Two trail blazers are
Liz Smith and
Gael Greene, both of whom we are pleased to feature at our web site every week, who could teach tomatoes more than a thing or too. And there's also a fascinating new book called
The Hourglass Solution that's all about creating options. Oh, and you'll love the
face age test too. Can anyone say denial? So read on.
Liz Smith and Gael Greene are still relevant Both have had stellar careers and probably could have rested on their laurels at least a decade ago. But they didn't. So when they were each recently "downsized", Liz Smith by the
New York Post after 14 years, and Gael Greene by
New York Magazine after 40 years, they didn't have to reinvent themselves, because they had stayed relevant along the way.
Gael Greene started her
Insatiable-Critic blog way before she was, as she candidly puts it, fired, and not only has her readership grown substantially since she was ousted from
New York Magazine, her higher than ever profile has led her to TV as a judge for a new Bravo Show. And when tomatoes want to know the newest
hot restaurants in NYC, we're asking Gael Greene, not some 20-something who started life as a blogger and likes to eat.
Liz Smith, who proudly touts her 86 years, started a web site with a bunch of her famous friends last year, and is
wowOwow.com's most prolific blogger. That is in addition to still writing everyday for several syndicated papers and
Parade Magazine (you might have seen her cover story on Liza Minnelli this past week.) And she is very much in tune with today's pop culture from Octomom to Madonna and A-Rod.
So here's the point. They didn't wake up one morning to find themselves "downsized" with no where to go and nothing to do. They stayed relevant and current along the way. And they created options for themselves. An important lesson for tomatoes.
Is that all there is?
Growing old, but staying young, is certainly part physical (plastic surgery not required) but staying active and keeping up with what's in style (adjusting for age appropriateness of course), is a requirement. But that's just one piece of it. More importantly it is an attitude of possibilities and staying in tune with the times which includes everything from technology, to music, and what's happening in our pop culture. It's really about staying relevant and sadly, we all know people who are living in a time warp. Or who have somehow found themselves stuck in a life believing they have few choices or options. Which is the topic of a fascinating new book written by a couple of PhD boomers called
The Hourglass Solution,
A Boomer's Guide to the Rest of Your Life. Their premise is that many boomers who once felt they had infinite choices, now find themselves feeling "is that all there is", stuck in the middle of the hour glass by choices they made early in their lives. The authors offer some strategies for increasing your options and possibilities. It could just be the kick in the butt you need to jump start a stalled life. (Read more at our
book club). Maybe that downsizing will turn out to be the very thing that sets you free.
Get out of your "old" rut Okay, so maybe you're feeling a little sorry for yourself, a little old, a little out of it. Here are three things we want you to do.
1.
Get a new hairstyle. Seriously, aside from a martini, the best attitude adjustment is sometimes just a new look.
2.
Go to iTunes right now and download some of today's young artists. Here are three songs you'll love:
Mercy (sung by Duffy);
Chasing Pavements (sung by Adelle); and Bubbly ( Colbie Cailat).
3. If you don't have a
Facebook page, go to
facebook.com right now and set one up. It's easy. And yes, it can be a serious time waster, and honestly not many people want to know what you're doing right this minute, but at least you'll know what all of the buzz is about.
Then send us an
email and tell us how it went.
How old is your skin?
We happened to pick up this month's issue of
Good Housekeeping, which to be honest is not a magazine that has held a lot of appeal for us over the years -- it has something to do with the good and the housekeeping part. But to our surprise, it was actually an entertaining and yes, relevant read. We especially enjoyed taking the "
How old is your skin" quiz. You have to rate various aspects of your face and based on your score it tells you how old your face is. Well seems we were a tad in denial on our first go around with the quiz, when our face age came out about 18 years younger than our actual age. So we took off our rose colored glasses the second time around and came up with a face age (still younger) but a little more in line with our real age. We've posted the
link to the quiz at our
home page. Let us know how you fared, face age wise. Denial is sometimes a beautiful thing.
So, here's to change, choices, options, and sometimes a little denial. And great martini every now and then too.
