At 20, we worry about what other people think of us.
At 40, we don’t care about what other people think of us.
Weekend Cheer from The Queens of Quite-a-Lot
At 60, we realize they haven’t been thinking about us at all!
And, I think that’s a very good thing. Happy Friday.
Singing with Tony and the boys at Melvin’s piano bar in Palm Springs.
Apparently I am a very late bloomer. Sometime around my 60th birthday I finally got an inkling that grabbing the gusto was what Life was really all about and I’d better get on with it. I found my bravery gene and my adventurous soul finally began to emerge. Oh, I’d had my share of adventures, but the last few years have taught me to look for the joy and the adventure in every experience. Savor the moments, step out of your comfort rut and try new things when the opportunity comes your way. I’m pretty sure adventure is the juice that keep us young. You don’t have to ride a camel across the desert to find fun and adventure. Adventure is what you make it. Close to home or across the globe, there are so many fun ways to enjoy an afternoon, a day, or a long weekend. The list is endless, but here are my current favorites…
1. Start a regular date night practice. It can be with the hubby, significant other or fun friends. Hubs and I started this a few years ago on Friday nights. We take turns coming up with a plan. It’s fun to see who can be the most creative on a budget! I also have regular date nights with “the girls”.
2. Rent a canoe or kayak and go for a paddle. No experience or equipment required.
3. Unleash your inner Beyoncé. Go to a piano bar or sing karaoke.
4. Try Laughter Yoga. It’s good for the body and the soul. Laughter really is the best medicine.
5. Learn a new language. “Hola, mi nombre es Nancy. ¿Atienden vino aquí?”
6. Start a twalking group. My friend Judy came up with the word twalk and I thought it was a perfect! Walking + talking = twalking.
7. Listen to TED Talks and sign up for TEDx if your area has one.
8. Become more tech-savvy. Learn how to use all the features on your iphone or Droid.
9. Take more photos. Carrying your camera helps you slow down and see the beauty is in the details. I recently took a great online class with Tammy Strobel of Rowdy Kittens. Awesome!
10. Go dancing. When is the last time you kicked up your heels on the dance floor? Don’t have a partner? Try line dancing or Zumba.
11. Explore every one of your local museums. Even the button museum can be interesting.
12. Pick up a brochure at your local Visitors Center and spend the day like a tourist visiting the attractions you’ve never seen but always wanted to.
13. Rekindle a lost love. I’m talking about hobbies, sports, and other activities that you loved to do but somehow Life got in the way and you let them go. Why not pick up those skates, the knitting needles or the swim goggles and fall in love again?
14. Sign up for Groupon, LivingSocial or other online discount offers and try out the two for one at the symphony, the theater, or a new restaurant. A two-for-one took us to The Portland Corn Maize.
15. Spend some time exploring the opportunities on HomeExchange.com.
16. If you are 55+ or better yet 62+ start taking advantage of the senior discounts. Last weekend we went to the Rose City Dog Show for FREE. We might not have gone it we had to pay $20 or $30 to get in. It was raining. It was indoors. It was free. It was a really fun experience. Who knew?
17. Pack up your dinner and take yourselves on a picnic.
18. Miniature Golf. Fun, fun, fun. We keep our putters in the car because you never know when you might see a new miniature golf course.
19. Seek out and shop at your local Farmer’s Market. You feel healthier just being there.
20. Go geocaching. I can’t wait to try this when the weather warms up.
21. Volunteer at a senior center. Calling bingo is calling to me. I’m going to give it a try this year.
22. Connect with long lost friends. Facebook is a great place to start.
24. Check out local theater, high school plays, roller derby, bourbon & bingo, music in the park, parades, festivals art shows. They’re free or cheap and way more fun than you might think.
25. Sign up for a creative class. Not everyone is an artist but stepping out of your comfort zone in an easy supportive three-hour class is a great way to dip your toe. Clay, watercolor painting, photography, drawing, card making, lettering…the list of options is endless and its a great way to get out and meet other people. Look up classes through your local college or community center/parks and rec.
26. Spend the night (or the weekend) in an unusual lodging. How about a yurt at the beach, glamping, a vintage trailer, a treehouse, a rustic cabin, a historic hotel or B&B complete with breakfast and a resident ghost? Wherever you live, they are easy to find via the internet.
27. Try out your local vegan restaurant. Vegan food has changed since the 70’s. It’s gourmet good and good for you.
28. Take yourself on a walking tour in your town. This is one of my favorite activities on a warm summer day.
29. Glow in the dark bowling. Yah, baby!
30. Sign up to walk or run a 5K.
31. Throw yourself a birthday bash. Mine’s a biggie this year and I plan to celebrate all month.
32. Wear your tiara. Trust me on this.
33. Meet your neighbors. Invite them to dinner or throw a community party.
34. Not up for traveling across the globe this year? Explore the amazing ethnic communities in your area. Great shops, great food and lovely people. Take your camera!
35. Do something that scares the hell out of you but that you have always wanted to do.
36. If they are old enough, take a mini vacation with your grandkids – one at a time. Give them a list of places and let them choose. Take your camera!
37. Take a cooking class, a cheese making class, a beer making class. It’s one of our favorite things to do. We take classes at home and when we’re on vacation.
38. Sell something on eBay. Hubs could give a class on this. It’s fun, you make a few bucks and you start clearing out the stuff.
39. Start writing your memoir. Really! There are easy online guides to get you started. You will be amazed at all of the adventures you can recall when you take time and look back. Savor them and share them. The wee ones will think you’re cool when you tell them about that time you rode on the back of a Harley up the California coast.
40. Take a helicopter ride over your city. Or a boat. Or the tram. It’ll give you a whole new perspective.
41. Buy coffee for the person in line behind you. You’ll feel good all day and so will they.
42. Start planning your own really big adventure! Make a list, cruise the internet, send for brochures, explore the options, start saving. Set a date!
What new adventures have you had lately? We’re always looking for a good time!
I’m kicking up my heels and drying out my webbed feet in sunny Palm Springs this week. There is nothing better than hanging with a flock of silver haired snowbirds to make you feel young. Last night we met Betty and her two girlfriends at the front desk. She’s my kind of gal. Sporting a bejewelled pink jean jacket, a crown of silver hair and a hearty laugh, this lovely lady is a role model for living and loving life. Betty is looking for fun and I’ll bet she even turns a couple of old foxes’ heads and gets called out for a whirl or two around the dance floor when they bring out the Tommy Dorsey cover band.
Click on the photo below to watch an awesome dance number. I think it’s time to dust off my dancing shoes. How about you?
Life is really about grabbing the gusto no matter your age or the color of your hair. To quote the lyrics of a favorite country song ~ “And when you have the chance to sit it out or dance… I hope you dance.”
Since I appear to be the only one working while all around me my peers are, one by one, slipping quietly into retirement, I still enjoy the simple pleasures of knowing which day of the week it actually is and feeling that wee spark of happiness when Friday finally rolls around again. Count your blessings…however small they may be.
Mr Ricky
Here’s what Mr. Ricky and I will be doing this weekend while hub’s watches football, football and more football – snuggling under the covers to stay warm and dreaming about all of the things that make us happy. Oh, and we’ll probably eat something tasty too.
Happy Friday!
It was mid December when this intriguing invitation appeared in my inbox ~
What new intentions do you have for this coming year? Rather than make a list of resolutions meant to broken, create a powerful visual reminder that 2013 offers four seasons and twelve months of hope, healing and joy in the form of a mandala or sacred circle. This mixed media project will include watercolor and permanent markers, with lots of creative options to make your mandala express your life’s journey this coming year.
No artistic background required. All materials included.
To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure what I was signing up for, but I was drawn by the idea of this new use of an ancient tradition for creating a visual road map of the year ahead. No artistic background required. All materials included. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
We met at 10 o’clock on a very cold, cloudy and windy first Saturday in January. Eight women and one brilliant facilitator. The class was held at Via Artistica, a light, bright and very inviting space dedicated to supporting creative expression for people at all levels of artistic experience. Kristen Carpentier, who created and facilitated this workshop has helped hundreds of women (and a few brave men) use art as a way to explore and promote personal growth. This woman has a gift and I for one am very glad she has chosen to share it with the world! 
We had a real Artists in the group which I always find intimidating, but I got over myself pretty quickly and on to the business of quieting my judgmental monkey mind and letting whatever bubbled up work its way onto my watercolor paper. We drew cards for direction – I randomly chose Risk and Passion and Willpower Right on target!
Mandala is a sanskrit word for circle and creating mandalas is a Buddhist form of meditation that is hundreds of years old. If you are interested in learning more about the Mandala, its history in Buddhism and other ancient traditions, here’s what Wikipedia has to say . For this workshop, the guidelines were simple, the supplies plentiful and the paints sparkly and colorful. We started with a big square of paper, a dinner plate to trace the mandala circle and then played for the next two hours and watched as magic happened around the table. I had no idea where I was going when I sat down at the table, but I have to say I absolutely love what I created. 
Creating the space for reflection, setting intention and then sharing in a supportive group is a great way to start a new year, or a new month, or a new plan of any kind. There will be more mandalas hanging on my wall in the year ahead.
Thanks Kirsten and Via Artistica.
RISK ~ That’s my word for 2013 and as I said, I’m going for it. Damn the torpedoes and all that.
I decided to jump right in and sign up for not one but two creative classes. They are online and they are both fabulous. Great inspiration, ideas I can put to use immediately and daily and weekly projects that are already moving me out of my comfort zone. I’m loving every minute. Old dog + new tricks = grand new adventures!
One of my goals for 2013 is to step into the blogging world in a whole new way. I’ve got some big plans to hatch and lots of work to do. I am excited to go down this path wherever it leads.
Everyday Magic is a photography class led by blogger, photographer and creative living inspiration, Tammy Strobel. Tammy and my classmates from all over the world are helping me see the magic in so many of the everyday moments I have overlooked or taken for granted as I rushed through my days. It is just so darned cool.
The second class is called Juicy Blogging with writer, editor and blogging pro, Britt Bravo. I just started a couple of days ago and I have already learned and tried so many new ideas I am about to burst with enthusiasm. I know I will be much better blogger as I begin to share our Just a Backpack adventures with a larger audience.
Both classes have daily lessons. Today at Everyday Magic our theme was “A Day in the Life”. Britt’s writing assignment was to do a blog post that contained mostly photos. Sounded like the makings of a fun blog post to me.
Here’s how it played out…
Oprah was waiting for me when I opened the mailbox so we decided to go on an adventure together. (well I decided)
Driving Ms. Oprah.
Lunch? Why yes. We both had the apple/goat cheese salad.
A quick trip downtown to Union Station to pick up a friend. Oprah rode on the dash to catch a better view.
Oprah loves a good sale. Me too!
See’s chocolate? Of course! Let’s get a one pound box and eat it on the drive home.
Perfect ending to a perfect day. Starbucks, tea, chocolate and a little bit of Oprah wisdom. It was my very own Oprah Ahhh! Moment.
These classes are gifts I gave to myself. They fit me perfectly and have already brought me hours of joy. New sweater? Don’t really need one. Meeting new people and making a few synapses fly in my brain? Now that’s a gift that will last a lifetime.
What gifts have you given yourself lately? If not…what are you waiting for? You deserve it. Just like me.
It’s January and like almost everyone else, I’ve been thinking about the year ahead. All day the song 526,600 minutes from the musical Rent has been playing in my head. That’s a whole lot of minutes – a whole year’s worth to be exact. What a gift. And an awesome responsibility as well – to make the most of each and every one of those 526,600 minutes.
Every January I like to take a walk down memory lane, review the previous year (the good and bad and the I can’t believe that really happened) and then set my my intention for the year ahead. I’ve given up making new years resolutions, but I do like to have a goal or two and a bit of a road map. I chose RISK as my guiding word for this year. As hubs and I continue to move deeper into uncharted waters, my willingness to embrace risk will be key to the success of our backpack and rollie retirement adventures. I’ve never been a big risk taker. It’s time. I’m going for it.
Here’s my 2013 Wordle. I know it will be a great visual reminder of where I want to keep my focus and intention as I move through the year.
If you want to play with your own Wordle, check out their website. it’s easy and lots of fun.
The mad march through the month of December is winding down at last. We tried to keep Christmas low-key this year and I think we succeeded pretty well. This blog is in part about re-evaluating our lifestyle as we approach our next adventure – retirement. We’re pondering the deep questions like how all the “stuff” we’ve acquired over the years will fit (or not) into our upcoming new lifestyle. We’re a couple of geezers on a new path and we’re loving the challenge and the change. This year we began the process releasing our attachment to things and instead looking for the magic in the moments of our lives rather than the next shiny thing. The most frequently asked question around our house these days is “Do we really need it? Will it fit in the backpack and rollie?” It’s a very interesting exercise and I highly recommend it, but it isn’t always easy.
This Christmas, after years of piling the presents high around the tree, it feels good to say that all we really need is family, friends, our health, and a few bucks to sustain us in our old age and keep us traveling. It’s been a year of exploring “the new/old ways” and the re-discovering the value of moments and memories vs. stuff. Taking photos with my little digital pocket camera helps me stop and pay closer attention to the tiny details that make our lives richer. You catch the hope in someone’s eyes, the playful smile in the joke, the hundreds of shades of grey in a Portland winter sky. Magical everyday moments I would likely take fore-granted and quickly forget. I’m hoping that in the year ahead both my skill and my camera will improve and my snapshots of our experiences will enrich these posts.
For now, I’m just grateful for the memories. Here are a few of my favorites from the past year. Taking a little quiet time this afternoon, I sat with a cup of tea and my laptop and experienced the magic of these moments all over again. Now that’s a real gift!
May your moments be filled with great joy and grand adventures.
Happy New Year!
Cheers ~ Nancy
justabackpackandarollie 