Novels about Ripeness in Late Life

Photo by Nico Aguilera.

Baltimore Sun ran an article about the increased presence of novels focused on late life. The article introduced me to a new term,

Vollendungsroman,

which was coined in 1992 by literary critic Constance Rook as a companion to the more familiar term Bildungsroman.

Bildungsroman refers to stories where the protagonist is coming of age, growing, developing or "building" towards adulthood.

One of the most classic examples is Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

A Vollendungsroman. . . is a novel of winding down or completion. It focuses on the challenges presented in late life, chiefly to "discover the tension between affirmation and regret." (Rook qtd. in footnote 49 of Rita Caviagoli's Women of a Certain Age, on p. 203)

Disco Kiss Memory

Photo by Rosie Rogers

I was 15 and fearing that in a few months I would turn Sweet 16 and never been kissed.

There were a handful of boys that I crushed on. However, I was bookish, argumentative and socially awkward.  I spent a lot of time as a wall flower.

[This post is part of a Blog Hop hosted by Midlife Boulevard.]

From 14 on, I would attend dances and watch other girls my age flirt effortlessly--or so it seemed to me.  I was a teen during the 1970s when disco dominated the airwaves.

If I wasn't moony enough already, the following disco songs were playing on the radio during the months that prom was in full swing in late Spring 1977:

Pew Data on Technology Use

Photo by Lyza.

It's a stereotype that older adults don't know how to use technology. While this may have been true decades ago, every year it becomes less true.

For example, my grandmother Dorene, born in 1906 thought that my IBM 256K computer was a television when she saw it in 1984.

However, my father, born in 1938, wrote his own code during the 1980s in order to customize his client lists for work.

Now in his late 70s, my father doesn't use social media, but he knows more about hardware and software than I do even though I have been using a personal computer nearly daily at home, at school and at work since 1981.

So how much do older adults use technology such as the internet, cell phones and tablets?

The Pew Research Center's Internet Project Survey of older adults' (65+) shows that older adults are increasing their use, but they still lag a bit behind other adults. The survey was conducted July through September of 2013.

Here are some key statistics from that report:

Born in 1962

Photos from Creative Commons.
See below for links to specific photo credits.

I'm always interested to hear how people my own age are doing.

Logically, I know that people are so diverse from one another that I'm not going to observe meaningful patterns or draw valid parallels.

Nevertheless, keeping an eye on my age mates gives me some gauge of how I'm moving through time.

Consequently, I've decided to make a list of people born in 1962.

See this related post: B. 1954-64:
Chasing the Older Boomers

Wikipedia does have such a list, but it includes thousands of people from several countries and notable for a variety of achievements.

Admittedly, I don't recognize the vast majority of these notable people.  Trying to read every entry on that list proved overwhelming.

A list of  75 people my age seems more than adequate, but did I miss someone famous?

I admit to selecting those whom I recognize.  If I missed a notable person while researching, inform me in the comments.

All my best to you, age mates!

The Magic Forest: An Elder Tale

Photo by csphotography.

My first career as an English teacher draws me to cultural objects--films, plays, paintings, novels, stories--that depict older adults and midlife / late-life issues.

As a way of sharing what I'm observing, I discuss a different elder tale each month.  For February 2015, I'm sharing "The Magic Forest," which focuses on the tensions among a mature woman, her naive son and her devious daughter-in-law.

What I'm calling an "elder tale" is a fairy tale that features an older adult as the protagonist of a make-believe story that addresses very real issues.

This post is part of a series on elder tales.  The main character in an elder tale is an older adult who is the hero or focus of the story. Often the conflict is resolved because of their hard-won wisdom instead of some magical intervention--even if that wisdom is symbolized by a fantastical event or object. 

What follows is my paraphrase of a Croatian fairy tale.

Drop Your Pants for Underawareness

Visit Drop Your Pants for More Pics & Info.

Many thanks to Depend for sponsoring today’s story and for encouraging people to #dropyourpants for #underwareness.  

The stereotype is that bladder leakage is an "old person's problem."

Not true.

Few people talk about it, but bladder leakage affects a significant portion of people all across the lifespan.

What are some of the causes?

Urinary track infections, some nutritional imbalances, pregnancy, childbirth, hysterectomy, enlarged prostate, neurological disorders, side effects of some medications, some cancers are just a few of the causes for bladder leakage.