All Posts in "Lifestyles"

As I begin my tenure as CEO of AARP, I challenge all of us to reimagine what it means to get older. Let’s disrupt aging. Let’s upend our thinking around what it means to get older.
It’s really not about aging. It’s about living.
To disrupt aging, we need to own our age. We need to get to the point where we’re no longer defined by the old expectations of what we should or should not do at a certain age.
We don’t want to be defined by our age, any more than we want to be defined by race or sex or income—and frankly, I’m a little tired of other people defining me that way. I want people to define me by who I am, not how old I am.
Disruptive aging begins with each of us individually embracing our own aging—feeling good about where we are in life.
We’ve all seen those ads on TV and in magazines—“50 is the new 30,” or “60 is the new 40.” That may sound like a nice sentiment, but as someone who was born in 1958, the same year Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus founded AARP, I don’t agree.
For one, we face different challenges and goals than people in their 30s and 40s. We’re motivated by different things. We see the world through a lens shaped by the ups and downs of life and the wisdom gained from those experiences.
I don’t want to be 30 again. I may want to look and feel 30, but I’m very comfortable with my age. I am a more purposeful person because of the experiences and wisdom those years have brought me. I’ll bet that most of you would say the same thing. In fact, we’re looking forward to the years ahead, not looking back on days gone by.
No, 50 is not the new 30. I like to think that 50 is the new 50, and I like what it looks like. We’re redefining what it means to be our age.
We are committed to family and energized by work. We are family caregivers, volunteers and philanthropists. We are leaders in our communities, supporters of our churches and synagogues, helping hands to our neighbors and friends. We are a generation of makers and doers who have a desire to continue exploring our possibilities, to celebrate discovery over decline.
At AARP, we are an organization of “Real Possibilities” because we believe that no one’s possibilities should be limited by their age and that experience has value. The desire to live life on our own terms, to make a difference, to change the world, is as real today as it ever was.
But, as former president of AARP Foundation, I also know that real people face real challenges every day. Many struggle to meet their most basic needs—health, financial, caring for themselves and their families. They need our help and support.
Our goal at AARP is to help people 50-plus and their families confront those challenges and embrace their opportunities.
As AARP’s CEO, I will be unapologetic in fighting for the wants and needs of people 50-plus, and I need you to be fearless with me—whether in Washington, D.C., or in states and communities across the country.
Please join with the AARP community to ensure Social Security and Medicare are robust for us and our children and grandchildren; to ensure that people have access to care, information and services to lead healthier lives; that they have the financial resources and opportunities to match their longer lifespans; and that people 50-plus are seen as an integral and inspirational asset to society.
At AARP, we truly believe that age and experience can expand life’s possibilities for every member of our society. When we disrupt aging and embrace it as something to look forward to, we can begin to discover the real possibilities for becoming the person we’ve always wanted to be.

Jo Ann Jenkins, the chief executive officer of AARP, shares her thoughts in this article about what it means to get older.
Jo Ann Jenkins, the chief executive officer of AARP, shares her thoughts in this article about what it means to get older.
Contributing Author by — May 6, 2015 in Lifestyles

Turn-of-the-century residences like the one a Civil War veteran and his family inhabited will be featured in the annual Historic Homes of Tacoma Tour May 2-3.
Ticket information is available at tacomahistory.org and 253-472-3738. The price of admission, in addition to supporting the Tacoma Historical Society, will provide a peek inside stately homes of yesteryear and an overview of their past and their earliest occupants.
One of them is a 2,846-square-feet Victorian that was built for John Q. and Virginia Mason in 1889, a year after the couple arrived in Tacoma from Illinois. Mason, a Civil War veteran and military telegraph operator, returned to Chicago and rose to become chief dispatcher for the Wabash Railroad. He arrived in Tacoma as assistant superintendent for the Northern Pacific Railway. In 1895 he joined Western Union as inspector for the Tacoma district. Virginia Mason was active in civic affairs, including the women’s suffrage movement and as a leader in the establishment of the Franke Tobey Jones retirement community. The Masons lived in the home until 1896.
John W. Linck and his wife Eva purchased the home in 1901. A native of Indiana, John Linck was an attorney and held several federal appointments, including special agent of the Treasury Department under Presidents Harrison and McKinley. He we transferred from Tampa, Florida, to Tacoma in 1888. After 1900 he served as local police judge and justice of the peace. He was elected mayor of Tacoma in 1908. Judge Linck returned to the bench in 1910 when his term as mayor ended.
From 1913 to 1915, Rev. and Mrs. Murdock McLeod rented the home. The reverend was the pastor of First Presbyterian Church. In March 1915, a bundled up, three-week-old baby was left on the front lawn with an accompanying note that concluded, “We hope you are gaining and are well, and thank kind Dr. McLeod with all our hearts.” The parents were never located, and the child was raised at the Children’s Industrial Home in Tacoma’s Oakland district.
The home’s exterior retains its ornate walkaround porch. The current owners purchased the home in 1978 and have done extensive renovations of the interior. Ornate woodwork and maple floors in the entry, living room, parlor and dining room add an elegant look. The entry retains the original oak turned post and bannister. French doors lead to the living room, which has bay windows at the front and side and a large fireplace. The parlor has a mural and paneling on one wall. The spacious dining room retains its original corner cabinets.
The home was expanded rearward (about 1907), providing space for a half bath and laundry room (where the back entry was originally located), a large kitchen, and a maid’s room on the second floor. The upstairs master suite has its own sitting area and fireplace. The bay windows match those on the first floor. A full bath adjoins the master suite. The main bath has a claw tub. The guest bedroom has a walk-in closet. The upstairs retains much of the original woodwork and hardware.

 

The Mason House, a Victorian built in 1889, is part of this year's Tacoma Historical Homes Tour.
The Mason House, a Victorian built in 1889, is part of this year’s Tacoma Historical Homes Tour.
srmedia by — April 21, 2015 in Lifestyles

Walk-through gardens are part of Point Defiance Park.
Walk-through gardens are part of Point Defiance Park.

Metro Parks Tacoma is inviting the public to participate in the master plan process for Point Defiance Park.
The agency has begun refining the Park Board-approved Concept Plan of 2008 into a master plan for future development and uses of the park. The plan will be presented to the public April 23 before going to the board for consideration.
“We want to make sure everyone in our community is aware and involved as we make long-term decisions about one of the region’s favorite destinations. This includes the thousands who retire out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord and join our community,” said Roxanne Miles, Metro Parks’ strategic advancement manager and Americans With Disabilities Act coordinator.
The public can give input by:
• Attending the remaining open house with Metro Parks planners on April 23 at 6 p.m. at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium Education Building.
•Commenting at destinationpointdefiance.org. The site has information, maps and an interactive online tool.
•Getting Facebook updates at www.Facebook.com/PointDefiancePark
•Calling or e-mailing chief planning manager Doug Fraser at 253-305-1019 and dougf@tacomaparks.com
• Contacting Miles at 253-305-1068 for a presentation to groups before April 23. I can also coordinate with you for translated materials or an interpreter at the presentation.
•Mailing a letter to Metro Parks Tacoma, Attn: Destination Point Defiance, 4702 S. 19th St., Tacoma WA 98405.
“This is an exciting point in Tacoma history for Metro Parks and the park district – a rare chance to map the future of a community treasure,” Miles said.

srmedia by — April 8, 2015 in Lifestyles

Traditional dances from Pacific cultures will be featured during the 2015 Spring Lu’au.
Traditional dances from Pacific cultures will be featured during the 2015 Spring Lu’au.

For the 45th year, University of Puget Sound students are sharing the warmth, rhythm and beauty of Polynesia in the 2015 Spring Lu`au.
The April 11 event, which will include a Hawaiian dinner and an internationally inspired stage show featuring traditional dances from Pacific cultures, is one of the biggest celebrations of Polynesian culture in Washington. About 1,000 people attend each year.
Dinner will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. in the upstairs area of Wheelock Student Center, near the Alder Street entrance to the university’s campus. The stage show will begin at 8 in Memorial Fieldhouse, near the corner of Union Avenue and North 11th Street.
Ticket prices include a rate for seniors of $17 for the show and dinner, $9 for the show alone, and $12 for the dinner only. General admission is $24, $12 and $16, respectively. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at 253-879-3100 and http://tickets.pugetsound.edu.
The event’s organizers, the Hui O Hawai`i student club, have chosen the theme this year of Hali ̒a Aloha, or “cherished memories.” For more than four decades, UPS students have shared the aloha spirit through song, dance, food and story.
“We should remember and appreciate these cherished memories, as they have led us to where we are and who we’ve become,” said Shane Kiyota, president of Hui O Hawai`i. “There is so much to enjoy in Polynesian culture.”
Music will be provided by Northwest Blend, a local group specializing in Hawaiian-infused music, who include the use of four-part harmonies in their songs.
The dinner will include kalua pig, shoyu chicken, lomi lomi salmon, macaroni salad, poi, chicken long rice, haupia, pineapple, and a vegan pineapple stir fry.

srmedia by — March 31, 2015 in Lifestyles