When do you decide to give it up: to give up the car keys, or the house you have lived in for over forty years, or to give up taking care of yourself and hiring in-home care?
We’ve been told from an early age to “never give up!” and as we get older many of us still carry that sound bite in our heads. We believe if we put out enough effort we can accomplish anything or at least delay the inevitable. But age takes its toll. We can no longer move as quickly, bend down as far, or think as fast. With proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and mental stimulation we can often slow the process of aging but until someone discovers the fountain of youth this is our future.
Many people believe that never giving up means never changing – continuing to do what they have always done. They believe that giving up means they can’t handle the challenges aging has brought and they are less of the person they once were.
But sometimes this stubbornness can be selfish and dangerous. If the result of your “never give up” attitude is you keep driving, putting yourself and others at risk – that isn’t noble, but foolish.
Instead of never changing, “not giving up” can mean changing direction, working to find an alternative that still meets your needs and what you want. But it’s not easy. What do you do when you want to live on your ten acres in the country when your doctor tells you to stop driving? And before your adult children force the issue?
We accepted all the changes while growing up – moving from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. And now as we move through this next level of maturity, there are changes we can’t ignore.
We know change will always happen – and we can adapt and find different options. It may be hard, full of loss and regret, but don’t give up! Find that new path that brings fulfillment during these later years. Maybe the Gambler, Kenny Rogers said it best, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em.”
This Saturday August 4th through the 5th it’s Shaniko Days! On Saturday, the parade starts at 10am, the Mud Springs Gospel Band starts at 11am, and the Sunshine Exchange Cloggers will do their thing at 1:00 and 2:30pm. There will be ragtime and vintage music in Stagecoach Station; bluegrass music in the late afternoon; and a street dance from 7:00 – 10:00 PM. Plus there will be bake sales, raffles, kiddie train rides and Black Powder Gunfights throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. And most importantly, cooler temperatures.
The costar and comedian famous for his impressions of Burt Lancaster, James Cagney and Kirk Douglas; played the Riddler in the TV series Batman; and who stopped in at the Shamrock while filming Movin On was Frank Gorshin. (Since I now finish my column on Saturdays, I have missed the correct answers from Sharon Hull, Sandy Haechrel, and Jo Smith who will all receive a free quilt raffle ticket. But this week’s correct answers were sent in by Lana Tepfer and this week’s winner, Bob Earls, who remembers Frank Goshin playing a creepy villain in the movie “Ring of Fire” which was filmed in Vernonia in the 60’s.)
This question might be familiar to anyone who was an office worker during the 60’s and 70’s. In the 1960’s Remington was one of the two top typewriter manufactures in the US, but in 1961 the Selectric was introduce with a radical “typeball” about the size of a golf ball that replaced the typebar which would often get entangled causing the keys to get stuck. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what company manufactured the Selectric – the typewriter that dominated the market for two decades? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a refurbished Selectric typewriter which you can find on eBay for $479.
Well it’s been another week constantly checking the temperature. Until we meet again, even though it is as hot as a blast furnace outside, it’s still probably a good idea to keep your clothes on.
“You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can’t, you do the next best thing. You back up, but you don’t give up.” ―Chuck Yeager
