G’day. I am almost 82, and am in the throes of adding to a rather
complicated necklace chain I gave to a friend many years ago, who
just asked the other day if I could increase the length. ‘Pretty
please?’ I had no idea of what mandrels I’d used for the oval links,
except I had to also make tiny jump rings as well, using a 1 mm iron
wire as a mandrel. The point being that I have been making jewellery
for over 30 years as a hobby, and discovered that I’d had enough
about a year ago. So I had to get stuck in again, and despite shaky
hands, found I could still do intricate work, using steadies. But as
I have said, I’ve had enough now. But I will still probably make the
odd simple chain or two. I bought a digital camera last year and am
finding pleasure in taking and computer editing pictures. I’ve also
got interested in wild fungi, and have identified a large number of
the photos I have taken of them on little strolls. I still do a bit
of wood turning (I’ve only been at that 10 years) and there are a few
things I am getting a further interest in…Too old? You are only as
old as your determination. Like everybody else, I have that illness I
believe is eventually terminal - old age!!! Just get on with it!!!
Cheers for now,
John Burgess; @John_Burgess2 of Mapua, Nelson NZ
When I was graduating from Mass Art, there was a woman who had just
entered the painting program. She was 94 years old. She went
through Foundation in her Freshman year with all the young kids,
with their fresh dreadlocks, piercings and tatoos. I used to watch
her in the cafeteria surrounded by many kids, laughing and proudly
showing pictures of her great grandchildren. She loved to paint
rocks and the kids used to haul up 75lb rocks to her studio on the
8th floor. No feat when the elevator broke down, which was often.
She graduated at the young age of 98 and I went back to see her
during commencement. She received a special award, as the oldest
student to have graduated from Mass Art. When she received her
diploma, there was a standing ovation. She died at 102.
And as she used to tell me with a wink in her eye, “Age only matters
if you are cheese”.
What a lovely story. There is a lot to learn from that little story
for all of us. You know,…we can all sort of lay around and wait
for the end or,… we can keep our minds and bodies in the charge
mode and a marvelous thing happens…we forget to think or worry
about the end.
Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut2
As a 55-yea- old newbie, I want to thank everyone who responding so
passionately and emphatically to the original query and especially
those who told such inspiring stories. I really need to hear this
stuff, over and over, since I’m pretty much in constant need of an
attitude adjustment. Thank you, Orchid. Thank you, Hanuman and
Charles. (Actually, I’m now thinking about those diamond ads: 3
karats: “Thank you, Bob!” 10 karats: “Thank you, God!”)
Lisa Orlando
(hobbling around with a sprained ankle…that did not break!)
John, As you know you are only as old as you think you are. I just
turned 50 and in my mind feel as though I were still in my mid 20s.
I once had a friend who I know was at least 104 (I know this because
she was 96 when she got arrested for soliciting votes for the peace
candidate while she was out registering voters, a big no-no in the
U.S.). She told me one day when she came into the natural food store
I was managing at the time that she really didn’t feel a day older
than 24. “It’s all in how you think. If you keep learning and
exploring new things you never get old” she said. I took it to
heart, and she’s right.
I went to a nursing home a while back to size a finger for a lady
who used to come into the store years ago. A relative had requested
that we help out. I hadnt seen her in a quite some time and when my
wife and I got there we found that she was no longer capable of
recognizing anyone at all. We visited with her and measured her
finger as she wheeled around the hall near the nurses station. She
didnt know exactly who we were, but she knew that she should know us.
When we got ready to leave, we said"well Pauline we need to get going
now" and she fired back instantly “Its been groovy!” We were so
stunned at her reply, all we could do was laugh as we walked away.
So I guess a little bit of youth stays with us all, no matter how old
the body gets.Ed
That’s a really amusing anecdote. The brain is a funny and poignant
thing when it starts to unravel. On the subject of sizing fingers,
I’ll take the opportunity to mention this vignette as I launch
myself into another weekend of fun, horseracing and runnin’ around.
Has anyone seen the film “The Crossing Guard”? It’s Sean Penn’s
directorial debut. In it Jack Nicholson plays a jeweler. And there’s
this scene where a very rude older women comes into his store to
complain to the beleaguered (gay) clerk that the ring she purchased
doesn’t fit her. JN comes over to her to hear her complaint and
solves the ring not fitting predicament very quickly. For the
answer, I’ll leave you Orchidites to see the film.