I missed reading Accidental Icon and was pleased to find you again under your new post.
Before the pandemic I decided to make a car trip from California to the East coast and back. I called it "My Farewell Tour". My first stop was in Texas, where a Facebook friend I'd not met in person awaited me with a scrumptious roast pork prepared in a slow cooker with Dr. Pepper as the sauce. I spent two days with her then went on to Austin to continue my tour visiting friends I hadn't seen in 50 years. Next was Atlanta, unrecognizable in its growth, then Knoxville, then Washington, D.C., where I spent time with my dearest female friend ever. I'd bought a copy of Stormy Daniel's novel and thought it would be a hoot to sleep with the book and brag that I'd slept with her in D.C. Next was Chillicothe, Ohio, to visit another FB friend I'd not met in person. Last, I went home to Michigan to stay with my brother. The folks there were as wonderful as I remembered, all with great senses of humor. I got to see my sister and relatives I'd not seen since I was a child. My brother's friends were delightful. I stayed until I felt I had to get home to my Siamese cat. I now regret not just staying in my real home.
The pandemic turned my life upside down and now I'm in a new apartment the VA helped me get after being homeless for a year after my landlord decided not to accept help from the state and decided to raise the rent from $1,900 to $2,400. My two housemates had lost their jobs and the three of us lived in my car until the one who was was my best friend for 20 years was allowed, along with the other friend, to live in my best friend's mother's garage and I could sleep in my car in front of her house. Then the heatwave struck and nearly killed me. I went into Veterans Hospital and was mostly revived but now need a walker.
Three days after my release, the San Diego Veteran's Village took me in. After seven months there they arranged this apartment for me with my share of the rent at 39 percent and the Veteran's pay the remaining 70 percent.
I turned 77 on April 1st. I'm a Vietnam veteran and an inactive gay man. I worked from age 14 through 65 and thought retirement would be great. Not at all. But I'm a survivor and I'll keep kicking as long as I can.
Thank you for giving me this chance to share. Anywhere else on line would ask me to pay. I can no longer afford anything extra. This Aries man gives both your Gemini personalities many thanks for helping others grow old.
I am 61 and lost my job for the first time in my life earlier this year (I’ve worked non-stop since I was sixteen). I had been miserable for so long that I realized it was a blessing in disguise after getting past the upset. It is an opportunity. I am a Parsons grad and have been focused as a creative my entire life. (I was born with crayons in hand!) At this point in time I am completely lost but move forward every day in spite of the uncertainty. My path is not clear yet. Reading your posts inspires me to be brave, look to reinvent, find what makes me passionate again, and find peace. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Love, love, loved this! I am 69 and struggle with the word ‘old’. I have always said, I know the numbers have to go up, but ‘old’ is going to have to chase me into the bushes and beat the $hit out of me!
At 59 I started running. I have run 2 full marathons and countless half-marathons. When I retired from teaching middle school Special Education I went to Mexico for a month, lived in a tent on the beach, and got my certification to teach yoga. I was the oldest one in my class, but I kept up with the ‘youngins’ with the exception of full back ends, standing on my head, and hand-stands. Not because I was old, but because I’ve never been able to do those things, and it doesn’t matter.
I can’t wait to read your book, and I’ll try really hard to wrap my head around the word ‘old’! PS-I LOVE the book club idea. Count me in!
Lyn, I enjoy your blogs, and like yourself, write here on Substack and wrote a memoir quite a few years ago. It was quite cathartic, and as you say, a driving force for reflection.
Hello Lyn. What beautiful post, full of magic, and wisdom. Your authentic truth shone through the words with so much love and light! You are leading by example as we are all being asked to find our unique voice and speak our truth in the world, and to move from disunity, polarisation to unity and balance. And as always this move into harmonious unity starts by achieving this flow within ourselves. As we do, we then radiate this energy into the world. We are being asked to honour and acknowledge all sides of ourselves with equal love and with no judgement.
I am excited to be part of your journey as you have not only found your equilibrium in your own life but as you are showing us all how to do so with ease and grace.
10 years from now, you won’t be old when you’re 80. I am 82. I may be aging, but I’m not growing old. When I’m 90 maybe I’ll be growing old, but I suppose I’ll be thinking the same way……I’ll be aging but not growing old…. that may happen when I’m 100.
You are such a beautiful Soul! You exude so much love kindness and wisdom.
I always thought getting old would never bother me and actually it doesn’t. What does, is I find myself often thinking about my mortality. I’m only 63 but the thoughts sneak in now. I am caretaker 24/7 to my 89 yr old mother who had Dementia and is bedbound and maybe that’s why.
Anyhow this letter of yours,as all your past writings, put life in perspective for me. I have always been more of the Boho hippie but as you say I do love the chance to get dressed up!
For some reason, I always thought that it was wrong, like i was “cheating” on the Hippie in me. I’m sure that sounds crazy, but you have justified the fact that it’s ok!
My days remind me of the movie, Groundhog Day lol.
Anyway, I can’t wait to hear your upcoming announcement next week.
Im liking the Gemini thing. Im a Gemini too. I totally get your double sided life. It does take some getting uaed too. I enjoy your writings. always feels good to read your stuff
You are always an inspiration to me and I so enjoy your writing. Maybe I’ll finally dust my bike off, pump up the tires and ride the trail along Lake Michigan🚴♀️. I realize I need to add some adventures to enrich daily routine.
I loved Accidental Icon and I love these new posts even though I am not a camper. My husband and two children would rather live outdoors than indoors. That's where we differ. We live on a remote island, a conservation easement, near Charleston, SC. I grew up 20 minutes outside of Manhattan in a bedroom community called Short Hills. Everyone was rabid republicans wearing Lily Pulitzer and Ferragamo loafers with the contrasting piping, pointed toes and bows. My mother and I LOVED fashion. My older sister abhorred it. My mother and I made fun of lily pulitzer. Pink and green gets old fast unless you are in the AKA sorority and those are your sorority colors. Mom preferred Chanel, Missoni, Valentino and Dior. I followed in her footsteps but couldn't afford those clothes so I buy them second hand. My husband and children LOVE to go camping. I tried it once. it was "meh." I'm more of a hike all day kinda gal with a nice meal waiting for me with cocktails and indoor plumbing. I'm not a Gemini, (I'm a Taurus/Aries cusp) but my other side of glamour is working for justice ministries in Charleston. When I turned 60 I went to seminary. I know work with Charleston Area Justice Ministries trying to make the Charleston area an equitable place for all to thrive. It's so hard and fraught. Everything boils down to race and money. i love the community in which I live and I love the dichotomy in me just like you love the dichotomy in you.
I love that you own your Zodiac sign and closely notice how it plays out in your life. I am going to pay a little closer attention to that. I have tuned in to the Enneagram and found it to be a very powerful tool but haven't used the Zodiac much (I'm a Leo).
I fully resonate with being both the biking/camping girl and the one who likes to get glammed up in the city. While I am very happy with my life in a small, mountain town where Blundstones are the uniform, I know a part of my soul deeply misses heels and dresses on occasion. I never get that occasion but will open up to it and begin to allow the experience to unfold as it should.
I missed reading Accidental Icon and was pleased to find you again under your new post.
Before the pandemic I decided to make a car trip from California to the East coast and back. I called it "My Farewell Tour". My first stop was in Texas, where a Facebook friend I'd not met in person awaited me with a scrumptious roast pork prepared in a slow cooker with Dr. Pepper as the sauce. I spent two days with her then went on to Austin to continue my tour visiting friends I hadn't seen in 50 years. Next was Atlanta, unrecognizable in its growth, then Knoxville, then Washington, D.C., where I spent time with my dearest female friend ever. I'd bought a copy of Stormy Daniel's novel and thought it would be a hoot to sleep with the book and brag that I'd slept with her in D.C. Next was Chillicothe, Ohio, to visit another FB friend I'd not met in person. Last, I went home to Michigan to stay with my brother. The folks there were as wonderful as I remembered, all with great senses of humor. I got to see my sister and relatives I'd not seen since I was a child. My brother's friends were delightful. I stayed until I felt I had to get home to my Siamese cat. I now regret not just staying in my real home.
The pandemic turned my life upside down and now I'm in a new apartment the VA helped me get after being homeless for a year after my landlord decided not to accept help from the state and decided to raise the rent from $1,900 to $2,400. My two housemates had lost their jobs and the three of us lived in my car until the one who was was my best friend for 20 years was allowed, along with the other friend, to live in my best friend's mother's garage and I could sleep in my car in front of her house. Then the heatwave struck and nearly killed me. I went into Veterans Hospital and was mostly revived but now need a walker.
Three days after my release, the San Diego Veteran's Village took me in. After seven months there they arranged this apartment for me with my share of the rent at 39 percent and the Veteran's pay the remaining 70 percent.
I turned 77 on April 1st. I'm a Vietnam veteran and an inactive gay man. I worked from age 14 through 65 and thought retirement would be great. Not at all. But I'm a survivor and I'll keep kicking as long as I can.
Thank you for giving me this chance to share. Anywhere else on line would ask me to pay. I can no longer afford anything extra. This Aries man gives both your Gemini personalities many thanks for helping others grow old.
I am 61 and lost my job for the first time in my life earlier this year (I’ve worked non-stop since I was sixteen). I had been miserable for so long that I realized it was a blessing in disguise after getting past the upset. It is an opportunity. I am a Parsons grad and have been focused as a creative my entire life. (I was born with crayons in hand!) At this point in time I am completely lost but move forward every day in spite of the uncertainty. My path is not clear yet. Reading your posts inspires me to be brave, look to reinvent, find what makes me passionate again, and find peace. Thank you for sharing your journey.
May your hiking boots always be parked next to your glamour pumps. Your writing and your story are mesmerizing.
Love, love, loved this! I am 69 and struggle with the word ‘old’. I have always said, I know the numbers have to go up, but ‘old’ is going to have to chase me into the bushes and beat the $hit out of me!
At 59 I started running. I have run 2 full marathons and countless half-marathons. When I retired from teaching middle school Special Education I went to Mexico for a month, lived in a tent on the beach, and got my certification to teach yoga. I was the oldest one in my class, but I kept up with the ‘youngins’ with the exception of full back ends, standing on my head, and hand-stands. Not because I was old, but because I’ve never been able to do those things, and it doesn’t matter.
I can’t wait to read your book, and I’ll try really hard to wrap my head around the word ‘old’! PS-I LOVE the book club idea. Count me in!
Lyn, I enjoy your blogs, and like yourself, write here on Substack and wrote a memoir quite a few years ago. It was quite cathartic, and as you say, a driving force for reflection.
Hello Lyn. What beautiful post, full of magic, and wisdom. Your authentic truth shone through the words with so much love and light! You are leading by example as we are all being asked to find our unique voice and speak our truth in the world, and to move from disunity, polarisation to unity and balance. And as always this move into harmonious unity starts by achieving this flow within ourselves. As we do, we then radiate this energy into the world. We are being asked to honour and acknowledge all sides of ourselves with equal love and with no judgement.
I am excited to be part of your journey as you have not only found your equilibrium in your own life but as you are showing us all how to do so with ease and grace.
Blessings to all
Natalie
10 years from now, you won’t be old when you’re 80. I am 82. I may be aging, but I’m not growing old. When I’m 90 maybe I’ll be growing old, but I suppose I’ll be thinking the same way……I’ll be aging but not growing old…. that may happen when I’m 100.
You are such a beautiful Soul! You exude so much love kindness and wisdom.
I always thought getting old would never bother me and actually it doesn’t. What does, is I find myself often thinking about my mortality. I’m only 63 but the thoughts sneak in now. I am caretaker 24/7 to my 89 yr old mother who had Dementia and is bedbound and maybe that’s why.
Anyhow this letter of yours,as all your past writings, put life in perspective for me. I have always been more of the Boho hippie but as you say I do love the chance to get dressed up!
For some reason, I always thought that it was wrong, like i was “cheating” on the Hippie in me. I’m sure that sounds crazy, but you have justified the fact that it’s ok!
My days remind me of the movie, Groundhog Day lol.
Anyway, I can’t wait to hear your upcoming announcement next week.
Stay well to you and Calvin!
Much Peace and Love
Lissa Csaszar
I love this letter so much. I can’t wait to be through treatment and start living again!
Im liking the Gemini thing. Im a Gemini too. I totally get your double sided life. It does take some getting uaed too. I enjoy your writings. always feels good to read your stuff
.
Thank you for the lovely read. I hope you continue to enjoy your new life, dear Accidental Icon.
You are always an inspiration to me and I so enjoy your writing. Maybe I’ll finally dust my bike off, pump up the tires and ride the trail along Lake Michigan🚴♀️. I realize I need to add some adventures to enrich daily routine.
What a lovely way to view aging!
I loved Accidental Icon and I love these new posts even though I am not a camper. My husband and two children would rather live outdoors than indoors. That's where we differ. We live on a remote island, a conservation easement, near Charleston, SC. I grew up 20 minutes outside of Manhattan in a bedroom community called Short Hills. Everyone was rabid republicans wearing Lily Pulitzer and Ferragamo loafers with the contrasting piping, pointed toes and bows. My mother and I LOVED fashion. My older sister abhorred it. My mother and I made fun of lily pulitzer. Pink and green gets old fast unless you are in the AKA sorority and those are your sorority colors. Mom preferred Chanel, Missoni, Valentino and Dior. I followed in her footsteps but couldn't afford those clothes so I buy them second hand. My husband and children LOVE to go camping. I tried it once. it was "meh." I'm more of a hike all day kinda gal with a nice meal waiting for me with cocktails and indoor plumbing. I'm not a Gemini, (I'm a Taurus/Aries cusp) but my other side of glamour is working for justice ministries in Charleston. When I turned 60 I went to seminary. I know work with Charleston Area Justice Ministries trying to make the Charleston area an equitable place for all to thrive. It's so hard and fraught. Everything boils down to race and money. i love the community in which I live and I love the dichotomy in me just like you love the dichotomy in you.
Your thoughts, observations have always resonated with me. Thank you for being real.
I’m just two years older.. a Pisces, who feels and senses too much.
I just love a fun Gemini.
I can relate. I am the two fish and you are the twins.
We both exude duality .
I love that you own your Zodiac sign and closely notice how it plays out in your life. I am going to pay a little closer attention to that. I have tuned in to the Enneagram and found it to be a very powerful tool but haven't used the Zodiac much (I'm a Leo).
I fully resonate with being both the biking/camping girl and the one who likes to get glammed up in the city. While I am very happy with my life in a small, mountain town where Blundstones are the uniform, I know a part of my soul deeply misses heels and dresses on occasion. I never get that occasion but will open up to it and begin to allow the experience to unfold as it should.
Keep on inspiring Lyn, thanks for your words.