October 2, 2008

 

Smart Women may not retire, but they sure like Karaoke; Tomatoes had Fantasticks fun; healing and nature; and calming those financial jitters.
 
It was a hot and steamy August night and a small group of tomatoes had gathered to join The Three Tomatoes for an evening of karaoke and sake.  In walked three new tomatoes, who claimed they had "never" sung karaoke, but then proceeded to get up to the mic and sing a bunch of sixties tunes (they'd been practicing together) and we knew we were in for an evening of sing offs!  We laughed, we sang, we drank a lot of sake, and by the end of the night we had three new friends.  And as it turns out, we had much more in common with them than just off key singing and microphone hogging.  They were all involved in a group called The Transition Network, and before they left, we had made a luncheon date with the singing trio's ring-leader, Mona Kreaden, who also happens to be a board member of this terrific organization.  
 
What do career women do at the end of their careers?
 
Well that's a question that a whole generation of career women is asking.  And let's face it, we haven't had a lot of role models, because we were the first generation of women who pursued careers en masse.   And it's the topic of the first book published by The Transition Network and one of its members, Gail Rentsch, called Smart Women Don't Retire - They Break Free.   To quote the book jacket, "You spent your career seeking out new challenges.  You enjoyed countless successes.  You broke new ground in your field."   Now what?  Well the "now what" is what motivated a group of highly successful, professional women who were facing the dreaded "R" word a few years ago, and couldn't imagine themselves spending the next twenty, or thirty plus years shopping and perfecting their "peach cobble recipes".   So they formed The Transition Network which is now a national organization, that's helping smart, accomplished women over 50 put their energy and skills to good use and in doing so remain productive, benefit society and prove that age can be a period of regeneration rather than decline.
 
This is not your mother's retirement
 
So Mona, who has the energy of three twenty-year olds, a keen mind, and great wit, and keeps insisting she's "older" than The Three Tomatoes, but doesn't look it (although no one has said an actual number out loud), invited us to the New York City Chapter's Creativity Showcase recently.  This was an exhibition of the works of some of the talented members of the chapter who are artists, photographers, jewelry crafters, and more.  We were blown away by the talent, but more importantly by all the really great women we met, who were exhibiting and attending.   Many of these women had only recently begun to explore their passions like art and photography.  And that was just one of a series of ongoing events, seminars, resources, and more that range from activism on topics like "aegism in work", "older and younger women creating a force for change", tech courses (like basic digital camera skills), financial programs, and volunteerism.  Plus social events, like a special evening on  November 19th to see a performance of The Negro Ensemble Company in Home, a gripping coming of age story, followed by a wine and cheese "talk back" with the cast.  And the good news?  Tomatoes are invited to join them at this event.  So check out The Transition Network, and discover how they're helping tomatoes get the most out of the next 50 years.  Oh, and Mona is learning to sing Proud Mary.  There's just no stopping that tomato.
 
Meet Gail and Mona on October 8th
 
Join The Three Tomatoes on October 8th at our Second Acts Breakfast Panel, and you'll get to hear Gail Rentsch, who joins our esteemed panel, and will talk about how smart women are transitioning into new life phases.   And you'll get to meet Mona and some other terrific tomatoes who are doing fun and meaningful things through The Transition Network.   
 
Fantasticks Fun
 
Okay, so it took us nearly 18,000 performances to finally see The Fantasticks, and it was so worth it.   Several tomatoes and tomato husbands joined us too.  The show which is now at the wonderful Jerry Orbach Theater (and by the way, he was in the original show) is a delight and the music with songs like "Try to remember" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain" is terrific.   The young lovers are beautifully betrayed by Margaret Anne Florence who sings and looks like an angel, and the absolutely adorable Nick Spangler.   We'll be seeing much more of these two. And Nick and his sister, by the way, are on this season's Amazing Race, and were in first place last Sunday.   And several of the other cast members have performed in previous versions of the show (when it was on Sullivan Street), like John Thomas Waite and Gene Jones, who was in last year's movie Oscar winner, No Country for Old Men.   And the best part was we got to mingle with them at a private wine and cheese reception right after the show.   Check out the photos.  Very fun night.
 
The Healing Forces of Nature and Those Financial Jitters   
 
Joan Stigliano, The Three Tomatoes feng shui eco design expert, shares a personal story this week that has become all too common to many us - finding out that a dear friend has cancer.  Joan talks about how living in harmony with nature, can help you make sense out of even the worst situations. 
 
And financial expert Cherith Harrison and founder of Pin Money, has some sound advice for those financial jitters reminding us of FDR's words, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself".  Now if only we could get this generation of politicians to stop playing politics.