Grand Plans: February 15, 2024
A semi-monthly newsletter from Grand Plans designed to normalize and celebrate our glorious geri-destiny through information, stories, real talk conversation, smart planning and shared experience.
Things I’m prattling on about today
My grandparents Woodsy and Bobbie Harper were cruise people, ahem, PRINCESS CRUISE people…as in The Love Boat people, during my formative years. This was great for us because they took our family along on several voyages and as a result, my brother and I got to see many of the world’s most beautiful places before we flew the coop — places like the fjords of Norway, Hawaii and islands throughout the Caribbean and beyond. It was grand, and the people working on the cruise actually looked like the characters my grandmother loved on the television, which was so star-striking and journal-worthy. I mean look at those people, that’s an actual Julie McCoy on the right palming my brother’s sweet Members Only threads.
These trips were memorable for many reasons. First, they were fodder for family lore. They inspired stories we still howl over today — the breakdance competition, the old guy with the weird bag, cigarette smoking with our crazy Aunt Carolyn and of course, her unbeatable stateroom pranks, which included putting one end of a toilet paper roll into the latrine, unfurling it down the hall and then running to push the vacuum powered flusher so the TP streamer would fly down the hall and be sucked into the depths of the commode. Cruises with Bobbie and Pampaw were also memorable because it was one of the few times we got gussied up for dinner. But mostly, these adventures stand out because it was something we all did together — we took in new sights, cultures and settings together. We shared moments of wonder and awe and wow — it was a tremendous gift! I am endlessly grateful to my grandparents for investing in our experiences. By so doing, they created a legacy I would like to perpetuate in my own family in our second half.
People love to bust on cruises, and I get it. They’re big and people-packed and the hot tubs are suss, and COVID singlehandedly changed people’s perspective of cruise glamor. So if it’s not going to be a Princess cruise with your family and grandchildren, what will it be? Where will you go? How will you make it happen? What can you do now to create memories and moments for your family that will define your legacy when you’re gone? Whether it’s through travel or weekend getaways or fun outings, building relationship and legacy through shared experience is really important work. “Come aboard. we’re expecting you. Love, life’s sweetest reward. Let it flow, it floats back to you.”
News you can use
All hail the princesses, kweens and kings we are as we set sail into our second half! We can definitely enjoy life’s sweetest reward, if we just embrace it.
…even when we’re going through Manopause. Yes.
…or prostate cancer, like King Charles. What a royal pain.
Pop culture relevance alert: Please know that one of music’s greatest kweens, Beyonce, announced a part two of her Renaissance album during the Super Bowl and it is giddy-up.
And ICYMI, another pop kween you may have heard about, announced plans for her new album during her big Grammy’s night score. It’s real poetic justice.
Talk about entertainment royalty, this piece on Jane Fonda is a show stealer.
Learn why it’s important to crown yourself queen of your community of caregivers.
It’s time to live big and far and wide in this world! Here’s what one 52-year-old writer learned about life from making plans for an early death.
Hear ye, hear ye! It’s time to join us in Jacksonville for these Grand Plans: The Workshop events upcoming:
Lastly, I just want to thank everyone who came out to The Twig bookstore in San Antonio and The Literary Lounge, San Marco Bookstore and the St. John’s Cathedral Bookstore & Gift Shop in Jacksonville in support of the Grand Plans book launches and signings. It was a total joy to see everyone and I appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to be on the scene.
It’s back! Season 3 of the Grand Plans podcast is making it’s grand re-entrance! We’re starting things off a little differently this season by recording the five Grand Plans: The Workshop sessions at the Literary Lounge in Jacksonville. Each episode is a conversation about four of the 20 steps of a workable Grand Plan. Find it wherever you download your podcasts! Here’s a link to Season 3 Episode 1.
Geris-prudence
Yes, having durable power of attorney and medical power of attorney documents in place helps mitigate lots of potential challenges should you become incapacitated. Just make sure you’re communicating your wishes and plans to the person who has signed up to do the work! And to all the folks out there considering taking on a POA role, give it serious thought — it is NOT easy! Here’s what my friend, the king of family estate law, Seth Bell, says about the importance of good document planning.
Advanced health and fitness
Here are some straight-up facts about regal posture from ACE-certified personal trainer and Silver Sneakers fitness instructor Amy Gunther from her newly released, top-selling book, “Smarter Not Harder: The 7 Tenets of Mindful Fitness After 50.”
“One of my favorite tips for good posture arose from a tip on improving abdominal separation after giving birth. It’s very simple. Stand up straight and engage your core. Next, gently tie a soft piece of yarn around your waist, just above the belly button. Cover it with your shirt and go about your day. When your good posture lessens, you feel the sensation of the yarn and self-correct. As this occurs over days and weeks, good posture becomes a habit. Look in the mirror at home or your fitness facility often. This was helpful for me. Adjust your car's rearview mirror for the best view when sitting up straight and tall. If you hunch, the view is impaired, and you will be forced to self-correct. Make sure your computer monitors or laptop are at eye level. Continual looking down leads to a hunched posture and muscle soreness. Lastly, consider adding backward shoulder rolls to your daily regimen. Try 10-20 big rolls to loosen tension in the shoulders and neck while training the muscles of the upper back to engage in good posture. I do not like the idea of forward shoulder rolls, as those promote the same muscular engagement as hunching.”
The grand sum
This short video from AARP titled “Get Your Financial House in Order” is a must-watch is a much-watch, and also underscores several of the most important steps of a Grand Plan! Time to put your life treasure to good work!
Shelf life
This book is an incredible resource that must be on your shelf! I met Florida author Star Bradbury, a certified aging life care specialist and CEO of Senior Living Strategies, at the recent Sunshine State Book Festival in Gainesville. Coincidentally, she and her senior-related book were displayed at one end of the table while my geri-drama and I were at the other — it begins and ends with books on the second half it seems! Here’s a description of Bradbury’s book: “No matter your parents’ age or stage of life, this comprehensive guide walks you step-by-step through developing a flexible, proactive plan that will allow you to make the most informed decisions for their well-being — and your own.” Buy Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years today!
Shared experience
We can all learn from each other’s geri-scary moments. What are some of your takeaway lessons? What have you promised yourself you’ll never do to your loved ones? What worked for you? What didn’t? More conversation and story-sharing helps elevate the senior experience for all of us. If you want to share your grand tales, email susannabarton@me.com and I’ll put them in an upcoming newsletter. Here’s today’s Shared Experience:
“Listening to the podcast- you don’t need to take the risk of writing down passwords- or worry about keeping up the list if you use a password manager app. I use this one https://1password.com/ And my kids know my password!” — Anonymous
O-bitchin’
If all-things princess is today’s theme, then of course it’s appropriate to read Princess Diana’s obituary from 1997. “The 20th century will have many symbols. Few however will be as potent as Diana, Princess of Wales. In a sense she was the ultimate product of the age of celebrity, sought after as no other for celebrity's ephemeral trappings of elegance, beauty, and high fashion, all lent especial allure by the life-long role that fate had thrust upon her, as mother of a future British monarch.
She was a peculiarly bewitching blend: the public goddess who in private knew more misery than joy, a figure as far removed from the serious business of high politics as it is possible to imagine, yet a person who would become an extraordinary ambassadress for her country. In many respects her life was a happening - but one which may yet exert greater impact on Britain than a clutch of the weightiest public dignitaries of our time.” Read the Independent’s full, and somewhat editorialized, obituary here.
Some golden gedunk and goods
Get yourself another few copies of Grand Plans: How to Mitigate Geri-Drama in 20 Easy Steps and the Grand Planner for all the people who like getting gifts in your life! Visit www.mygrandplans.com for links to purchase on Amazon.
Check out our Grand Plans merch in our Etsy storefront.
