Category Archives: aging well

Don’t Live With Regrets

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In my opinion, living with regrets is a waste of energy since there are no “redo’s in life.” Shoulda, coulda, wouldas serve no purpose.

But, we can learn to move forward with good intentions when inspired. Listening and acting rather than ignoring intuition  brings satisfying results. A crucial part of that is learning to trust ourselves.

If you asked a group of retirees what they haven’t done but wish they had, many would say I’ve had a story to tell and regret not having written it down and tried to get it published.”

With the vast changes in publishing, anyone can now get their story published, even if it is only for the benefit of leaving a legacy for future generations.

This fall, when I had a book signing at Ukazoo Books  in Towson, Maryland there were two women who attended my presentation. They attend a writers group together at an assisted living facility. Both are writing their life stories for their families and mentioned how much they were enjoying the purpose behind their projects.

“Isn’t personal fulfillment reason enough to write and publish a story?” I asked them. “Yes, both responded immediately, without having to qualify or justify any further.

Anne Lamott quote about regrets

Author and memoirist Anne Lamott surely gets her point across about acting on our dreams rather than sitting back.

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

 

Military Memoir Ranks Well

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“I tell you in my opinion, the cornerstone of democracy is free press – that’s the cornerstone.”  ~ Milos Forman

Lou Prentiss BookToday on All Things Fulfilling, I will be featuring a unique approach to memoir writing that I encountered in Major General Louis W. Prentiss, Jr.’s newly published book Memories of a LIFE IN THE ARMY.

The publication is not a recounting of military valor, accomplishments, coups, medal awards and decorations. Instead, it’s an anthology of charming and humorous short stories or vignettes. The book is very different than most  autobiographical military narratives, which are often very lengthy and not easily readable for civilians.

Before publishing his memoir, Major General Prentiss sent copies of his manuscript to military people who served in the ranks with him. After reading the unpublished manuscript, many of those people contributed further insight into the vignettes through letters back to Prentiss with their memories of shared experiences.

Communications between author and readers usually occurs after a book is released. But because the letters were included in the memoir, the Major General’s vignettes are further enhanced.

5_stars_clipartFive stars for the Major General! So many places this military “lifer” cites – Virginia, Maryland, The Potomac, Chesapeake, Baltimore, Delaware are so familiar to me that it really added to my reading pleasure.

Stories of life abroad will ring familiar with so many military people and families who read this memoir. Most of all, Major General Prentiss is a wonderful story teller who helped me realize why military life gets in one’s blood when a child grows up in such an environment.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Major General Prentiss for his dedication to our country through his lifelong military service. In my opinion, every vet (man and woman) deserves the best because they have given the citizens of the U.S.A. their best to defend and protect our rights. And that includes the freedom to tell stories orally and through writing!

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Thirsty Thursday: Lifted Spirits

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“What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity.” ― J. Sidlow Baxter

I love stories of finding ways to turn a difficult situation into a positive experience. This group of men decided to take matters into their own hands when their plane experienced a delayed lift-off!

This short video exemplifies the benefits that come “when we are no longer able to change a stituation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Victor Frankl

Thats all from All Things Fulfilling on this Thursday. I hope your spirits have been lifted in some way because somedays we all thirst for that.

This blog is brought to you by the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Thirsty Thursday: Footloose

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If you want to be happy, be! ~ Leo Tolstoy

I love that quotation! It reminds me that we can be anything we decide we want to be.

It’s good for the spirit to let loose and have fun. Sometimes enjoyment comes while living vicariously and sometimes it means being the active participant! Watch this video and you’ll be ready to join in on the joy!

And see you back here tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling!

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

 

 

Thirsty Thursday: Made Especially for You

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“Nothing can make you feel peace but yourself.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

lillian-weber3-sewing-machineHave you heard the story about the 99 year old woman who sews a dress every single day for an African girl so each child will have something beautiful to add to her meager wardrobe? The sewer is not far from hitting the 1,000th dress landmark –which means she has been sewing for 1,000 days in a row.

The senior citizen from Iowa incorporates unique trim, buttons, bows or what have you to give it a custom-made “especially made for you” look. She puts her own heart-felt creativity into each dress so the little African girls will feel they have gotten something special, custom-made for them.

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lilian weber2

Take tme To read the full story. It’s always good news when we read about inspiring women who are more interested in serving others through their creativity than worrying about aging. That is all for this Thirsty Thursday.

This blog is brought to you by the award winning author of Gift of Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

 

Fulfilling Things in a Memory Box

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“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” — Napoleon Hill.


I am so grateful that we have a historian among my college girlfriends. She’s saved everything from those years, right down to swizzle sticks and paper cocktail napkins from our favorite haunts.

It gives me great pleasure to go visit her because that’s when all the memorabilia from those years come out. We have a heyday recalling the stories that go with each of the tokens she’s stashed away in her memory box.  Having souvenirs of the past are a great way to trigger those memories we had forgotten about.

Admittedly, I’m not that much of a saver of things. I have a rule on clothing. If I don’t wear it after two or three years, it gets passed along. Why? Because I don’t like to move things that I don’t actively use. I try to keep my accumulations to a minimum, as hard as that is.

Although I do have a few boxes of things of sentimental value that I cling to, and will never give away,  memoir writing allows me hold dear to memories that are special without having to amass boxes of “things.”

As we age, baby boomers, it is important to write things down before those memories disappear forever.

Do you have a memory box or have you ever thought about making a memory box? Here are just a few photos that I keep in mine.

collage of family pics from when marc was young 25% enlarged

This blog is brought to you by the  author Sue Batton Leonard, who has won three awards for her award-winning memoir, an anthology of short stories.

Colored Me Beautifully

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Do you remember back when civilty and common courtesy ruled? Please understand I share this story as an example of those times, not for self-serving purposes. I mean that.

My mother recently went through her hope chest, and sent some wonderful things that she had been saving for me. I couldn’t believe what she held on to for so many years.

In 1974, when I was 19 years old, I had a car accident. It was nothing more than a small fender bender and I think my Dad paid for the damages out of his pocket they were so minimal. At the time I thought it was the biggest tragedy that had ever befallen me. Never did it occur to me that I had been through much worse than that and survived the experience.

My twin sister was in the passenger seat and there were no injuries other than to the spirit. I was beside myself. (You know how teenage girls tend to over react, right?) I felt awful I had damaged someone else’s car and my parent’s vehicle.

I couldn’t believe the kindness the man that I rammed into showed me. He offered to come home with me to help me tell my parents because I was such a wreck. My sister can testify that the man upheld his offer.

Furthermore, after it was all done and over, the wife of the man I rammed into sent this note to my parents to let him know their car had been repaired and all was well. No hard feelings.

note about my car accident when 19 correct position

(Truthfully, I don’t have any clue what I said or did to warrant the comments on this note.)

Today’s message on All Things Fulfilling is for all parents. I want to share what John Locke once said, “We are like cameleons, we take our color and our hue of our moral character, from those who are around us.” ~ John Locke

Paint a picture of people

Thank you, Mom & Dad. I am so glad I grew up in an era of old-fashioned civilty and you raised me to have a strong moral compass. According to Locke, your colors must have rubbed off on me.  I hope I always stay true to my values.

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul, Sue Batton Leonard.

 

 

 

 

Keeping Sunday Special

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Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week ~Joseph Addison

Is there anything in your life that makes Sunday special? Or for you is Sunday the same routine as very other day of the week?

father and daughterEvery Sunday: A Father & Daughters’ Enduring Connection by Donna W Dearborn is a story about a promise kept and treasured. The story goes like this –  when Dearborn left home for college, she promised her father she would write to him every Sunday and her father promised the same to her. Well beyond college, for thirty two years, the practice endured.

As the author’s father aged, the letters became even more important to keep his memories alive of all the fun he and his daughter had  together in large part through an active lifestyle.  You see, they’d been hiking companions throughout Donna’s growing up. Spending quality time together was put high on the priority list when Donna was a young child and it remained at the top to the credit of both parties. The two obviously enjoyed being together.

Do you have a “Sunday story” you’d like to tell? Writing is an important way to preserve culture. Not every relationship is joyful and happy, but there are lessons to be learned from all stories. With the ability to publish independently in this digital world we live in, memoirs and autobiographies are becoming an ever more popular genre of writing. Here is a good article about why memoirs are important not just for the writer but also for the reader. Jane Friedman talks about the up-tick in memoir writing in her article.

For those who are interested in writing stories of faith, here is another article about the importance of storytelling for future generations.

Here is a writing prompt to get you started on writing your story of faith.  Sunday is a day like no other because it allows us to (fill in your thoughts!)

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

 

The Writing Life

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How many times have we heard a person say “I am a writer.”

“What are you writing?” is the natural lead up question.

“Nothing, right now.” A valid response. At that present moment that person is not penning anything. They are communicating verbally – with you. True?

If you’re an artist in any medium and have a real passion for something, practice is never ending. The most successful people in this country’s history were not made overnight. Malcolm Gladwell shares his insight on the 10,000 hour principle.

Even if you’ve gone to school to learn a craft, the education is not over! The process of perfecting a craft is lifelong. Ask any artist who has risen to the top of their field – creating is on-going, never ending. I look at master painter Richard Schmid, one of the most celebrated artists in the country. He paints constantly even though he has been painting an entire lifetime and recently blew out the candles on his 80th birthday cake!

As an author, even though I recently published two books,  I feel as if my work has just begun. I literally work at it every day through blogging and then….there are my other writing projects.

keep-calm-and-love-writing-with-all-your-heart

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart and Soul.

Valuing the Right Things

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Planning is bringing the future into the present, so you can do something about it now. ~ Alan Lakein

Happy February 1st! You know what that means. Valentine’s Day is around the corner – just two weeks away and the pressure is on to find the perfect present.

Valentine’s Day is not just for adults. If you have children who are twelve or older, sometimes finding a token of love to give them for Valentine Day is even more of a challenge. Especially if you are looking for something that will fuel your offspring’s understanding of love rather than provide fuel for a sugar high or fuel the idea that love is all about some high priced item.

If you are a parent who is attempting to raise children who will have their values in the right place in life, the ten stories in Lessons of Heart and Soul are very appropriate for ages 12+. They give a jumping off point to handling those important conversations you have been meaning to have with your children. There is nothing that helps get a conversation started better than humor – that’s inside it!

The cost of the e-book is less than the cost of cards in retail stores. So you don’t need to make a big financial investment. Your children’s understanding of relationships might be substantially different after reading Lessons of Heart and Soul.

Lessons of Heart V4 Cover JPEG 50% resized

P.S. Did you know 46% of all children have already read e-books? You can even download a Kindle on a computer. No need to go to great expense until you and your family decide if you like reading from a tech gadget.