Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

EricR

@ericsmuse.bsky.social

7 followers 13 following 110 posts

A peaceful man in my 7th decade. Like many my age, I've worn many hats. I'm curious about aging, happiness, and living a good life. ericr.ca/joinme

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

I was going to send this only to my private email subscribers, but as I worked on it, I began to think it would be worth sharing publicly.

(If you'd like to get my private emails, click here: ericr.ca/joinme)

1 1

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 11h

🏞️ Hiking gentle trails with friends—nature’s therapy for the soul.
ericr.ca/independence

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 14h

In 1965, I developed a love for instrumental music. I was all of 9 and the mid-60s rock and roll thing was raging.

But when I heard “A Taste of Honey” with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, I was hooked on this sound.

And the album cover I’ve put in the comments had nothing to do with it! 😁

2 1

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 16h

🌿 Gardening club meetings: planting roses, harvesting veggies, and swapping tips.
ericr.ca/self-care

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

NOTE - If you have not been getting my private emails and would like to receive them, please click here: ericr.ca/joinme

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

I used to have a sign posted over a door at home that said, “This too will change”. It reminded me to have patience in bad times and caution in good times. It was always a helpful perspective.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

Perspective is an art. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and we will get through all of this. In the history of the world, there has never been a storm that lasted. And in each storm, “the good”, however you conceive it, has prevailed.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

Yet those grandparents (and now great-grandparents) survived through everything listed above.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? A kid in 1985 didn’t think their 85-year-old grandparent understood how hard school was.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

At 64, the Vietnam War comes to the USA, and it doesn’t end for many years. Four million people die in that conflict. Approaching your 62nd birthday, you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, could well have ended.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

When you’re 41, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthdays, 75 million people perish in the war, and the Holocaust kills six million. At 52, the Korean War starts, and five million perish.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

When you’re 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27%. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20. Fifty million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million!

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

One of the best tools for dealing with the endless stream of horrors known as “news” is a broader perspective. Imagine you were born in 1900 in the USA. When you are 14, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday with 22 million people killed.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

We are inundated with doom, fueled by people in the media, politicians, and others trying to make a living. I don’t begrudge anyone trying to earn their keep, but I question the morality of using our fears for it. Alas, there is no stopping it.

So what can one do?

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 17h

1 1

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 18h

The idea of leaving this life while doing something one loves has a certain appeal to it.

1 1

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 1d

🎶 Joining a local choir and hitting those high notes together. Music truly ages well!
ericr.ca/self-care

1 1

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 1d

The classic film lover in me could not resist this from Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

Dr Septimus Pretorius' incredible miniatures were created by placing actors in full-sized bell jars set against black velvet. The mermaid was Josephine McKim, a gold-winning swimmer in the 1928 Olympic Games.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 1d

🧘‍♀️ Daily yoga sessions keep the mind calm and the body flexible. Just don't overdo it. #Wellness #AgeGracefully
ericr.ca/defy-age-di...

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 1d

I have no designs on how you should live your life, and ask that you extend that same courtesy to me.

This is not complicated, nor easy.

But I found it valuable for making a good life.

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 1d

🎨 Discovering a new hobby: watercolor painting. Every brushstroke feels like a fresh start. #CreativeRetirement
ericr.ca/writersblock

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 2d

📚 Finally tackling that reading list of classics you’ve been meaning to finish. #BookLover #GoldenYears
ericr.ca/writersblock

EricR @ericsmuse.bsky.social · 2d

Amen, brother.