Lee Reed's Blog

A theory of fun

leereed — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:32:46 +0000

Would we do things differently if we more of the things we do were fun? That was the question raised by a group in Stockholm, Sweden. Specifically, the question was ‘could they get more people to take the stairs rather than the escalator if it was more ‘fun’? Check out the video for yourself, and, hey, if someone wants to do this in my neighborhood that would be fine with me.

Best sweetest free gift ever!

leereed — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 04:12:33 +0000

It's what's inside that counts!

I would love to take credit for this but I found it at the amazingly creative sight PaperTasteBuds.com. It is a gift so simple yet so sublime that few, if any, could match. I can’t wait to use this on someone I love.

One small word of caution: there is political reference here that seems out of place. It was just this artists point of view. I know that if I borrow this idea I’ll be leaving the politics out.

Tagged: artistic, free, gift, Heartwarming

In praise of things not-so-new

leereed — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:31:22 +0000

I was on my riding mower today thinking it was about time to get a new one. My wife bought me this machine for my birthday a several years ago and it’s beginning to tired and worn. (Much like its owner, I suspect.) I have seen some new mowers at Lowes that look sleek and powerful and have features this one could not have dreamed of like hydrostatic transmissions and cruise control. Of course, they also cost several times what mine did as well.

After entertaining this idea for a while I decided our current budget simply would not allow me to make that kind of purchase right now. Instead I chose to clean the old beast up the best I could and try to make it last a bit longer. I washed it and it looked better. I waxed it and it looked better still. Then I took Armour All to it and cleaned out the harder to reach places. It shone like a new penny. Actually, to my eye, it was better than a new penny; it had a weathered warrior look that I was certain no new machine could match; as if to says, “I’ve mowed a thousand lawns and still look this good!”

Suddenly I was proud of my trusty workhorse. I rode it around the block to make sure my neighbors got a good look at it…and me. I started looking for other things around the house that I could give the same treatment. The toaster oven was first. It always looks like a wreck, but now, it’s a thing of beauty; a trusted friend who always comes through for me. The vacuum cleaner, the car, my tools; all got the same treatment and each in turn gave me that feeling of quiet dependable confidence. As a matter of fact, I began to feel better about myself. Sure I’m not as young and svelt as I once was, but I too have mowed a thousand lawns and have lived to tell about it. I have delivered a thousand assignments on time and on budget and still turn my wife’s head on occasion.

Shiny and new is great, but it doesn’t hold a candle to tried and true. That’s my motto… and I’m sticking to it!

Tagged: Frugal, golden years, health, Heartwarming, humorous, longevity, senior

Disney in Mississippi? Never!

leereed — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:39:53 +0000

The Magic Kingdom through plantation oaks

When Stephen Foster was writing the song “Old Folks at Home” he needed the name of a river for the first line of the song. He asked his brother, a riverboat guide, to make some suggestions. First suggested was the Yazoo River in Mississippi but Foster didn’t like the sound of it. Next his brother suggested the Peedee River in South Carolina. Foster didn’t like the sound of that at all.

After consulting an atlas, Foster’s brother suggested the Suwannee in North Florida. “That’s it,” Foster gushed and promptly wrote down “Swannee” as it fit the meter of the song better. The song was a huge hit at the time and even today everyone knows the first line “Way down upon the Swanee River.” The song also inspired many to make the journey to Florida to see what everyone was singing about. Thus began Florida’s burgeoning tourism business; a business that grew and grew until it began to attract the attention of some very powerful people.

In 1959 Walt Disney started looking for another themepark location when he learned that fewer than 2% of Disneyland’s visitor’s were from east of the Mississippi even though that was home to 75% of the country’s population. He looked at several locations but chose Orlando for its proximity to I-4 and the Florida Turnpike as well as the strategic location of McCoy Air Force Base, now Orlando International Airport. And, of course, its high percentage of tourists. Disney died before seeing the completion of his dream but it now attracts millions of tourists, locals and foriegners to its hallowed gates and now Disney World and Orlando are nearly synonymous.

So the questions arises; if Stephen Foster had taken his brother’s first choice of rivers, the Yazoo, would tourism have exploded in Mississippi instead of Florida? Would Disney have searched for a location near I-20 and I-55 at Jackson rather than Orlando? Would Mickey have developed a southern accent? Would Minnie have learned to bake fried chicken and pecan pie? We can only speculate; but we can be sure of one thing; we need to choose our words carefully!

Tagged: Disney

Best Senior Video Ever!

leereed — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:12:35 +0000

The Zimmers are an English band made up entirely of ederly people. The are said to have the oldest band members in the world with lead singer, Alf, leading the way at age 90. In an ironic twist they take a popular song of youthful defiance and turn it on it’s head. Enjoy!

Tagged: golden years, Heartwarming, longevity, retirement, senior

So your kids volunteered to be your caregivers? Are you sure that’s what you want?

leereed — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:14:24 +0000

Every day I talk to people about their long term care plans. A common theme I hear is the idea that “I’ll just let my kids take care of me!” On the surface, that sounds reasonable. It’s true that after raising our kids we are perfectly right in hoping they will return the favor when we need them, but those who have experienced this scenario tell a different story.Let’s face it; caring for an invalid parent is relentless and thankless work. Surveys show that children of adult parents dread having to take on the challenges of care giving but will accept it should the responsibility fall on them. This dread is well founded. Most caregivers end up needing care themselves by the time their duties are finished. Why? Because the infirm do not go to a nursing home when they need to but when their caregivers can no longer assist.

Sibling Rivalries

For most of us, the challenges of sibling rivalry fades as our kids reach adulthood. However, as parents grow older and those same kids begin to step into the role of caregiver, those rivalries can flare up again. The reason is that care giving can rarely be fairly distributed between your children. One will inevitably be required to take the lead. Or two will share responsibilities while a third does very little. This is not a matter of who loves you more; it’s all about who is available and when. Even the most responsible of us is subject to feelings of jealousy when a brother or sister does not share the load, even when we know full well that they have no choice.

Financial Burdens

Many seniors do not have the financial resources to live into their eighties, nineties and beyond. They remember when their parents were seniors and few of them lived beyond their late sixties and early seventies. New medical procedures and healthier lifestyles have added decades to many of our lives. However, these added years often come at a cost a parent does not have adequately resources to cover. Add to that the cost of home health care and you have a recipe for financial meltdown.

At the same time adult children have demonstrated that they are willing to quit their jobs, pass up a promotion and even dip into their own retirement funds to make up in the difference their parents need. Is this really what we want? After so many years of telling our children to take responsibility for themselves, are we suddenly going to impose ourselves on their good graces for our own care? Most of the seniors I talk to tell me that want to avoid this at all costs.

Personal Matters

Let’s be frank here: our sons are not likely to be providing the care. (This is a trend that is changing, but slowly.) That means it will be our daughters and daughters-in-law doing the bathing and toileting. That’s mighty personal. I love my wife dearly, but I honestly don’t ever want my diapers changed by her, my children or my neighbors. I would much rather see that done by a professional who is getting paid for their efforts.

Truth is I want to keep my kids out of the equation as much as possible. If they are going to play any role at all, it will be to manage my care, not to provide it. I don’t mind letting my kids fuss at the nurse for not doing something just-so. I don’t mind if they volunteer to drive me to my doctor’s appointment; but there is no way I am going to allow them to do the work themselves; at least not as long as I can help it.

Tagged: caregivers, kids, long term care, senior adults

Wanna make an important discovery? Just look up

leereed — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:49:49 +0000

Asperatus Clouds

Since 1951 no new cloud formations have been identified but Gavin Pretor-Pinney who runs the Cloud Appreciation Society thinks he may have found one. He calls them Asperatus Clouds; Latin for “rough.” He has submitted his findings to the Royal Meteorological Society which will verify that it is not too much like other known cloud types before submitting it to the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva.

Who would have guessed that we could have made a new scientific discovery just by looking up? While you contemplate that, check out the remarkable photos of these formations here: http://xurl.jp/l9r

Tagged: asperatus, discovery, photos, science

Go For It!

leereed — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:25:48 +0000

I talk to a lot of people who feel like life has passed them by and there is little left for them to do in their retirement years, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are loads of examples of quite elderly people who have gone on to do amazing things. Colonel Sanders comes to mind. At age 65 he took his first Social Security check to visit potential franchisees. He is reported to have visited 1009 potential candidates before he found success. But Sanders is not alone; not by a long shot. Here a a few notable examples:

Ronald Reagan retired from acting and went into politics becoming our oldest president at age 69.

Casey Stengel retired from baseball and then was called back to manage the beloved Mets at age 71.

Grandma Moses, beloved folk painter, didn’t even pick up a paint brush until she was 77.

At age 79 John Powanda became one of the oldest Peace Corp volunteers.

Dr. Benjamin Spock gained notoriety as a baby doctor in his professional life but at age 83 he was arrested for demonstrating for world peace.

Mary Baker Eddy founded the Christian Science Monitor at age 87. Her newspaper continues to this day.

Marc Chagall finally got his chance to display his work at the Louvre at age 90. He is the only living artist to have done so.

At age 92 Paul Spangler finished his fourteenth marathon.

Mae Laborde began her acting career at age 93. She is 100 now and still appears on television talk shows.

At age 94 comedian George Burns return to the place where he got started in Schenectady, N.Y., 63 years after his first appearance.

Finally, Dorothy Geeban may be America’s oldest mayor. She presides over city dealings in the little town of Ocean Breeze, Florida, at age 100.

Now if you knew you would live to be 100, what great things would you accomplish!

Tagged: aging, Benjamin Spock, Casey Stengel, Colonel Sanders, George Burns, Grandma Moses, Mae Laborde, Marc Chagall, Mary Baker Eddy, Ronald Reagan

More Hockey Mom

leereed — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:04:20 +0000

Should David Letterman apologize to Sarah Palin and her daughters? Damn straight he should! Imagine the shoe being on the other foot. Imagine Obama losing the election and Letterman making similar comments about his daughters. What would that lead to? I believe we could him to take certain and immediate action; perhaps even physical action. And I would support him every step of the way. Its one thing for the Alaska Governor to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous media jabs, but her family deserves better. From what platform are they to defend themselves?

As the father of four daughters I can attest to the fragile psyches possessed by teenage girls. Parents can and should be given wide authority in protecting those daughters. It is no accident that the recent release of the DVD “Taken”, a movie about a father going to extraordinary means to rescue his teen aged daughter, has been such a huge success. We instinctively know that our daughters need our protection.

It is time for Sarah Palin to go into “Hockey Mom” status and demand justice from this tactless clown. Its up to the media to demand the same treatment from Letterman that they got from Don Imus. And its up to us as parents to use our most strident voice as we make it clear that this behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Tagged: Daughter, David Letterman, Don Imus, Sarah Palin

Seth’s Challenge

leereed — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:21:19 +0000

I am a huge fan of Seth Godin. More often than not, his blog postings are way ahead of the curve and right on the money. Yesterday he wrote about a current issue and hit the nail right on the head. You can see his posting here.

The subject he was addressing was the rising number of graduating college students who will not have a job this summer. Godin challenges these seniors to forgo the family trip to Europe or Hawaii and instead spend the time working on some all -purpose skills/ like learning HTML, JAVA, or a foriegn language, volunteering for various projects and more. Plus, he does not give them the option of picking and choosing what they want to do; he challenges them to do everything on his list.

The responses he got have been revealing. Some wrote to say they had no choice but to take a menial job to pay off their student loans. Others took him up on his challenge, considering it a part of their education. Recruiters wanted to know if there was a way they could get the names of those who took the challenge as they were exactly the kind of people companies are looking to hire… right now.

I just can’t help but wonder why this has to be limited to college students. Why can’t all the unemployed take a challenge like this? And for heaven’s sake, why can’t seniors do the same? Why should retirement be a time of odd jobs and laying around? Why can’t we take up a challenge like Seth’s and learn a new language; even if it is a computer language? Why can’t our later years be every bit as exciting as our younger years?

Personally, I am going to master HTML and SQL for a project I am working on. I also want to make a huge improvement on my Spanish language skills. I plan to attack this subjects just like I was back in college. Is theresomeone out there who would take up some of Seth’s other ideas; speak to local groups on issues you are passionate about, coach a ball team or dance or piano, volunteer for something needed and meaningful. Hey, there’s a lot of stuff out there to do and we can’t expect the new grads to do it all, so let’s get busy!

Tagged: college, HTML, Seth Godin, SQL, students, unemployment