Every once in awhile I will read or see something that makes me stop and really think. Why did that story or that video have that effect on me. Often it is because the message is one that brings up happiness or sadness, warm fuzzy feelings or cold, scratchy ones and sometimes it brings up one of those things that creates something to ponder. The story of Olive Riley, the 108 year old blogger is one such story. Her story rather brings up it all: happiness over seeing someone still so active and alive and sadness knowing how many people still fear and are disgusted with aging--their own and others. Warm fuzzy feelings when I see young people and elders interacting with each other and cold, scratchy ones when I read the ageist posts on some of the social networking sites. Ah, but the pondering!
Having just turned 68, I must confess that I have days when I bemoan what aging has done to my skin, my joints and my health. But most days when I look into the mirror and see that woman in there, I tell her--"You've come a long way, baby and I like you. Perhaps if you do a better job with your nutrition, your fitness and your brain; you can live to be as old as Olive".
Wow, that gives me 40 more years! If I haven't done by then the rest of the things that I want to do before I die; then I didn't try. So-- I will eat more fruits and vegetables, drink more red wine, stay with the yoga class, do my crossword puzzles in ink and wish Olive Riley the most wonderful birthday greeting ever.
Olive's 108th birthday is coming up on 20 October. Imagine! Telephones weren't even common when Olive was a kid and now she has a blog. What a great story. Visit her blog,
www.The Life of Riley.com
and see the video of the kids who came to sing to Olive in honor of her birthday. The interesting part of that video is that there is 100 years difference between the ages of Olive and the age of the children. I love seeing Olive singing the words along with the kids who sang some of her favorite songs.
Ronni Bennett from www.As Time Goes By.com has this request of other bloggers: "Let's give Olive a big blogosphere birthday bash from all over the world. Bloggers don't turn 108 every day, you know. Here's how it goes:
1. Create a birthday greeting for Olive. It can be as simple as "Happy Birthday, Olive" in great big letters or as complex as you want to make it - photographs, drawings, cartoons, pictures of balloons or a cake, audio, video, whatever.
2. Post it on your blog. In this case, we should do it the day before her birthday, on 19 October, because although it taxes my brain to keep it straight, Australian time is almost a day ahead of the U.S. and Europe time, and Mike tells me they will be getting together on the 20th for a celebration. Olive will be able to see the posts then or the next day.
3. After you've posted the greeting, go to Olive's blog www.The Life of Riley.com and leave a comment on her latest post with a link to your greeting.
It's that easy. Let's make this the biggest elderblogger birthday bash there has ever been for one of our own. If you would like to tell your own blog readers about this project, feel free to copy any part of this post."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR OLIVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97V8DcbDOOs
Having just turned 68, I must confess that I have days when I bemoan what aging has done to my skin, my joints and my health. But most days when I look into the mirror and see that woman in there, I tell her--"You've come a long way, baby and I like you. Perhaps if you do a better job with your nutrition, your fitness and your brain; you can live to be as old as Olive".
Wow, that gives me 40 more years! If I haven't done by then the rest of the things that I want to do before I die; then I didn't try. So-- I will eat more fruits and vegetables, drink more red wine, stay with the yoga class, do my crossword puzzles in ink and wish Olive Riley the most wonderful birthday greeting ever.
Olive's 108th birthday is coming up on 20 October. Imagine! Telephones weren't even common when Olive was a kid and now she has a blog. What a great story. Visit her blog,
www.The Life of Riley.com
and see the video of the kids who came to sing to Olive in honor of her birthday. The interesting part of that video is that there is 100 years difference between the ages of Olive and the age of the children. I love seeing Olive singing the words along with the kids who sang some of her favorite songs.
Ronni Bennett from www.As Time Goes By.com has this request of other bloggers: "Let's give Olive a big blogosphere birthday bash from all over the world. Bloggers don't turn 108 every day, you know. Here's how it goes:
1. Create a birthday greeting for Olive. It can be as simple as "Happy Birthday, Olive" in great big letters or as complex as you want to make it - photographs, drawings, cartoons, pictures of balloons or a cake, audio, video, whatever.
2. Post it on your blog. In this case, we should do it the day before her birthday, on 19 October, because although it taxes my brain to keep it straight, Australian time is almost a day ahead of the U.S. and Europe time, and Mike tells me they will be getting together on the 20th for a celebration. Olive will be able to see the posts then or the next day.
3. After you've posted the greeting, go to Olive's blog www.The Life of Riley.com and leave a comment on her latest post with a link to your greeting.
It's that easy. Let's make this the biggest elderblogger birthday bash there has ever been for one of our own. If you would like to tell your own blog readers about this project, feel free to copy any part of this post."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR OLIVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97V8DcbDOOs
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