Golden Seniors

2010-10-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

Elita is back on publishing her thoughts on life as a senior. When I was in high school I wanted to be a senior. When I went back to college at age 33 with a husband, two kids age 5 and 9, I could hardly wait to get that college degree at that 'late'age. The teens in my college class, the first one Psychology 101 thought me an old lady at 33.5 years of age.

However, I was the only one in the whole class who came to class and who studied and got all A's at that 'advanced' age.

Being a senior now at age 76 is hard sometimes and other times is fun. People open the doors for you in office buildings, hold the elevator door open for you because you are walking a bit slower due to falling down a curb on July 2 2010 in front of hair salon I had just frequented. People are more polite on the phone when you are buying something via the phone if they know you are a senior.

However senior in the beginning meant over 65. Now people are being called seniors at age 55 because AARP sends you notices to join at 50-55. I know of a doctor of mine who was 'insulted' when at age 50 he got the invitation to join AARP.

My little 5 year old grandson # 3 ( I have 3 grandsons and one granddaughter) said to me on the phone the other night,

"Grammie how are your legs feeling? I missed seeing you last Sunday when you did not come to visit me." He lives in Northern Virginia and we did not go last week because he and his sister had a cough and we were getting the Flu shots the next day and did not want to catch maybe a cold coming on the children. So my daughter-in-law must have explained why we did not come to him and said we did not come because of my legs etc which was easier than saying you kids have a cough etc.

Ethan does not look at his grandfather Jerry and me Grammie Elita as if we are old.He has the other set of grandparents who are Asian and he does not look at them as being different either. So to kids of this age, we are just people, we are their grandparents and he knows that his daddy (my son) is his daddy and his daddy is my
little boy still.

It is how we look at things that defines our life and personality. I have after not having for thirteen years a housekeeper person (use to be called maids) helping us out with cleaning and other household needs and he is a man. Usually it was women who did this type of work and I had my wonderful Lucille for thirty-three years who was that to us. She became a member of my family so to speak and when Mom died, she came to the funeral, when my son was Bar Mitzvahed she came to the celebration ceremony and when my daughter got married, she came to the wedding as a guest because she was like family.In the short time, he has come to us every third Saturday to do housework, he has become almost more than a man maid or man housekeeper. He respects our age and when he sees something that maybe hazardous for us in the house, he tries to correct it.

He saw metal strips between a ceramic tile foyer and the adjoining bedrooms areas. He said to me these are dangerous, you and Mr. Jerry ( he calls him that out of respect, me he is smart enough to call me Gorgeous). He brought the next 3rd week he came to work for us three beautiful hardwood strips called transition strips and he took up the metal strips and hammered in the wood strips. Actually, they should have been installed fifteen years ago with the wood strips but the company doing it did not do it and I never realized it should have been done the wood way. Anyway, I who have many possesions and material things have gotten such joy and pleasure everytime I walk by or over these transition piece of hardwood, you would think it was a new five hundred dollar addition to my lovely home. They are only three pieces of tan hardwood flooring between blue ceramic tiles and the wood of the next room. It seems silly that I would feel such delight in such a simple thing. Maybe being a senior makes you appreciatesuch modest happenings.

So the way we look at ourselves and our lives is designated by how we feel about ourselves. When I was heavier in weight, I still knew it was ME just with some added padding. When I lost weight it was still ME in a slimmer outfit of skin and bones.

It was still me, daughter of my late parents, sister of my late brother, wife of my husband for 50 years, dance partner of my ballroom dance teachers, aunt to my niece and nephews, mother of my son and daughter, mother-in-law to my children's spouses, grandmother of three grandsons and one granddaughter, friend to my friends, great aunt to my two great nephews and one great niece and their respective spouses and last but not least I became a great great aunty-2greats to a great great nephew last September 09. Believe me, that is a great, great accomplishment.

So perceive yourself as being a great, great person whether you are a bit heavy, a bit balding, a bit sad sometimes, a bit not liking your hair some days, not liking your job if still working and not liking lots of things. Think of yourself as wonderful. I went out with a young man when I was about 22 and his brother had just written and produced a play on Broadway called Mr. Wonderful. That is a good title to keep in your thoughts about yourself. Mr. or Mrs. Wonderful at all times.

My friend Robert Jacob Meyer who was the editor-in-chief of a magazine called
Amateur Dancers and I wrote for the magazine for seventeen years told me recently in an email "E (that is me) Don't ever let your creative soul be repressed or intimidated." That is a good thought for all of us seniors, do not let our soul be repressed or intimidated because we are seniors. We are still Golden Seniors and shall be that way forever. In fact, platinum is better than gold, we can call ourselves Platinum Plus Seniors. We are still vigorous, full of vim, vitality and vision. Vision to see before us elegant,educated and expressive elders.

Elita Sohmer Clayman, Pikesville, Maryland October 23, 2010

Ballroom Dancing For Us Seniors by Elita Sohmer Clayman

2010-08-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Go out and ballroom dance the minute you can. Group lessons are small in cost-for instance about 10 dollars per group lesson. You can learn better with private ones, but they are quite expensive.

To start out, try a group class, try to take a partner for you to dance with if you can. Do not give up when it appears it is difficult.It gets easier as each week happens.Age is not barrier, people dance at ages of eighty and up and they do it well.

We go every Sunday to dance at what is called a tea dance. I am 76 and my husband is 80. We do well even though we did not dance for over 2 years due to an auto accident where we were hit by a man texting.

Now we are back and it is the highlight of my week looking forward to going there to dance on Sundays 2-5pm. Dressing up, socializing and eating some naughty snax is also a plus.

When I am there, it is as if I am in another country, another city, another world.
All problems disappear, all worries melt away and there we are-2 people doing what they do well and love ( at least I love it, he likes it).

Go and try to dance and experience what I and we feel. It is better than taking a drink, eating sweets, playing golf or shopping. It is delightful and enhances your thoughts about yourself. It develops your ego into a lovely feeling.

I try to encourage everyone to dance, ballroom that is for good health, good thoughts and good exercise.

Elita Sohmer Clayman, Baltimore, Md

2009-11-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2009

Still going strong and still maintaining my 70 lb loss and still going every
week to Weight Watchers meetings. That helps to keep the weight loss still lost.

I do not eat sweets other than in the last 11 months I had two cinnamon muffins, one slice birthday cake from my younger grandchildren's joint birthday party and tonite 4 thin cinnamon sticks about 200 calories total. I wanted to eat more but put the container away out of sight so I would not pig out on them.

Other than that I do not indulge in sweets because they are my downfall. I will not gain one ounce back.

I keep busy writing all my dance articles for my two websites.

www.DancingwithRene.Z.com
and the Fred Astaire site. These articles are read by about 50,000 readers from all over the country. I encourage everyone to go out and ballroom dance for fun and for good health and social activites. That is my mission in life to encourage, inspire and entice people of all ages to ballroom dance. I have done this for 19 yrs now and long before Dancing With The Stars became popular.

Elita

2009-11-05T07:45:00.001-08:00

Today is November 5th, 2009.

If my dad had lived,he would have been on Nov 4th the age of 117. Ha.

I will always remember him as age 72 when he died. That is an interesting thought of what he would have looked like if he lived to say maybe 90. He was kind, smart, caring and devoted to my mom and me and my brother.

On his birthday, he would give mom a gift because he thought himself fortunate to have her and so thereby gifted her. That too is an interesting thought on someone from the past.

He always thought me to be beautiful and smart and was devoted to my daughter when she was born and was his 3rd grandchild. My son was born after he was gone about6 mos and thereby was named in his rememberance as we do in our religion. So he was Joseph and my son is Jeffrey since at that time Joseph was too old fashioned to give a small baby. Now Joseph,Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel are all popular names again.

So to dad I know you are in heaven Happy Birthday. love from me your favorite and only daughter Elita

2009-11-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

I am back from the dentist 2055 dollars worth of new crowns etc.

I am doing well, writing my columns for Fred Astaire Newsletter Elita Clayman and up it pops and click it on and scroll down F.A. blog till you see my current articles and the archives on the side have them from Oct 08 till now. Interesting comments about ballroom dancing and life itself.

Send me any comments you have on the columns. Also on www.ReneZ.com
where I have written for him on the same subjects for 5 yrs.

Thanksgiving is approaching and we should all count our blessings. I was always good in arithmetic as was called in those days, so I should be using it more often to count blessings of fine husband for over 49 yrs, two smart and good looking children, son and daughter, 3 grandsons age 14, 17, 4 and granddaughter age 2. Those are my jewels, better than diamonds and rubies and even sapphires.

Pretty good health, aches and pains and we are getting over a terrible auto accident from June 08 where a man was texting and hit our bodies hard and our Toyota Camry to the tune of 9700 dollars. We are finally coming to the end of physical therapy and fractured ribs and hurt shoulders and back. We hope to go back dancing this coming Sunday November 8th.

People should not talk or text and hurt others. All day long on the road everyone is calling, talking or texting and harming others. The man who hit us was not a teenager or a senior, just about 50 something and he admitted to looking down. Other than his car, he was not hurt and we have suffered for over one year.

Louisa May Alcott said "I am not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship."

We all have to take care of ourselves to the best of our ability and not be afraid of storms. However, George Washington Carver said "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged,and tolerant of the weak because... some day in your life, you will have been all of these.

So true. It is said that winning is giving your best self away and serving with grace every day.

I try to be graceful in my actions towards others and hopefully will receive grace from others in all situations.

2009-11-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

I have not written on this blog for many months. Since I have, I have lost 70 lbs thru Weight Watchers and me adhering to it. I am slim, sexy and still a successful senior. I shall keep you posted on dancing, life, and being slim and happy.

I will try to transfer a slim photo of me soon as I figure out how to do it again.

Elita

Dancing With The Stars Thoughts

2008-10-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have been ballroom dancing since 1977 which will be 31 years this November.I know lots about ballroom dancing having been a competitor with my pro coach and having danced in showcases at the studio. Ballroom dancing in the real world is not how it is depicted on the show called Dancing With The Stars.

On the show, a 'star' of sorts takes about 6 hours a day for 5 or 6 days lessons to learn how to dance a dance for the show that coming Monday. Normal people take one to two lessons with their pro coach per week and then possibly go to a social dance for a few hours to socialize with other dancers and to really practice what they learned that week.

No one of a normal life could even afford 6 hour lessons for many days. Lessons are expensive and time consuming and hard on the body. No one who dances in a competition would wear the skimpy costumes that are featured on the show. The men do not come out with open shirts bearing their bodies and the women do not have their tops so visibly showing.

This show is not real life, this is for the TV audience and for the three judges to show their personalities off and to criticize the stars and to give them a score.Then the TV audience votes via phone or text and someone is dropped off for that week and eventually there is a winner.

Much interest by the public has grown and many dance studios are reaping the business of new people wanting to learn to dance. However, they must be told that what they see on the show is not what real ballroom dance is about.

Real ballroom dance is about exercise of the body and mind because dancing requires a sharp mind in order to learn the routines, steps, hand motions, and body movements.
It requires a good memory and lots of stamina. It is lots of fun and a good social gathering.

Anyone who thinks it is like the TV show will be disappointed because the TV show is that, a TV show. Real ballroom learning and doing is one of the finest sports and hobbies around. I surely know because I have 58 trophies and medals and I write dance columns for dance magazines and websites.

So if you want to learn to ballroom dance, go for it. You will love it and your mind and body will be the better for it.

Elita S. Clayman
Baltimore, Maryland

Paul Newman

2008-09-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Paul Newman has died at age 83. What an icon in the movie star industry. He was not only a fabulous movie star, he was a distinguised business man who donated millions of dollars. He started a salad dressing business and gave the profits to many worthwhile causes especially involving children in need.

When I was a young girl, I saw every Paul Newman move there was at the movies, there were no dvds or videos then. Now I intend to buy some dvd's of his old movies, all of which were extremely wonderful

He had an old fashion marriage to his wife Joanne Woodward and they were the parents of three daughters and he had three children from a former marriage. Unfortunately, his only son died many years ago giving him the ultimate tragedy of a parent losing a child.

His movies were interesting and diverse and he could play any part with gusto and imagination and terrific timing.

His marriage was not a Hollywood marriage of divorce, intrigue, cheating or anything of that sort. They had a fine and dear marriage and each respected the other for their talents and their love of family.

Paul Newman will be remembered fondly by everyone who ever saw a movie he starred in and of the people whose lives he touched with his generous endeavors.

Elita S. Clayman

Pikesville, Maryland

Wiped His Tear

2008-09-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Ethan age three years and one and half months goes to pre-school which used to be called nursery school when his father went there. He has been there for the third time yesterday and on the first day he had a tear or two when Mommy left. The teacher told my daughter-in-law to go in the hallway and they would see what would happen. She did and she saw he was fine and she left and when she picked him up three hours later, he was happy to see her and had had a good time.

Yesterday his daddy dropped him off and Ethan saw a classmate with tears and his nose was running. So darling and sweet Ethan got a Kleenex and wiped the running nose to comfort his friend. The teacher told my son that was the sweetest thing she ever saw in a young child like that. She has been teaching for over twenty years pre-schoolers.

Ethan shows already at his young age the compassion and kindness that I taught my children and that his parents are teaching him. Of course, all grandparents think their grandchildren are smart, articulate, beautiful and kind. I know for a fact that my three grandsons are all of that and more and Ethan who is the youngest grandson exhibited it yesterday. Ava his one year old sister will be doing the same when her time comes for school and social contacts.

Grandparenting is different than parenting because we are so much older and we can stand aside and absorb the wonderful light that shines upon us because of who we are now in this later senior life and be proud of the excellent mission we have accomplished. Elita Sohmer Clayman

The Autumn Leaves

2008-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today is the 14th of September, a week a way from first day of autumn. You know the autumn leaves are falling all over my property and we have no trees. We have the neighbor's many trees and their leaves do not know that it is improper to mess up another person's property. They fall and seem to realize that they must go to their left to come on my little piece of land so my husband has to rake their leaves and they close their eyes to the swaying of their leaves.

We cut down all our own trees many years ago to eliminate all this raking and bagging and etc.
One neighbor has a tree that the squirrels love and they climb it and must get some nuts and make a mess. He once in a while will clean it up and grudgingly comes over and cleans some of his mess in front of my house.

There should be a law to fine people whose leaves mess up a neighbor's nice and clean lawn.
Only kidding, but really is a good idea that will never make it attached to another law on the records like our congressmen like to do.

I had a professor once who was a psychiatric doctor in a medium size mental (which was privately) owned hospital. The director loved to give the doctors lots of paper work (long before computers) to write on this and that and that and this. This doctor, my friend knew that the head director never even read them, he was giving them busy work even though they were too busy already. One day Dr. L. played a joke on him. He handed in a ten page report and wrote only his thoughts on the first two pages. The last eight pages were blank.

He received a glowing and appreciative report saying that his work was good and had established a good opinion. He laughed because only the first two pages were anything pertaining to the opinions sought and the last eight could be used for scrap paper.

Do you think our congressmen really read and know what is in the bills they present and who adds on to what about anything?

I laugh when I hear the money being spent in Iraq and the billion offered to Georgia ( not the state in the USA) and they take an innocent old senior like me and send her a letter telling her her drug coverage premium will be raised two dollars and ten cents a month because she is being punished. Punished for not signing up for it the first year and so she is being penalized two dollars a month for her naughtiness. Ha. So they get me for over 25 dollars a year because I am a bad person. Multiply this by thousands or millions and this will help to pay for some of the money being sent and misused in Iraq and other places.

Maybe the congressmen need to have a thing like spell check at the end of each bill submitted and this will tell them things have been added on erroneously. I called the drug plan place which was really part of Blue Cross Carefirst and the lady at the other end said " really, this is interesting, I will tell my superior." I said forget it because probably another ten page report will be written and the first two will be about my complaint and the last eight will be blank. Ha.

Words

2008-09-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought how words can hurt and soothe? My mom always taught me that if you could not say anything nice, keep quiet. I have tried that in my lifetime. I notice that others do not even attempt to do that.

I have a friend who emails her daughters daily. She always signs it with love from your mom.

The one daughter responds most of the time to her mom with love.That is fine and makes my friend feel all warm and secure. The second daughter Ana once in a while responds love and when she does not , my friend feels slighted. I always tell her maybe the daughter forgot or maybe she is not in the mood for the love word or maybe she does not feel comfortable using the word too often.

My friend Stella gets very insulted and hurt when the number two daughter leaves off the word love. I feel like I wanted to tell Stella that perhaps at this age she does not need her daughter's approval by her using the word love. She should feel secure she did a good job raising them and her two sons especially since her husband passed away when they were teenagers and that in itself is the personification of love. Taking care, loving, giving and being there is what love is all about.

The second daughter who eliminates the word love and in her heart knows that her mom 'needs' this word used is lacking herself in her committment to her widowed mom. This is her fault and not Stella's fault. She should have confidence in her own soul that she did the best she could and needs not in her late senior years a vote of approval from this child who really is acting like a child when she knows her mom feels this way.

The press vilifies Sarah Palin that she cannot be a good mom and still be the vice president if she is elected with Mc Cain to do so. Working moms are doing the same type of jobs and running homes and being good moms and wives. They never ask the male candidates these same questions.

Sarah Palin knows in her heart she is and has been a good mom

Peacemakers

2008-09-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out a drawer and found a piece of paper from when I went back to get a college education in 1968. My first professor for the one psychology class I was taking as my number one course was a Hungarian refugee who had come to this country from there and was and had been a psychiatrist in the old country.He now was doing that and supplementing his income by teaching psychology at a community college here.

I adored him the moment he opened his mouth to lecture and even though he had a Hungarian accent I was able to understand and comprehend his every thought. When the semester was over, I wrote him a complimentary note and gave it to him on the last day of school. From that moment on our families were friends and cared very much about each other. One day during that first class, I brought my almost three year old son to school with me because his pre-school called nursery school then was closed. He looked at my little boy and said "madam I do not think this the proper place today for a little one, we are talking today about sex and psychology." I told him that he would be good and if he was not, I would leave early.

He was excellent and sat and colored in his coloring book and played with the toys I had brought. He was quiet and respectful and at the end of the class he came up to say goodbye to the professor and at that moment he jumped into his outstretched arms and we have and had been friends from that moment on too.

He inspired me at age thirty-four which in those days was 'old' to go back to school and earn a degree to go forward and to learn and to enjoy the classes. I graduated five years later with honors and even was the president of the art club made up of fifty percent kids and the rest older students like myself.

We remained friends and at his funeral several years ago, I gave the eulogy about this wonderful human being. His name was Dr.Z.John Levay and he wrote a short book and gave me a copy one day. In it he wrote the following " To my Star Student Elita who has earned my sincere respect because she has found herself and who, as an adult became a child again:a Child of God, by virtue of being a peacemaker."

This man was my mentor and friend and I shall never forget him. He came to all our celebrations of life, my above mentioned son's confirmation, my daughter's too and my daughter's wedding . He was there for me when I became a student at a late age and his excellent encouragement of my educational needs and desires inspired me till this day.

So we all can be children of God and help to inspire and stimulate and motivate others to do things they thought they never could do even at a later age. I try to that in my ballroom dance columns on the internet and I have received letters from seniors that are up in age and have read my articles and are challenged to go out and ballroom dance and to learn and to have this wonderful hobby to be proud of. It can be anything that one takes up later in age and excells in.At age thirty-four I was 'old' then to be a college student. Now everyone is doing it via in person or online and the world is the better for it because educated and invigorated people are productive members of society.

Today my three year old grandson Ethan, son of the little boy mentioned above goes to pre-school for the first adventure in his schooling. Time flies and it seems as if it was yesterday and I was there in that college classroom with his father and the meeting of Dr.Levay.

On my first test which was an essay, I received a B which was quite good for being out of school for seventeen years. On the margin, Dr. Levay wrote"Mrs.Clayman, you can and will do better."

That line inspired me to go forth and to excell. That I did due to this professor's thoughts about what I could attain even at age thirty-four. He was what is called a real motivating educator.

I was so lucky to have him as my first professor after all those years. To encourage and to stimulate someone else is one of the finest attributes one can learn. I always revered him for that caring he showed to me.

Elita

The Day After

2008-08-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

We went to a big party yesterday in Virginia. My two youngest grandkids'birthday party.
It was an all you can eat Chinese buffet and the most delightful and plentiful buffet one could attend. It was fun seeing the other side of the family and eating and gorging and having a pleasant time.

No one tries to one up another as at many American parties. No one shows up in fancy clothes or
fancy attitudes. No one is there to brag other than to show off their children or grandchildren.
No one has to cook and clean the house before the party.

Everyone is there to be happy and grateful that they are there. Everyone is delighted to be sharing in this event that is important not only to the three year old but to his one year old sister even though she is probably not aware of it. She sat like a mensh (decent and good) person she already is and ate some Asian food from a chopstick with Mommie helping her and eating her plain old Cheerios with delight.

Everyone is there to be filled in the tummy to the limit and to drive home ( in our case 90 miles) wondering why we ate so much and where is the Tums bottle. Everyone is thrilled to be important enough to say these are my grand babies, these are my grand niece and nephew and these are my main assets in life.

All are one and one are all because we are all there for the same blessing. We are related to these darlings and their parents in one way or the other. In my case, this is my baby and his babies.
This is my second born whose very name makes me filled with pride on what he has accomplished and this is my accomplishment.

From one ( me) joined with my husband to my daughter, to my son ,my baby still in my mind, even though he is forty-three,to their spouses, to the first two grandsons who are teens now to these babies one and three who delighted us in the last three years while my husband and I are in our senior mode, this is our blessing, our gift, our miracles and our love.

So eating at the buffet honoring their both births in the month of August is surely a prediction of our future and lasting happiness. Even though seniors in my mom's time were considered old and aged and sickly, we new seniors are positive, perfect and present. We are here to show our grandchildren that oldsters are still young at heart and we can teach little things from the past and this enhances their lives by knowing what was and what can be.

So the Chinese buffet also included an aisle of delight, delectable and deserving items.The delight in being there and witnessing the blowing out of the candles on the cakes for the two of them, the delectable Asian food and the deserving of the older folks, the two sets of grandparents, a great, great aunt on the other side, and the aunts and uncles of the birthday children.

This is a melting pot of two families, one who happen to be Asian and one who happen to be Caucasian, religions of Catholic and Judaism noted there too. This is America, this is the 2008 moments and this is the most splendid thing there is.

Keep on Living, Loving and Learning...

Elita

New Adventures in Eating-Buffet Dinners

2008-08-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today is the 22nd. My granddaughter's first birthday. Grammie sent her good wishes on the

internet and Mommie read it to her and gave her a birthday cupcake. Tomorrow she and her brother will open their gifts at their birthday bash at a Chinese restaurant in Northern Virginia and celebrating with a buffet dinner.

Buffet dinners or lunches make you want to eat more than you need or really desire . The object of a buffet is for variety and change. So when I went last week to my first Chinese buffet here in Baltimore, I did something I never do. Ordering new things to taste is not my speed.Since I was in the buffet I decided to try about six different food items and really enjoyed all of them except for a bit too much grease but of course the grease, the salt and whatever makes it taste better.

It is interesting to watch people fill their plates with an excess amount of food that they would

not eat normally. Some just go up and eat and go up and again back for more to really get their money's worth as the expression goes.

My adventure there this first time was to acknowledge that I had the capacity after sixty years of eating Chinese food to try something new. My main thing is chicken chow mein, egg drop soup and an egg roll. Recently I started to add General Cho's chicken until one day it did not arrive on the table tasting so good. So I was back to the chow mein.

If the buffet line is not long, it is a good idea to take a taste of this and that and that and this and this enables one to change what they order and not be like me with one or two items.

My daughter-in-law is Asian and she tells us that the food in most Chinese restaurants is not authentic Chinese food like she eats with her family. She says when you see many Chinese or Asian people eating in a particular restaurant, then you know it is good because they know what is delectable and worthy of a meal.

My little grandson Ethan could eat with chopsticks and a regular fork when he was two.

I never eat with chopsticks, just a plain old stainless steel fork will work for me.

Keep on living and having fun and trying new things so senior in your identification means you are a senior in living and not so much being aged. You have the capacity to differentiate between old age and aging. Choose to age with dignity and keep on learning, yearning and loving.

Elita

Aspirations and Dreams

2008-08-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Today is the 21st of August. Where or where did the summer go? I love the fall except for the neighbor's leaves off of their many trees falling on our property. They are not diligent about cleaning them up waiting instead for the wind to blow them even more in our direction. We cut down our trees many years ago for that very reason. People who have the lovely trees should be more respectful of their neighbors and when possible several times in the season to pile up their leaves instead of letting them pile up on their neighbor's property. Oh well, nothing to do about that except have an argument with them.

I have always loved that song Autumn Leaves, but not in the true meaning of that word.

We are going to celebrate younger two grandchildren's birthdays in August this coming Saturday. It will be at a Chinese buffet restaurant where they live out of town. It is a long trip but worthwhile. One will be one and the other three. We bought the three year old one a Thomas wooden train set with 49 pieces. It is so cute, I am having trouble not opening it up and playing with it myself. He knows about it and cannot wait to get it on Saturday.

At this age, senior age, little things like birthday parties are really big things in our life. They are not things, they are events. Events are meant to be celebrated and loved and honored especially happy events which this will be and is.

When I was thirteen, my mom was about to turn forty. To a kid that age, forty is old age and I worried that she would not be the same sweet and dear and good Mom if she got old at forty.I waited all that day, May 8th to see the changes in her. There were none.She remained the same wonderful person. Funny, how kids think of things. Now days kids are so preoccupied with electronics, dvd players, sports and etc that they rarely I am sure would think something like I did.

I owned about three books and the rest of the time we went to the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland for our reading habits. I worked there for forty-five cents a hour putting the returned books back on the shelves. It was a special job and you had to be on the waiting list to get it. I worked Saturdays mornings and one afternoon and when that paycheck arrived for about five dollars net every other week, I would await Dad going to the bank to cash it. I was rich. I was rich because I had caring parents, a clean home, delicious home cooked meals and aspirations and dreams of the future.

Keep on Enjoying Living Every Day of your Life.

Elita

Surprises

2008-08-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Surprises should be coming in jewelry boxes.I heard this slogan on a tv show this morning.

Surprises can be anything from hearing you are having another grandchild as I got last year or they can be that you are dancing in a show at your dance studio and showing off your moves.They can be a good report from your doctor on a test you took, it can be good results from your stock broker or hearing from a long lost relative or friend.

Surprises are what life is made of and even writing on this blog is a surprise to me. I have been writing for over seventeen years in a ballroom dance magazine and for several years on a fine website geared to ballroom dancers all over this country and the world too.

Writing for this blog is an interesting happening in my senior life. It keeps me on my toes ( no pun intended) and it enhances one's mind and soul. Keeping active is what being a senior is all about and keeping the mind active is as important as physical exercise that we all try to do.

Mental alertness is what we all strive for. Mom was sick in the hospital for seventeen weeks before she died. Her mind was there to the end. We were talking in front of her with her eyes closed. We did not know if she could hear or comprehend. I was talking about a man in her office who used to annoy her by saying Hialea because her name was Leah and he was a race track person in his spare time. So he would say Hia Lea and she disliked it.

Out of the blue, her sweet voice came through with her eyes closed. She said yes as we were talking about him'his name was Mr. Trimble'.That showed her mind was there to the very almost last moment because she remembered his name as she heard our conversation.

She passed away several hours later.

That was a blessing, her mind there to the end.We all pray for that blessing.

May you always have your mind and your alert manners. Keep on Living and Enjoying. Elita

Remembered By Our Jewels

2008-08-20T06:00:00.002-07:00

My grandaughter is going to be one on Friday. When she smiles or coos at me my heart melts. To those of you who have grandchildren you know that these are our real jewels. We may have diamonds or emerals or pearls or anything else, but they do not matter in the scheme of things when you are fortunate to have grandchildren.She is our first girl and we have three other grandsons.

When her brother calls up and says "Hi Grammie, where are you, I love you" then you know you are richer than you ever believed you could be.

Someone once said that jewels are the orators of love.An Arabian proverb said that orators make men see with their ears. If that is so, then grandchildren make us feel with our hearts more than we ever imagined. I have a friend who says she chose not to have children. Her doggies are her children and I respect her decision long before I knew her. They are quite elderly now and they have no one to ever remember them with fondness as their friends are also quite and more elderly.

Our jewels mentioned above will remember and love us and that is as fine as it can get.My children remember with awe my mother who passed away twenty-four years ago. They recall and rejoice in her love for them and them for her.

What better inheritance can we give our grandchildren other than monetary or jewels than that they recall us with love.

Elita

Positive Days

2008-08-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day on this posting. I as you well know am a senior citizen ballroom dancer who promotes and explores everything about ballroom dancing long before Dancing With The Stars became so popular on the television.

We who have danced for over thirty years have known this from day one. We have learned, love, lived and longed to dance even more than we do or did. We have never loathed it, we have adored it. It is a big part of our life and our life means more to us because of dancing.

We love our spouse, our children and our grandchildren first and foremost. Next comes dancing, at least in my life. Even when unable to dance like I am now since we were in an auto accident on June 18th of this year, we still yearn for it.

The doctors and physical therapists say it will come soon as we are healing well. We have not danced for many weeks now but the aura of dancing lingers from the last time we were at the studio we go to called The Promenade here in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Promenade is a gorgeous location with a dear owner Cindy Sumida who runs the place and makes us feel happy and at home and is always welcoming to her students and guests. The location is like out of a Hollywood movie on dancing and everyone is encouraged to dance in showcases that surely do show case the dancer and the teacher. They are videoed and photographed and believe me I watch my dance showcase videos from there often.

Cindy has made the Promenade comfortable and pleasant and easy to love. The word in the dictionary means walk, walkway. avenue.It surely is an avenue for people to dance, be happy and prance about. Prance we do when we are there showing off all our 'stuff and moves'.

When we are there,we are away from our troubles, our aches and or pains. We are happy and serene.

That is what dancing is all about, not skimpy costumes, long hair flying and way out steps that normal dancers do not do. (As seen on Dancing With The Stars shows).

We are ordinary people performing an art called ballroom dancing and then we are not so ordinary, we are special and if we are of senior age we are even more extraordinary and exceptional. We are BALLROOM DANCERS WHO LOVE THIS AND WILL FOREVER.

Elita Keep on Dancing

Positive Moments

2008-08-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

Golden Seniors is what this column will be called and will encourage seniors, not yet seniors and almost seniors and yes, maybe a few younger folks to go out and ballroom dance weekly.

I started to dance in a serious mode on November 2, 1977 and now almost 31 years later am still dancing even with arthritic knees and a rotator cuff problem in the right arm.

Ballroom dancing is a serious endeavor that demands love, respect and continuation. Some times it will get on your nerves learning a new step or routine, but continue on and you will profit from the exercise to your body no matter how old you are. You will profit because your mind will constantly be absorbing the new information and your mind will be kept alive.

You will go out to a dance and practice what you learn and dress up in nice clothing and you will come home tired and happy that you accomplished this feat for your feet and brain.

Believe me when I say that the word dance makes me think of happiness, movement, peace and most of all achievement and fullfillment.

Future columns will delve into the realization of your goings and comings in the ballroom world and the delight you will have doing this wonderful sport, hobby and love.