People generally get better.

I’m … umm … sitting somewhere, leafing through AARP Magazine.  There’s a wonderful, down-to-earth interview with Toni Morrison. 

A bit of it is perfect for the blog.  I convince myself that it’s worth doing something I never do anymore: actually type-in a chunk of a magazine.  (My rule: if I can’t copy and paste, forget it.)

The magazine is carried to my office, the page gets dog-eared, marked up, plopped and propped - and I almost start banging away. 

Then I decide to do something smart. I go to the AARP site and there’s the interview, ready for ethereal snatching. 

What got me all hot ‘n bothered:

Q: Do you find you’ve become more creative as you’ve gotten older? Oh, yes. I’m much, much better with creative things—people generally get better. They just know more.

Q: Your mind certainly seems to have stayed fertile. Yes, but what’s really important is humor—the way you see through things. And I don’t mean just “Ho, ho, ho!” but real irony about the diabolical nature of things. If you don’t have that, you just collapse.

I’ve blogged about this a bunch of times:

Old Masters and Young Geniuses

What Kind of Genius Are You?

Baby boomers are smarter than you think

Trust Your Gut

And there’s this NYT piece:

Older Brain Really May Be a Wiser Brain

Wiser, smarter, funnier, more creative.  Even if only half-true, only partially true - think of all the talent out there not being used in advertising (and hundreds of other creative industries).

Again (and again and again): Diversity = Productivity.

Vacation Home Swaps

Grabbed this from The Toronto Sun vacation section:

Home swaps made for zoomers
By ILONA KAUREMSZKY
Q: My husband and I are what they now call "zoomers" -- active Baby Boomers. We are looking for budget alternatives to the usual hotels and B&Bs. We don't camp and I would never consider hostels.
A: Home exchanges are growing in popularity and for "zoomers" it could just be the ticket for alternative accommodations …

Years ago in the first edition of my book I suggested this as one of many selling points for Active Adult Communities. An excerpt:

And I talked about it in 2006 at the NAHB Building For Boomers Symposium.

Study shows love improves with age

No big surprise to me – or to most people on the sweet side of fifty:

Professor Amanda Barusch, who teaches social work and community development, found the people she surveyed "consistently reported that love improved with age," the Salt Lake City Tribune reported.

The article:

U. researcher says love grows sweeter with time
As for the sex, it's more fun, relaxed and low-pressure. The older the instrument, as they say, the sweeter the music. On the other hand, maybe you and your partner don't miss particular acts of intimacy at all. Why not explore love's selfless side rather than just physical thrills?

It’s all in a book published by Oxford University Press:

Love Stories of Later Life
A Narrative Approach to Understanding Romance
Amanda Smith Barusch
"This book dispels any notion that only young people enjoy romance. In a fun and engaging read, Barusch weaves cases with the most cutting-edge academic information on love in a thrilling tale about how love changes with age. The book is potentially transformative, as Barusch uncovers how in many respects the best is yet to come. Although the content appeals to a broad audience and includes experiential exercises to enhance readers' awareness about their own experiences, scholars and practitioners from all health professions should read this book."--Virginia Richardson, Professor, The Ohio State University College of Social Work

What’s amusing about the press coverage: anybody over fifty is automatically a Baby Boomer …

An Otago University professor investigating love and romance among baby boomers aged over 50 says her initial scepticism turned to fascination … she found a wide range of romantic experience when she interviewed 91 people aged 51 to 97 …

Cookie-Cutter Cavalcades

Lots of ethereal ink lately about nuts ‘n bolts travel:

Retired? Hit the road, help your brain
by Rick Spratling
So you've escaped middle age and are ready for the long calm of retirement. What next? If you spend too much time rocking on the front porch, will your brain droop into autopilot? One antidote for this is educational travel …

Elderhostel holds Baby Boomer travel appeal
by Paul Briand
"The study said travel programs should be shorter in order to fit busy schedules and keep prices affordable. It said Boomers will want to travel in small groups, with a mix of free time, hands-on learning and behind-the-scenes activities rather than ordinary tourist fare …”

Sounds a bit like my book, first published in early 2005 (now in an updated paperback). An excerpt:

Old Jews Telling Jokes

Eric Spiegelman emailed a few months ago to tell me about Old Jews Telling Jokes, an upcoming collection of videos starring non-stars – which, of course, is the perfect zeitgeist for the web.  Now it’s up.

OJTJ is a bunch of folks in their  sixties and seventies who vacationed in the Catskills when they were kids and young adults – and fondly remember the great Borscht Belt comedians and their brilliant jokes.

What’s special about it all: After they tell a joke, these non-professionals are rather shocked and embarrassed by the huge roars from the off-screen audience.  The concept is even funnier because the jokes are usually off-color.  It’s a touching combination of raunch and innocence.  Very human:

There are a few more on the site – and new ones should show up twice a week.

I’m hooked.