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Tuesday - March 19, 2024
 

Needle Work, Quilting and the First Aspect of Joy

June 12th, 2023

By Trina O’Quinn for the NABBW How does needlework and quilting bring me Joy? In several ways: Tactiley — the feel of the cloth and thread in my hand and fingers brings me a sense of calm. Audibly — the sound of the pop of the cloth as the needle pierces the material from the other side. Audibly –the sound of the swish of the thread as it is pulled through to the top side of the piece where the picture is being created. Visually — watching the different stitches build the picture. These small steps are a process of creation that brings me great joy. When I quiet... Read More

NABBW Member Tammy Hader Explains Why She Pivoted to “The Path Not Taken” in Order to Leave a Meaningful Legacy

June 2nd, 2023

By Tammy Hader for the NABBW After 30 years of defining myself as an accountant and developing an adequately successful career, I decided to retire and explore a different path. This task sounds simple on paper, but translation to reality is anything but simple. I realized I had to answer several questions for myself, including: Where do I want to venture from here? What would be stimulating and fulfilling for the second half of my existence? How can I make a difference in the world, leave a mark after I am gone? When you start thinking about it, you realize these are tough questions. Life is... Read More

Book Review: My Reaction to Peter Attia MD’s new book, “Outlive”

April 27th, 2023

Title: Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity Author:  Peter Attia, MD (author, audiobook narrator) with Bill Gifford (author) Reviewed for BabyBoomer.org by Gregory Damian   I started listening to Peter Attia MD’s “The Drive” podcast in December of 2021. At first I was skeptical of some of Dr Attia’s thoughts and positions. I assumed he was a standard medicine 2.0 doctor. Medicine 2.0 is the term that Peter, himself, uses for the current state of health care, or more properly labeled “disease care.” I was quickly convinced that his approaches were... Read More

Trina O’Quinn Reflects on Her New Personal Zen, the Art of Needlework, And Explains the Concept of Product vs. Process

April 25th, 2023

By Trina O’Quinn for the NABBW One of the gifts of my retirement has been my resumption of needlework — specifically embroidery and quilting. Since I fully retired in November of 2019, I have embroidered, quilted, or both, daily. Before Covid, I made two baby quilts for my young grandson (now 6 years old) and young granddaughter (now 3). As I sat embroidering the first quilt square in a new quilt for my middle granddaughter (now 22) I realized that something had changed in my time spent with stitching. I found myself asking  why and how hand embroidery and hand quilting had... Read More

In Which Trina Further Discusses Her Year of Joy And What She’s Learned So Far…

March 19th, 2023

By Trina O’Quinn for the NABBW I ended my last blog stating that I was going to use the following prompts to set my year of Joy. I hope that they helped you in January and February as they have me. Prompt #1: “What are you most proud of from 2022? Both my daughter (56 years old) and I were with my mother when she took her last breath here on earth. When I put her in the hospital in late December 2021, I was afraid that she would die alone before my daughter and eldest granddaughter (25) would be able to get to California from Washington State. They made it and were able to spend some... Read More

In the Year 2023, Trina Is Deliberately Choosing Joy vs. Happiness. What’s the Difference, You Ask? Check Out Her Answer Here

January 24th, 2023

By Trina O’Quinn for the NABBW I spoke often about grief and loss in 2022. I also covered journaling and the different types of journaling as the way I chose to listen to my inner self. I used it to figure out what was bothering me and what to do about it. This year I will continue to use my journal for that purpose, while adding gratitude and joy as this year’s focus. Why did I choose gratitude? I chose it because it is my pathway to joy. Joy is going to be my word of the year. For me, the year 2022 was one of deep loss. January 2, 2022, I was with my mother when she passed, and my husband... Read More

In Which Trina Shares the Structured Journaling Exercise She Uses for Coping with a ‘Dyslexic Spin’

January 6th, 2023

By Trina O’Quinn for the NABBW In my last post I explained how an ordinary course of events – like traveling and not immediately being able to find something – can create much anxiety, even a panic attack – actually, a “Dyslexic Spin,” is how I label it.  It is part of my lifelong learning disability, with which I’ve learned to cope over the years. Journal writing is one effective tool in this process of coping. In my earlier discussions of journaling technique, I have been promoting unstructured, or free form, journaling. When using this type of journaling, I... Read More

Trina O’Quinn Explains What She Calls “Dyslexic Spin” And How She’s Coping With It

November 2nd, 2022

By Trina O’Quinn for the NABBW   Recently, my husband and I were on our first vacation together in 3 years. COVID and my mother’s heart condition had kept us from traveling anywhere, especially together. So we started planning to go through  Portland, Oregon to Sammamish, Washington, in the Seattle area,  to stay with our son and his family,  and visit with our daughter and hers. Our eldest granddaughter was having a two year wedding anniversary party, which included a vow renewal and a weekend bash over the 4th of July weekend.    I was extremely excited. It was going to be... Read More

If You’ve Been Wondering ‘Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old?’ Author Joy Loverde Has Your Answers

September 9th, 2022

Title: Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old? Plan Now to Safeguard Your Health and Happiness in Old Age Author:  Joy Loverde ISBN: 978-0-7382-1963-9 Reviewed for the NABBW by:  Anne L. Holmes This book, published in 2017, promises to be everything you need to know to plan for your own safe, financially secure, healthy, and happy old age. It’s an important theme, because so many of us Baby Boomers have been too busy dealing with the needs of the here and now to have any time to plan for the future.  But, the fact is, if we don’t have a support system in place, the mere thought... Read More

In Which Trina Discusses the Different Types of Journals and Explains Their Best Use

July 5th, 2022

By Trina O’Quinn for the NABBW In my last blog, written just before my mother’s death on January 2, 2022, I wrote about the difference between using journals and diaries. At the end of the post, I said that my next blog would cover several different types of journals and how you can best use them. I am a bit late, as life got in the way, but here is the promised blog.  I will start with some guidelines for effective journal writing: Forget the “rules.” Penmanship, grammar, and spelling are not important. Write what/however you want. Write with pencil and paper as... Read More