"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Monday, September 7, 2015

On Our Minds

     A roundup of baby boomer blogs this week finds that we have an abiding interest in both our mental and physical health.

     Take a drive over to Six Decades and Counting where Meryl Baer examines the rules regarding car seat regulations, and how they may or may not affect senior citizens. She wrote about the problem a few years ago, and has updated the article for her latest post Car Seats for Seniors.

     As for Laura Lee Carter, she's concerned about the stress and the environmental problems of city living. After residing in the city for most of her life, she finally moved to a rural community this summer.

     Since B and I have been talking about when and where we should move in retirement, this is a subject near and dear to my heart. One of our ideas is to move into the city, from the suburbs where we've both been hanging our hats for the past few decades. We're thinking city life would be exciting, at least for a period of time, say a year or two.

     But after reading Carter's post, I'm not so sure. In City Living … Not So Much Laura Lee offers up a few thoughts, along with some informative research, on urbanization and mental health.

     Meanwhile, on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide, Rita R. Robison, consumer journalist, warns us about two potential threats to our health. In FDA Issues Warning Letters to Five Companies that Sell Pure Powdered Caffeine, she points out the dangers of the supplement to children and adults alike. Pure caffeine should never be sold to consumers, she says, pointing out that one mere teaspoon can be a fatal dose for a child, and two teaspoons are fatal to many adults.

     In Tiny Concentrations of Teflon Harmful to Public Health, Robison refers to a study by the Environmental Working Group that says federal guidance on safe levels of Teflon in our drinking water is way too weak. One study she cites detected Teflon chemicals in 94 public water systems in 27 states. And exposure to these types of chemicals have been associated with cancer, high cholesterol, obesity and other problems. For more on the issue check out Robison's report and her links to the studies. 

     Meanwhile, if you’re interested in self-awareness, self-improvement and self-actualization, you might want to check out the recent post on SmartLiving365 called Is Finding Your Balance Point a Smart Way to Live? Blogger Kathy Gottberg takes a look at some work by Brian Tracy and his daughter Christina Stein who talk about how each of us has a balance point where "we feel in perfect harmony, grounded, happy, connected to others, and where our mind, body and spirit are in alignment." 

     Gottberg also notes in Wayne Dyer: The Passing of a Self-Help Master that the popular author and motivational speaker Wayne Dyer died last Sunday, Aug. 29. Dyer was suffering from leukemia, diagnosed in 2012, but that never dimmed his optimism and love of life. As noted on the Dyer website: "Wayne has left his body, passing away through the night. He always said he couldn't wait for this next adventure to begin and had no fear of dying.”

     One of Dyer’s famous quotes was: “Don’t die with the music inside you.” So Gottberg has isolated five ways that the music of Wayne Dyer will forever be a part of her life . . . and maybe yours.

8 comments:

DJan said...

I didn't know Wayne Dyer has died. He wrote some books that I read and appreciated. Thank you for the link to Kathy Gottberg. She is a new and welcome blogger for me. :-)

Anonymous said...

I couldn't disagree more strongly with Laura Lee Carter's post on City Living. Having recently retired and moved from the suburbs to a large NE city, my wife and I have been invigorated! We walk everywhere, which is good exercise, we go to the theater, museums, restaurants, and parks than we ever did in the suburbs. We have made more friends in our condo building in the past year than we did in our neighborhood in the past 11 years. Our travel is less stressful since we no longer have to worry about the security of the house, the yard work while we are away for extended periods, etc. Just close the condo door behind us and let the building management take care of the rest! I don't think there is one size that fits all when it comes to city living versus suburban or rural living. If the things you like to do (museums, theater, restaurants)are in the city, why not move to the city and if the things you like to do in the suburbs or rural areas (hiking, mountain biking etc.)move there.

Rosaria Williams said...

We moved to a very tiny hamlet on the Oregon Coast from Los Angeles. Yes, we gave up professional quality theater, performances, restaurants, shopping. Did we miss them? At first.we missed our children and our favorite shopping and restaurants. Then, on our visit to our children back in Los Angeles, we discovered what a stressful place a city can be, with so many things clamoring for your attention and your money, where everything has a cost, including our favorite, a walk on the beach. Did we choose to leave the city consciously? Not really; we examined our vacation choices and that's how we came to discover that a small place with great free, natural wonders, was the place to retire to. We have not looked back.

stephen Hayes said...

I was sad to hear Dyer had passed. He helped and inspired so many people.

Meryl Baer said...

A suburbanite for most of my life, I love my latest digs in a small city. Walk to stores, library, community center. Or take the bus or ride my bike. I love not having to get in my car and drive to go anywhere or do anything.
There are a lot of pluses to rural life, but I know my hub would go crazy in too much solitude!

Anonymous said...

I don't mind living in Hawaii. I can attend the symphony and opera, visit museums, dine at world class restaurants -- and swim, snorkel, and hike -- all on an island in the Pacific.

Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com said...

Hi Tom! Thanks again for the links to my posts! Wayne Dyer touched many of us (whether we'll admit it or not!) and he was GREAT at quotes that most of us recall easily. And as far as Laura Lee's post about country vs. city, I agree with other comments that living too far out in the country wouldn't work for me, but living smack dab in a big city wouldn't work for me either. My husband and I live in a relatively small town (about 45,000) connected to several other "touristy" towns so there is lots going on but not too busy either. We can walk, ride our bikes safely, enjoy nature, and enjoy being around others as much (or as little) as we like. To me, finding a place that fits you uniquely is what I call "rightsizing." We are all different so it makes sense that different places work for different people. ~Kathy

Mike said...

As my wife likes to say we moved the day after pomp and circumstances was played at our youngest son's high school graduation. We moved from suburban Chicago to a city neighborhood not too far from Lake Michigan and have never looked back!