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Gear up for next summer's fetesBy MARY JANE PARK
© St. Petersburg Times, Summertime is prime time for family get-togethers, meetings of retired military buddies and gatherings of former classmates. Such events can be as simple as a covered-dish meal or as elaborate as planning a national political convention. Hats off to the people whose leadership and organizational skills make them pleasurable for those who attend. In today's Seniority, writer Terri D. Reeves talks with people who have pulled together reunions resulting in warm family memories and gives proven tips for successful gatherings. She doesn't address what may be the single most unpleasant factor leading up to these reunions of people you likely haven't seen in years: the chink in self-esteem, the internal critic that fairly bellows: "Hey! You think you can lose 20 pounds in the next couple of weeks? What's the healing time on a face lift? Can a month at the gym trim that paunch?" Give yourself a break. Chances are, even the the youngest-looking, fittest, thinnest and richest people in your group have those thoughts, too. The key, as we all well know, is moderation in all things, most of the time. If you have a reunion coming up next year, you may want to look to AARP's Tri-Umph! Classic, a 400-meter swim, 20K bike and 5K run scheduled at St. Petersburg's North Shore Pool on Sunday, Nov. 18. The triathlon, whose first race begins at 7:30 a.m., is especially for bay area residents 50 and older. Do all three events on your own, or join two other people on a relay team. AARP developed the event in partnership with USA Triathlon for those 50 and older in all fitness levels. Even if you are a sedentary couch potato, you can enter an eight-week training program led by professional trainers, or use a 12-week individual training guidebook. If you don't want to participate in the entire event, you can enter the fun run and walk, which costs nothing and requires no advance registration. AARP also is sponsoring Tri-Umph! Classics in Naperville, Ill.; the Dallas, Los Angeles and New York metro areas; the Piedmont Triad area in North Carolina; and Honolulu, Hawaii. For information, call toll-free 1-800-424-3410; write to AARP, Mail Station 84-166, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049; send e-mail to TriumphClassic@aarp.org; or visit the Web site at www.aarp.org/triumph. Use your improved fitness first to amaze and impress yourself, then your family and friends. Book helps folks get more out of being grandparents"The blood runs thick between grandparents and grandchildren," begins the foreword to Eric Wiggin's book The Gift of Grandparenting: Building Meaningful Relationships With Your Grandchildren (Tyndale House Publishers, $12.99). "If you want to see grandparents come alive, ask them about their grandchildren. Then sit back and observe as they "show and tell.' " Many of us become parents without knowing much about parenting, and grandparents very much want to do well in their roles. Wiggin suggests ways in which to listen to grandchildren, to communicate with them if you live far away, to set examples, to understand some of their challenges, to establish rules for their behavior in your home. This is valuable, wise advice that should help any grandparent plant terrific relationships with the young. The Gift of Grandparenting, it should be noted, encourages biblical study and Christian principles. If Christianity is not your faith or practice, you can ignore the scriptural references and still benefit from the counsel in it. - Mary Jane Park, Seniority editor, can be reached at (727) 893-8267 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8267. Write to her in care of the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, and at park@sptimes.com
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times Seniority pages |
