AARP or Bust

I don't know how many of you out there qualify for AARP. Those too young to know, that would be the American Association of Retired Persons. You only have to be 50 or over to qualify. I find that amusing because I do not know if there has ever been a time when one could retire at the age of 50.

Anyway, they put out this magazine bi-monthly, The AARP Magazine (real creative minds working there). There is always a smiling celebrity looking out at you from the cover. That is to remind us that, yes, even the rich and famous get old, but don't they look marvelous doing so. Last bi-monthly it was Valerie Bertinelli. I don't know about you, but I have had just about enough of good ol Valerie. She is everywhere--in a bikini! It is hard enough to get to age 50 without having that expectation hanging over your head. I mean really.

So this magazine arrives every bi-monthly, with a smiling celebrity, and I quickly peruse the cover and perhaps the table of contents to see if any of my maladies are listed. These would generally be ordinary old people maladies, not celebrity maladies. Most of the celebrities gracing the cover do not have maladies. They have causes and foundations and inspirational stories about how you, too, can grow old looking like them---if you had your own personal trainer, private cook, nanny, housekeeper, shrink, etc. Most months I merely deposit The AARP Magazine in the pile of newspapers to be recycled without having read anything.

This bi-monthly, for some reason, I flipped to the back of the magazine and caught a glimpse of some little tidbit, and no it was not High Grant--who happens to be turning the big 5-oh this month. He will undoubtedly be smiling out from the cover of a future bi-monthly. I digress. The tidbit: "Help! Should I Confront My Colleague?" Well, I am always up for a good soap opera and this had possibilities. Trust me, not a good read. However, across the magazine on the other facing page was Jane Pauley. Not the real Jane Pauley, but her AARP column "Turning Point". The article was titled "Meet a New You: a change in perspective reveals hidden strengths".

Now this sounded like something I should read. I truly wish I could reveal some hidden strengths. At this point I cannot see in myself any obvious, unhidden strengths. There is a definite value in re-evaluating your minds eye of yourself. That is, taking a good hard look at yourself and taking inventory of not just the dust and cobwebs of how you see yourself, but re-discovering those attributes long hidden under the piles of misery and frustration called chronic illness. Jane Pauley got me to thinking.

I then found other tidbits. AARP calls these "The Best of Your Life" - ha, little play on "the rest of your life", but they don't want to say that because, well you're over 50 and well, uh... So the other tidbits: "Flash: Money Does Buy Happiness", "Fighting the 40 Year Itch" with sub-categories like "Your Partner is Starting to Gross You Out", and of course Peggy Post with her column: "Oh, Behave!"

So these retired people apparently still have a life. And, their very own magazine with "tidbits" that are sometimes thought provoking, sometimes helpful: Peggy's bit was help on how to say"No" without being rude or apologetic to those that give you guff about you saying "No".

This little magazine offers tidbits that are little opportunities to try something new, consider a different point of view, make an effort to communicate in just a little different way that may open up a whole new line of communication, or take a look at yourself and discover that you are still a valuable person, aside from your chronic illness.

Next bi-monthly I will turn to the back of the AARP magazine and read about "the best of my life". I am still working on finding those hidden strengths. Jane got me to thinking that I truly might have some hidden strengths. By the way, did you know Jane Pauley struggles with bi-polar disorder? She knows the life of chronic illness, too.

Later,
me,

CJ