing an imperfectly shaped Australian opal communicates you are interesting and unique a little apart from the rest of the maddening crowd.