Old People's Geezette
FUN (OR AT LEAST RELEVANT) FACTS
". . . the cochlea, a snail-shaped structure (cochlea means "snail") . . . is filled with twenty-seven hundred delicate hairlike filaments called stereocilia, which wave like ocean grasses as sound waves pass across them. . . .
"The stereocilia tend to wear out . . . as we age, and they do not, alas, regenerate. . . . The high-frequency [stereocilia] are at the front and the low-frequency ones farther in. This means that all sound waves, high and low, pass over the high-frequency cilia, and this heavier traffic means they wear out more quickly."
"The reason we feel dizzy when we jump from a merry-go-round is that the gel [in our ear's vestibular channels] keeps moving even though the head has stopped, so the body is temporarily disoriented. That gel thickens with age and doesn't slosh around as well, which is one reason why the elderly are not so steady on their feet (and why they especially shouldn't jump from moving objects)." Bill Bryson, The Body: A guide for occupants (New York: Doubleday, 2019), p. 87.
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Editors' Note: Before the pandemic, we received most of our Church Pension Group information and updates at our annual provincial or national meetings. Since the pandemic, our chaplaincy ministries changed as so many of our "old normal" activities did, and we have had a steady stream of Zoom meetings to check in with one another as well as learn new things to pass on to you.
For example, on June 15, we had a webinar on. . . .
HOUSING IN RETIREMENT
This topic was introduced within a larger context than mere residency:
1. Are you enjoying your retirement? What would help you enjoy it more, and what can you change?
2. What gives your life meaning and purpose?
3. Is your current home and location enhancing or diminishing your retirement?
One interesting fact surprised us: 30% of retired clergy moved to a bigger house!
Another interesting fact: a change of scene often lifts people's emotional well-being.
In considering a move, first agree on the facts: the costs of staying and the costs of moving; and the proximity of family, friends, activities, and medical facilities.
If you're considering moving to a CCRC— a Continuing Care Retirement Community— there may be a long waiting list, extending to years rather than months, so there's a need to plan ahead.
And if you are retired clergy, how much of the cost is for housing versus included meals, activities, and other non-housing expenses?
To help work through these aspects, please click here for an introduction and link to a PDF.
If you would like to view the webinar, please click here.
And remember that there are a number of resources under Retirement on our Church Pension Group website, including a Retiree Housing Locator for Episcopal-related facilities which you can access by clicking here.
And just a few days ago, on July 15, we had an exciting preview of our enhanced Episcopal Church Medical Trust benefits.
An announcement letter will be mailed on August 4, so keep an eye on your mailbox!
END OF THE DAY
By The Traveling Wilburys:
Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeffrey Lynne, Roy Kelton Orbison, Thomas Earl Petty
To enjoy the video, please click here.
Well, it's alright, ridin' around in the breeze / Well, it's alright, if you live the life you please
Well, it's alright, doin' the best you can / Well, it's alright, as long as you lend a hand
You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring (at the end of the line)
Waiting for someone to tell you everything (at the end of the line)
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring (at the end of the line) Maybe a diamond ring
Well, it's alright, even if they say you're wrong / Well, it's alright, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well, it's alright, as long as you got somewhere to lay / Well, it's alright, every day is judgment day
Maybe somewhere down the road a ways (at the end of the line)
You'll think of me and wonder where I am these days (at the end of the line)
Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays (at the end of the line) Purple Haze
Well, it's alright, even when push comes to shove / Well, it's alright, if you got someone to love
Well, it's alright, everything'll work out fine / Well, it's alright, we're going to the end of the line
Don't have to be ashamed of the car I drive (at the end of the line)
I'm just glad to be here, happy to be alive (at the end of the line)
And it don't matter if you're by my side (at the end of the line) I'm satisfied
Well, it's alright, even if you're old and grey / Well, it's alright, you still got something to say
Well, it's alright, remember to live and let live / Well, it's alright, the best you can do is forgive
Well, it's alright (alright), riding around on the breeze / Well, it's alright (alright), if you live the life you please
Well, it's alright, even if the sun don't shine / Well, it's alright (alright), we're going to the end of the line
End of the Line lyrics © BMG Rights Management, The Bicycle Music Company, Concord Music Publishing LLC
"TAKE IT EASY, NOTHING MATTERS IN THE END"
William Shatner at 90, on love, loss, and Leonard Nimoy
To read the article, please click here.
HOW "SOUND OF METAL" STAR PAUL RACI
WENT FROM DAY JOBS TO OSCAR NOMINEE
By Kyle Buchanan
After decades of struggle, the 72-year-old actor finally found his breakthrough playing a deaf Vietnam vet with addiction issues— a role with parallels to his own life.
To read the article, please click here.
COFFEE DRINKING TIED TO LOWER RISK OF HEART FAILURE
By Nicholas Bakalar
To read the article, please click here.
FIRST, TRY TO IDENTIFY AND NAME THAT EMOTION
By Tara Parker-Pope
To read the article, please click here.
and for a link to the FEELINGS LIST to help identify your emotions, please click here.
è NB: This and all past Newsletters are on the internet with live links. Search for St. Blogory's, click on the link, and under Categories click on The Sabbatical Sentinel and Tired-Again Times