https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Plain-MMs-Pile-2.jpg341450Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2025-07-23 07:52:242025-07-23 09:48:35Save the M&M’s! Don’t Make America Healthy!
I like to start my day with a kvetch and a stretch. I get my aching mind going and then my aching body in gear. Yet as any “almost oldster” knows, resilience is the key to getting through life.
Recently — coincidentally on the same day — I met two models of resilience who supercharged me with inspiration and delight.
The first one I met was at dinner. My husband and I joined a long-ago work colleague who was in town with his wife. We had never before met the woman (whom I’ll call Linda for the sake of privacy). Linda is undergoing chemotherapy.
We spotted Linda first at the restaurant. She was wearing a funny, furry, floppy hat, making her hard to miss on a sunny day in a casual, all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant.
Even before we sat down and introductions were made, Linda rushed to say, “I have hair. Lots of hair, but I just got a massage, and my hair’s a mess. That’s why I’m wearing a hat.”
That hair comment was the only reference to Linda’s health made during the entire meal. The woman and her spouse were completely focused on the moment and the meal.
They were the most lively, joyous people I have spent an evening with in a long time. They spoke of their travels and the books they’re reading, and they peppered us with questions about our lives, work and interests.
Linda took the lead in ordering. She ordered sushi like she was preparing for a party of 20. The waiter even asked if more people were joining us and if he should move us to a larger table!
Smiling, she said, “No, I just love sushi.”
And, wow, could that woman eat sushi. I never saw anyone eat like she did. Gusto is too mild a word for the way she chowed down. I, who shudder at the sight of fish, cooked or raw, giggled as she oohed and aahed nonstop.
When the meal — including three kinds of mochi for dessert — ended, Linda jumped up and said, “Gotta go.”
I worried that she was sick from eating so much, but no, she explained, she had just gotten a notice that a package she ordered had just been delivered.
“I never was good at crafts,” she said, “I can’t knit or sew, but I just read about punch sewing, which is a dumbed-down craft. I’m going to try it. I’m making coasters.”
And with that, our ebullient new friend and her husband sped off into the night.
May we all, in the face of life-threatening disease, live so fully, getting massages, wearing outrageous hats, eating heartily and trying new projects. That’s resilience.
Two hours later, I headed over to a sleep laboratory for a sleep study. That’s where I met my second resilience inspiration.
In this instance, it was a young person — the 27-year-old technician who works the night shift at the sleep lab. She has the laborious job of attaching the bazillion sticky wires to patients’ heads and bodies to track their brain waves and breathing. And then she monitors them throughout the night.
Now, attaching those wires is no speedy task, and so Yolanda (not her real name) and I had a long time to talk. And talk we did. My young tech told me all about her life. She’s the mother of two, including one child who has a developmental disorder. She is in the middle of a second divorce, works full time and is going to nursing school.
Was she exhausted? Bitter? Struggling? No. No. No. Just the opposite. She was all spunk and joy. She told me proudly that her 8-year-old son had just learned to say “mama” and how much he loves dinosaurs. She told me how much she loves her job and about her pride in going back to school. She spoke of her gratitude toward her parents for helping with her children so she could continue working toward her goals.
Now, as I age, I realize that resiliency is the skill we all need to cultivate even if our obstacles seemingly pale in comparison to those of others. We all have to be heroes of our own stories.
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.png00Morganhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngMorgan2025-07-08 12:08:462025-07-08 12:08:46I recently met two models of resilience who supercharged me
I, an Imperfect Person, Have Something to Say about the Word "Perfect:
Older people are a jaded lot. We complain about the state of the world. We complain about our children, and we complain about our health. Not young people. They — judging by their conversations — live in a perfect world. Read more
I’m still decompressing from our 18-day trip to Spain and London, but I wanted to provide this brief trip report of mosques, museums, and some general impressions.
I don’t know why this trip took so much out of me, but it did. The laundry’s done. I’m mostly over jet lag, and the houseplants have forgiven me for abandoning them. All but one survived, and the rest have revived. So, why haven’t I?
How I feel on post-trip laundry day!
I’m still lagging and dragging. Still have swollen feet. And I’m still wishing for room service and somebody to make my bed every morning. Most of all, I’m still yearning to go to the theater every night as I did in London.
Oh, well. Back to reality!
Trip Report
The vacation was lovely, but a lot. Spain was hotter than Hades, and the tourist crowds swarmed like salmon going upstream. (Yes, I know. I was one of the pack.)
When I was little, world travel was something for the rich, the elite. Except for a few Caribbean casino-based trips, fueled by my gambling father’s gambling bug, my parents never traveled abroad. When my mother’s swanky Park Avenue friends bragged about trips to Paris or Rome, she pointed proudly to my siblings’ and my college and graduate school diplomas, all extravagantly framed on the walls.
Today, travel and tourism are for the masses. The result: Overtourism is a problem, and multiple international destinations are pushing back.
The Rain in Spain was … Squirt Guns!
In Barcelona, citizens recently marched with squirt guns. In Genoa, angry activists rolled suitcases along the streets and blocked tour buses. And in jam-packed Venice, officials now charge the hordes of day trippers a 5- or 10-euro daily fee.
Still, for all the congestion, the historic sights and sites remain irresistible.
We spent the bulk of our time in southern Spain. There we learned about the history of the Iberian Peninsula and the Muslim conquest in the 8th Century, which lasted until the Catholics conquered the region centuries later. One symbol of that transition of power and religion is the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, once a mosque for thousands, now a working cathedral and historic site.
The demand to see this and other attractions is so enormous that authorities limit the number of tickets. To enter, you must show your passport. This is not a security measure, but is designed to prevent ticket scams and prove that you are the true ticket purchaser.
Modern Day Conquistadors
Yes, ironically, we noisy tourists are the modern-day invaders, bearing not weapons but sunscreen, fanny packs, and trash.
As a result of our invasion, housing costs for locals have skyrocketed. Foreigners have taken over rentals. Police and health care costs have increased. Yes, we’re good for countries’ bottom line, but we’re bad for it, too.
Trip Report Blues
Meanwhile, for me, touring hit a couple of bittersweet notes.
First, the heat zapped me big time! Now, remember, I grew up in Las Vegas. I know hot weather. Yet, I was huffing and puffing like nobody’s business. I was red-faced and exhausted. Am I simply no longer “used” to hot weather, or, shudders, am I old? I fear the latter! It’s a disturbing thought.
Second, I had a ridiculous amount of trouble walking/hiking around. I have a bad back. That’s not news, but we had a lot of stairs to climb, and midday each day, I struggled. Moved slowly. In pain. Stopping frequently. Is my back worse? Or again, am I O.L.D.?
Finally, as we toured beautiful new sights, I felt waves of nostalgia “in advance.” I kept thinking, “Would I see these lovely places again?”
What a ridiculous reaction! I should have been thrilled at the sight of stunning architecture and art. I should have felt joy. Gratitude. Intellectual stimulation. And yes, I did have those feelings, but still, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of sadness. Silly, but true.
London sign.
Home on the Reno Range, but Ready to Roam
Meanwhile, for all the aches and tiredness, trip organizer extraordinaire Handsome Hubby and I are already planning our next adventure. We weren’t even unpacked when my sweetie made me a lovely offer: How would I like to take a month, live in some exotic setting, and use it as a base for a series of mini-exotic side trips? It sounds great EXCEPT I hope we won’t get squirted with water pistols or be met with roller-bag protestors!
🏴 🛂 🇪🇸
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With apologies to Ponce de Leon and plastic surgeons, I have discovered the real Fountain of Youth. It’s spending time with young people.
I made this fortuitous discovery just the other day as I peered into the glowing, unlined face of a student I was working with. Actually, two things hit me. The first was that I was 50 years her senior! Five-zero. Half a century. Yikes! Read more
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lucas_Cranach_the_Elder_the_Fountain_of_Youth_1546_Gemaldegalerie_Berlin_4_39492677104-copy.jpeg314475Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2025-05-27 11:35:072025-05-27 23:32:13I Found My Fountain of Youth!
They Come in All Shapes and Sizes and for all Reasons
Lucky me! I met a rock star this week. No. Not Taylor Swift. Not Ringo Starr. Not anyone you’d know by name. You won’t recognize her face. She doesn’t even sing or play with a band. But still, unquestionably, the woman is a rock star. Read more
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/rockstar-guitar-jump-stockcake-copy.jpeg252450Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2025-05-14 08:07:042025-05-12 12:26:32I Met a Rock Star
Slim Jims, Cannibis College Courses, and Handsome Hubby
I’ve got a lot on my mind! Fortunately, none of it is serious or consequential. More random and scattered … like pollen … without the sneezing or itchy eyes! It’s a grab bag of assorted silly tidbits. I’m ready to share. Here goes … Read more
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pexels-photo-7525037-copy-scaled.jpeg17032560Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2025-04-23 08:01:112025-04-22 14:17:02A Spring Grab Bag of Silly Tidbits
Middle-aged women are “in.” What a relief, ladies (and the people who love us)! We’re no longer undesirable. No longer untouchable. No longer like the Elf on the Shelf peering down on the action happening under the mistletoe and menorah. We’re the “it” girls at long last. So proclaims Hollywood AND the media. Halleluiah and hooray! Read more
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Demi_Moore_at_Huffington_Post_Pre-Inaugural_Party_2009_cropped.jpg565459Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2025-03-26 08:01:032025-03-26 11:33:22Middle-Aged Women are In!
She continued, but I wasn’t listening. I couldn’t. I was struck dumb by those words. Surely, she was talking to someone else in the room? Someone old. Not chic, well-groomed, hair-dyed, cool, with-it me?
But since nobody else was in the room, she definitely was talking to me! Yikes, ouch, and oy vey!Read more
https://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/maxresdefault.jpg313475Karen Galatzhttps://muddling.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/kg-logo.pngKaren Galatz2025-03-19 08:01:192025-03-19 09:21:25A Woman Your Age, Said the Doctor
