Blog archive
June 2023
Creative Aging
06/01/2023
May 2023
One Villager's Story
05/31/2023
Pasadena Area Literary Arts Center
05/31/2023
Pasadena Village Responds to Rainbow Flag Burning at Pasadena Buddhist Temple
05/31/2023
Plan Ahead - And Be Prepared
05/31/2023
Tuesday, May 23 Pasadena Celebrated Older Americans
05/31/2023
Rumor of Humor #15
05/28/2023
Reparations, Social Justice Activity
05/24/2023
Rumor of Humor #14
05/19/2023
Rumor of Humor #13
05/12/2023
Issue #12
05/09/2023
Science Monday - Review of Meeting on April 10, 2023
05/09/2023
Conversations Re African American Artists Before 1920
05/08/2023
Beyond the Village – Suzi and Phil Hoge
05/01/2023
Congratulations Wayne April! Honored at UNH
05/01/2023
Table Topics
05/01/2023
Volunteer Appreciation at the Village
05/01/2023
“ACCIDENTAL HOST—The Story of Rat Lungworm Disease”
05/01/2023
April 2023
Jumbo Joy
04/24/2023
Pasadenans Recent Experience With Racism
04/23/2023
Recent Events Reflecting Racism
04/23/2023
Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
04/18/2023
Photography for Social Justice
04/11/2023
Issue #8
04/07/2023
BEYOND THE VILLAGE - Catherine Deely
04/06/2023
Creative Writing in Older Adults
04/06/2023
Gifts of Love
04/06/2023
March 2023
Issue #7
03/31/2023
Issue #6
03/26/2023
Great Decisions update
03/14/2023
Dominion Lawsuit, South Africa and 710 Stub
03/08/2023
February 2023
2023 DEI Progress
02/27/2023
BEYOND THE VILLAGE - Doug Colliflower
02/26/2023
CONVERSATIONS WITH ART
02/26/2023
GREAT DECISIONS
02/26/2023
OLDER ADULTS RESOURCE FAIR
02/26/2023
The Important, Influential Books in our Lives - Revisited
02/26/2023
History, Resolution of the 710 Freeway
02/19/2023
Eminent Domain, 710 Highway
02/13/2023
Bernard Garrett, 710 Freeway
02/06/2023
Men's Times Gatherings
02/03/2023
January 2023
Pasadena's Senior Commission
01/30/2023
BEYOND THE VILLAGE - JIM HENDRICK
01/27/2023
GRATITUDE - IT'S GOOD FOR YOU!
01/27/2023
JEFF GUTSTADT - FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST
01/27/2023
Bernard Garrett, Incredible Black Entrepreneur
01/17/2023
What is the "Spirit Talk" Group About?
01/16/2023
Same Ol’ New Year, Brand New Me
01/12/2023
Review of 2022, Consideration of 2023
01/06/2023
BEYOND THE VILLAGE - PATTI LA MARR
01/03/2023
FROM THE CHAIR
01/03/2023
WALK WITH EASE
01/03/2023
Creative Writing in Older Adults
By Karen L. WhitmorePosted: 04/06/2023
Creative Writing in Older Adults – by Karen Whitmore
Creativity can express itself in many ways. After reading thousands of books, and filling my brain with words, I have chosen writing as my creative expression. I like to use my words to express my ideas, thoughts, and dreams. Sometimes I write for myself - in my journal, recording the events of the day or clarifying my ideas about a subject. Sometimes I write to understand an issue or a problem, or to complain. Sometimes I daydream about future events. Sometimes I write poetry.
I have learned the value of autobiographical writing (a.k.a. journaling) from the Village's Memoir III group. This group inspired me to write about my mother. As I prepared to do so, I embarked on a search for information. My search led me to the discovery of letters and pictures, and prompted me to visit family members. As a result, I discovered in my mother a woman who was different from the one I knew as a child.
Writing autobiographically has also helped me to recognize my unique place in my family. I am sharing this history with my children and plan to leave a legacy for my grandchildren and others who come after me. Writing refreshes my recollection of forgotten things and helps me see my life in a different light.
Writing also helped me clarify my choice to move to South Pasadena from my lifelong home in Washington State. I spent many days writing to define where I wanted to live and what features I wanted in a dwelling.
Creative writing can take many forms. You can create a fictional story from your imagination. You can let your mind travel to exotic places to provide a background for your story. You can then populate the story with interesting characters based on people you have known.
To write poetry, I try to use the first hour of the day, when the world is quiet, and the images of dreams haven’t quite escaped. If you can’t draw and you can’t dance, or if you are housebound, perhaps writing a poem would satisfy your creative urges. Poems can be long or short, personal, or descriptive, rhyming or not.
In addition to providing a creative outlet, studies in the academic community (e.g., The University of Texas at Austin and the Journal of the American Society of Aging) have shown that writing may actually enhance your immune system.
Our later years provide us with the time to take a renewed interest in life. Time to get reacquainted with ourselves, time to learn new activities, to make music, to paint pictures, to write, to create poems. To meet and communicate with friends and make plans for the future. If you can’t draw and you can’t dance, or maybe you are housebound, perhaps writing a poem would satisfy your creative urges, and possibly enhance your immune system as well.