Advice
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HELEN HUDSON HERE: MAKE MY DAY
Here’s what makes my blood boil: callous jerks running roughshod over old folks with an air of insouciance that unhinges me . Whether it’s shoving past them in lines, defrauding them by phone, neglecting their care or outright ignoring their presence, their constant victimization makes me furious. I defy one, single reader to go one,… Read more
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DON’T PUSSYFOOT: PAY YOUR TAXES
Tax day is no longer the exciting prospect that it once was in 1975 when I excitedly marched into H&R Block (in January no less) with my very first year’s pay stubs totaling well under five figures. As I handed the guy my large envelope jammed with disorganized receipts, I was thrilled to be joining… Read more
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FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS THIS CHRISTMAS
Right now, this page is as blank as my cupboards are bare of gifts this year. I just read, “Breaking News” from the New York Times, which says that “Spending is down for November which indicates a gloomy forecast for 2012.” Part of me feels guilty for this downturn, for I have not spent a… Read more
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IT TAKES A LOT OF NERVE
It takes a lot of nerve to steal from someone but it takes even more to give what you’ve stolen back. Both scenarios occurred to an 83 year-old friend of mine yesterday. She arrived at the pool as she has, “for the last 40 years,” with her purse stuffed inside of her gym bag. She… Read more
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PUT ON THE HAT
A half, bent over, old man was moving very slowly in front of me as I walked to the gym this morning. Every, single step he took was arduous, deliberate and pained me to watch. Even though my own step these days lacks some of its’ old spunk, I slowed my pace. He was working… Read more
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CARRY ON
She looks absolutely pitiful; a shadow of the fluffy pup who only yesterday sprung up to her window seat to watch the cars go by. The vet sent Skylar home today after double knee surgery. A stiff, plastic Edwardian collar keeps her from licking the long, red-stitched wounds open. Her tail no longer arches up… Read more
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by
in
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LOOK AROUND
Know why I like old people so much? They look like themSELVES. There’s no airbrushing. What you see is who they ARE. The beauty of age is that time has written in everything exactly as you lived it, line by line. If you were a joyful person, your face will be etched in tiny, smile… Read more
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CLEAN YOUR ROOM!
A friend came by to see our new house last week Nothing really ‘new’ about this 50’s ranch but I welcomed the chance to show it off. She marveled at the view from all the windows of the grand trees which surround us and we giggled at the constant creaking of the floors. As she… Read more
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GET A LIFE!!!
When my oldest first said these three words to me I really was speechless. Then I laughed. After I wiped the incredulous look off my face I just stared into her then 16 year-old eyes and said: “I have one but unfortunately for you, you’re a BIG part of it.” Now if you have teenagers… Read more