 By Shae Hadden | Bio
In the busyness
of mid-life career pursuits, we can easily find ourselves letting
relationships slide. In no time at all, it seems years have gone by,
we’ve lost touch with dear friends from near and far, and forgotten the
lure of long-promised adventures we were going to share. A recent NY Times article about Elizabeth Goodyear,
a centenarian confined to her one-bedroom walk-up, has prompted me to
reconsider my relationship to others and what ‘community’ I want to
grow older in. [ Read More]
Written by admin at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
career
community
giving
receiving
relationship
By Shae Hadden | Bio
An
overwhelming concern with mental fitness seems obvious from the
plethora of "brain games" geared to ‘older’ people. This fascination
with keeping our minds and our memories intact is admirable considering
that we will probably need our faculties for a lot longer than any
previous generation. From sudoku to crosswords, challenging video games
to virtual realities, we have many options to choose from. Each offers
different challenges for our key brain functions: concentration,
language, memory, logic/reasoning, and visual/spatial skills. Two
assumptions underlie much of the research and development in the area
of online brain games for older adults: [ Read More]
Written by admin at Health
Tagged with:
brain
dementia
game
leisure
video_games
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Traditionally, a generation was defined as the time between the birth
of parents and the birth of their offspring (about 30 years). Recently,
however, a more accurate definition would be a group of people born and
shaped by a particular span of time. The eras of Generations X, Y and Z
span much less than two decades each. And every generation experiences
life from a different perspective including changing societal values,
technologies and career options. These different perspectives are very
apparent when we communicate with each other. [ Read More]
Written by admin at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
collaboration
generations
intergenerational
language
multigenerational
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Usually
we think of the inevitable convergence of technologies as being
beneficial for the majority of people using them. Take the introduction
of video to the internet, or the internet to the cell phone, for
example. As soon as we discover something that works that people want,
then the advertisers and marketers are on the bandwagon, looking for
opportunities to sell within the new medium. What has me shaking my
head today is the obvious marketing spin on ‘virtual gifts’, iconic
symbols of items one might give to someone in appreciation or sympathy. [ Read More]
Written by admin at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
By Shae Hadden | Bio
While Americans
debate the need for universal healthcare in their country, Canadians
are wondering about the need for stringent controls on the
classification, labeling and distribution of therapeutic drugs, foods
and medical devices. The federal government has proposed Bill C-51,
touted as a ‘consumer safety and security’ measure, clamps down on the
healthcare industry and poses a potential threat to the country’s
citizens by limiting the options available to consumers. We now have
pharmaceutical drugs and natural health products: the bill, if passed,
will merge both into one category called “therapeutic products”.
Neutraceuticals, derived from foods essential to life, would become
subject to drug testing routines and prescription requirements.
Currently, only pharmaceutical drugs are considered toxic until proven
they have therapeutic benefit.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Health
Tagged with:
bill_c-51
control
neutraceuticals
pharmaceuticals
By Shae Hadden | Bio
There
are times when losing one’s ‘zip’ could spell disaster—at the end of a
race or the beginning of a romantic evening, for instance. And there
are other times when losing it could be advantageous—as when one has
pushed too far for too long and when a much-needed rest is in order.
For me, the latter is the case.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Health
Tagged with:
health
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Someone was
telling me recently that some of Buddhist temples in Japan are guarded
by two fierce-looking demon-like figures. These guardians of ‘Truth’
are known as ‘Paradox’ and ‘Confusion’. These days, paradox and
confusion seem to be states I alternate between in my quest to discover
who I am and what future I want to create. If I’m not confused, then
I’m trying to embrace something that defies intuition. My ‘truth’ seems
elusive.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Learning
Tagged with:
confusion
eldering
future
paradox
possibilities
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Words of wisdom from a dear 'younger' friend:
The greatest problem to overcome: Fear
The most destructive habit: Worry
The most damaging attitude: Resentment
The most satisfying work: Helping Others
The greatest "shot in the arm": Encouragement
[ Read More]
Written by admin at Leadership
Tagged with:
giving
integrity
leaders
youth
By Shae Hadden | Bio
The
green-crested hummingbird is at my window again this morning, hovering
in mid-air sunshine and snatching bits of food from the plants as they
begin to bud. He appeared in my life a few weeks ago, and has been
coming back every day without fail. Today his weightlessness seems like
a metaphor for a new way of Being.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Learning
Tagged with:
By Shae Hadden | Bio
Believers
in the Law of Attraction, take heed! If you are afraid, don’t try to
resist your fear. If you do, then you will give more power to it and
end up attracting what you are afraid of. I know. I’ve just experienced
my worst fear: of being very sick, alone, and uncertain about what is
happening.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
attraction
control
courage
fear
peace
surrender
By Shae Hadden | Bio
It’s
so easy to get ‘comfortable’ with the circumstances of our lives—even
when they are uncomfortable or when we can see that they may very
likely lead to discomfort. It’s almost natural, sometimes even
expected, that we complain about what’s ‘not right’ or ‘not perfect’ in
our lives. But complaining (to ourselves or others) doesn’t change
anything and we’re left ‘adapting’ ourselves to living with whatever is
contributing to our discomfort. [ Read More]
Written by admin at Leadership
Tagged with:
choice
circumstances
comfort
complaining
future
possibility
victim
By Shae Hadden | Bio
My life is my game—no one else’s. And I create the rules. What freedom,
what choices, what responsibility! Playing ‘by the rules’ means playing
according to choices I’ve made about what’s ‘best’ for me. And that’s
left me in a quandary, because many ‘old rules’ don’t fit anymore. It’s
time to examine them, keep the ones that still suit me and replace any
unworkable ones. So here I am, wondering how to pick and choose from
the rules I have been playing by. Yet is it possible for us to know what choices, what rules will be ‘right’?
[ Read More]
Written by admin at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
By Shae Hadden | Bio
For a few hours
yesterday, I was ‘spring cleaning’, clearing out the accumulated papers
and possessions of the past. I always find such ‘mindless’ activities
actually very mindful: they are the perfect opportunity to become
present to many of the old internal conversations I’ve been having with
myself. Each piece of paper or item draws up memories or images of who
I was or what was happening in my life at the time. Yesterday, what
kept appearing was the thought that I have been deceiving myself about
who I am and what I want to do with my life for a very long time. A
question followed—what value is there in deceit?[ Read More]
Written by admin at Personal Empowerment
Tagged with:
By Shae Hadden | Bio
With each passing
day, it seems as if every environmental and social crisis we’re facing
is heading into even more dangerous waters. In the conversations I’ve
been having, it has been quickly apparent to me who is resigned about
this state of affairs and who is engaged and in action. Although the
latter group appears to me (for the moment) to be in the minority, I’m
reminded of Buckminster Fuller’s concept of the ‘trimtab factor’ and of
the potential influence a small group of people can have on the
future…and I am inspired by their actions. Similar to how a
trimtab influences the course of a large ocean-going ship, we can shift
the direction we’re heading in any large-scale issue by leveraging the
influence of a powerful sector of society.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Leadership
Tagged with:
business
commitment
leader
trimtab
By Shae Hadden | Bio
The premise being that we CAN talk it through…
This
is the question that epitomizes the possibility that the World Café
represents. It is the question that informs Anne Dosher, the
80-something ‘Elder’ of the World Café and Board member of the World
Café Community Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to developing and
disseminating this and other innovative dialogue approaches. I recently
had the privilege of interviewing this gracious, generous and engaging
lady—the human embodiment of what I imagined the World Café phenomena
itself to be—with a few inquiries of my own.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
culture
dialogue
multigenerational
respect
world_cafe
|
RSS Feeds
