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What does it make you feel like when you can't complete a purchase until you select what percentage of a tip you want to leave?  How about when the card reader asks if you would like to donate to this or that?  Or, maybe round up your purchase to the next dollar?  It is so awkward to say "no" and I don't have a problem saying "yes" from time to time, but I have been asked the same question five different times in one afternoon, all for different charities! Believe it or not, I am a softy for giving a couple of dollars to someone standing on a street corner with a sign.  But when they pull out their cell phone and start texting.... nah... I am not going to contribute to that. And that is just part of the frustration! Surveys, government handouts, donations, junk mail, advertisements, digital answering services, the list goes on and on!  Join me on today's podcast, "Are You Kidding Me?" and see if you agree, or if you think I am just being snarky.   

We all have memories of Christmases past.  Maybe a Christmas when we received a new bike, or had special family time, or provided service to someone.  Remembering those Christmases can bring us warm, sweet feelings and we try to recreate those feelings for those we love, now. On this podcast we will read a story about going home with a college friend for the holidays, sneaking an early Christmas present while outsmarting Santa, and being an observer or someone's favorite Christmas gift.   Sit back and relax, or jump in your car and go for a Christmas story ride and remember your Christmases from long ago while listening to a few of mine.  Merry Christmas!  

Nothing brings "the feeling of Christmas" like a Christmas story.  This week on the podcast I share a little story from my husband from the year 1959.  It was the year that he learned Christmas was more about family than gifts.    Rick Lauber's story - A Christmas Present, Delayed - tells the story of a young man who finds that someone else's Christmas present becomes a gift for him.   And then there is  a surprise story that isn't about a particular family but shows how we are all brothers and sisters at heart.   And the last short story is about dads and daughters at Christmas time.   Get yourself a cup of cocoa, sit by the Christmas tree and enjoy!

Everyone loves Christmas stories!  Like sugar cookies and the smell of pine, Christmas stories help us feel that warm, fuzzy Christmas feeling.   2021 has been a tough year for a lot of people but some of the greatest stories come from the lessons learned when things were tough.  As I have said before, it is in the struggles of life that we learn the greatest lessons. Join me on today's podcast for a story of my own, a favorite from a listener, and one from a great story teller himself, Glenn Rawson.  Just to get us in that Christmas Spirit!

You have heard it said, friends are people who know you really well and like you anyway.  That is so true, especially in my cast.  I have had many wonderful groups of friends throughout my life, and so have you!  Friends are very important to me.  In fact, I don't think I would have made it raising five kids with a husband who traveled, if I didn't have a female shoulder to cry on or someone to sit with me at McDonalds, while our kids played.      I do have a couple of friends whom I hold a little closer to my heart, and we have been through a lot of "stuff" together, through the years!  I am positive one friend and I share the same brain.      My fabulous friends have been there through thick and thin, good and bad, my ups and downs.  They understand me when my husband doesn't get it, bless his heart, and they don't have to "fix it" whatever "it," is.  They just listen.      Friendships are fabulous and you can never have too many friends.  

Discovering who you are by learning about your ancestors can be fascinating!  It connects you to family members who have long ago, passed on.  Writing your story binds you to descendants who are yet to be born.    I believe there is a strong connection between us and our ancestors and between us and our posterity.  I do not want to be the "missing link," I want to be the link that holds the whole family chain together.   So how do you get started writing your life's story?   Knowing where to start or what to do can be daunting but it doesn't need to be.  You can go on any one of a hundred websites to begin your Family History journey, and get ideas and suggestions on writing your own story, but I think it is even much more simple than that.  I think you just begin writing.   Writing stories.  Stories from your life, and they don't even need to be in order.   As soon as you start writing things began coming back to you.  You will remember things you have not thought about in years!  Writing down some of those memories and rereading journal entries, and looking at old photos can be such a cathartic experience!  It can help you put things that happened and choices you made, into perspective, and it really helps to sort things out and show the meaning and purpose of your life.  Don't forget to write down what you thought, what you learned, and how you felt during those experiences.  This is where the lessons are learned and the person you really are, comes through.   Make sure your link in the family chain is solid and strong.   Your story matters!  You are a vital link in the family chain.  You never know how your story could bless someone else's life, a few more links down the chain, not to mention the treasure it will become to those who know and love you now. Check out today's podcast where we will talk about writing our personal history, the reasons why we should and the positive things it can bring about in your own lives.  

Heartbreak, unfortunately is a common part of the human experience, and it really, really sucks!  Heartbreak can cause a large amount of stress, especially if the loss is a sudden one, or we continue to feel the loss day after day.   Our brain registers the emotional pain of heartbreak in the same way as physical pain, which is why we might feel like our heartbreak is causing actual, physical hurt. But, there is another kind of broken heart, and unfortunately, this kind of broken heart is all too common in our society, and sometimes we don't take "heart disease" as seriously as we should.  That was me.   Yeah, OK, I am an intense person and I admit to being a perfectionist, as well, not to mention being a "fixer" for my family.  All that brings stress, but can stress really damage your heart?  Well, let me tell you...

Hair was a big thing in the 70's.  It was long and straight, at least in the early 70's.  Remember when young girls would iron their hair to make it even straighter?  According to several sources, men like long hair.  It is youthful and and soft.  Men also like high heels and dresses, too.  Why?  And does it matter?   There were not many older women with longer hair in the early 70's but that is the decade that things began to change.   So, what about now?  Can older women today wear longer hair and look good?  Well several celebrities like Jane Seymore and Christie Brinkley do but it comes down to a combination of a couple of different things.   And what about heels?  Should a woman in her 60's or 70's be toddering around in heels or even stiletto's?  When we retire should we also retire the longer hair and the heels?   And, what about going gray?  Is there a "point" when women should not longer be "faking it"? Join me on this weeks podcast to learn the answers from the experts, and, like it or not I will offer my opinion.

What do you know about Forget-Me-Nots?  That tiny little bluish-purple flower has several legends attached to it, but basically they are called forget-me-nots because they are so small and it is easy to forget about them.  They are a shy flower if you will, overlooked and not remembered… unless they get out of hand! We don’t want people to forget about us, right?  We want to be remembered so we can be invited to all the fun things going on around us.  We want to be included when others are making exciting plans.  We want to be noticed, and remembered because we made a good impression.  Or, is that even important at this stage of the game, especially if we are no longer working in the business world?   Heck yeah, it’s important!  We want to be right there in the middle of things because being sixty-something is a great time of life full of things to do, places to go, and people to spend time with!  “Hey, don’t forget me!!” So how do we go about “being remembered” and not “forgotten?”  Well, there is an art to being remembered.  It is simple, easy to do, puts others at easy, and you probably already know all about.  So, on this podcast we will just reemphasize what we already know.  Forget-Me-Not, The Art of Being Remembered.

If you liked the last Celebrating 60 Something podcast, you are going to love this one!  More time and money saving ideas for traveling, from the Two Traveling Tipsters, Julia and Robbie.   Being sixty-something shouldn't just mean being "tired" and "retired,"  it should be about celebrating the life you have lived, and the fun and exciting life you continue to live!  Travel is a big part of life for many people in their sixties, and it can be for you, too.  We have some more great tips in this, our second podcast of travel tips, from  The Two Traveling Tipsters! Listen to find out why you should bring duct tape on every travel adventure.  What can you tuck into your travel bag to help you if you feel a little "off" during your flight?  Why is it important to bring along a small zippered pillowcase and how many pairs of shoes do you really need to take?  We have the answers!   Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted so start planning that dream vacation now!

One of the great things about being sixty-something is that we have more freedom to travel.  Although being retired might mean living on a fixed income, if you plan carefully you can experience that dream vacation without it costing "an arm and a leg!" There are great ways to save money, and still have a fabulous trip!  And when you travel with friends, you can share many of the expenses making your cost even less! Julia and Robbie have had a lot of great travel adventures together.  They have also traveled with other friends, for work, and sometimes, even with their husbands, and they have learned a lot!  They have been to many places in the US, Puerto Rico, South America, The Caribbean, Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.   Some travel was for work but most of it was for fun!  Well, let's be real, all of it was for fun!  Work or not.  They have garnered a plethora of travel tips along the way and these two traveling tipsters are anxious to share what they have learned!  For instance, wouldn't you like to know why it is important to specify your reason for a trip, and what your expectations are?  Do you want to know which sites are best for booking air travel?  Should you stay in an AirBnB or is a hotel better?  What about trip insurance, is it necessary, or not really?   This, and so much more is on this week's podcast, The Two Traveling Tipsters! Spoiler alert!  The two traveling tipsters have so much to share that they have split their talk time into two, podcasts!  You won't want to miss Two Traveling Tipsters, Part 2, either!

Every day in this country an estimated 221 people die from a drug overdose, and another 6,748 are treated in emergency rooms.  Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, outstripping traffic fatalities and gun homicides.  And every year it gets worse.   Amber experienced every mother's worst nightmare when her daughter, Kenzie, died from a heroin overdose the day after Christmas in 2013.  Overcome with depression Amber spent most of her time in bed until one day when everything changed.  Amber has become a tireless advocate for addiction education and raising awareness that overdose deaths are preventable.  From her greatest loss came her deepest passion.