My Most Treasured Possession Reminds Me of the Time I First Realized I Was an Adult
Crows Feet Prompt
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My most treasured possession is an Italian leather purse.
It is a cordovan-colored leather
It has stitching around its’ outside edges.
The purse has a leather flap with a clever brass clasp to close it securely.
It is lined with fabric and has a soft pocket inside.
Inside it, I keep one white washable leather glove.
When I was a senior in high school, I flew to Italy for ten days with some members of my Latin class and a group of students from schools around New Jersey. We left on a flight from JFK and landed in Rome. This was not my first time away from home, but my first plane ride and first time out of the USA. Also, the first time away from my boyfriend. And that year, this was of major significance to me. Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of that trip pining away for him. But that is another story.
We spent the trip on tours and planned events that were guaranteed to show us all the important stuff in the cities we visited: Naples, Pompei, Rome, and Florence. On the next to last day of our visit, we were given the day off to do whatever we wanted. This first taste of freedom, with money in my pocket, an Italian-American dictionary at hand, and one other girl with a similar idea in mind, was a revelation to me. I was let loose on the streets of Rome, specifically, the vias that had shops selling leather goods and one pasticceria after another. I remember a feeling that was unlike any other I had yet experienced: I was independent. That day I was an adult.
And this adult woman bought herself a purse that was everything she had wished for. And several pairs of leather gloves. Along with coffee and pastry in every little shop she came upon until she and her friend became hungry and decided on a nice lunch of veal scallopine and a glass of wine (the first wine in my life I think). And then shopped some more. Until most of our money was gone and we had to hurry to catch the bus that would take us back to our hotel.
The pastries and cappuccino and scallopine could not be preserved, but thankfully the purse has endured. It’s been with me fifty-seven years, now. I lost a white glove somewhere along the way so only keep the one inside the purse. I keep it in a box with my extra shoes in my bedroom closet and pull it out now and then. I know I could survive without it.
But I don’t need to get rid of it yet. While it’s too small and beaten up to be very useful as a purse, the inside of it still holds the rich smell of the leather stores in Italy. And I still recall my pride in this purchase and how astounded I was at the pleasure of being on my own to make my own decisions. How I wish I had not worried about missing my boyfriend. How I wish I had strayed from the tour guides and bus trips ten days earlier and gone awol. But I was not that kind of woman, yet.
Telling Fascinating Stories About Older Adults in Sound and Word
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The first year of Crow’s Feet Podcasts: We’re just getting started.
Now that the Crows Feet Podcast is in its second year, I want to review some of the great opportunities I’ve had over the past year to talk to inspiring people. I have written a number of stories about the podcasts I’m hosting, often from my own angle, but always in awe of the fascinating ways that these older adults have found to pursue their passion.
For starters, there is this story about how the Crows Feet Podcast began. I am still amazed that we have accomplished all that we have. I won’t say that it was always easy. For me, unfamiliarity with the technical parts of the process was stressful, though I was familiar with conducting an interview from my social worker’s perspective. Then I had to learn to ask different kinds of questions and not interrupt my guests, and think about what would sound good in an audio recording. Each member of the team had their own hurdles, I’m sure. But together, with very little fuss, we have created one year’s worth of fascinating views into the life of many amazing people who seem to be facing aging head-on and creating meaningful and delightful stories with it.
For This Seventyish Woman, the Crow’s Feet Journey is About Taking the Torch of Elderhood and…
For my benefit and the enrichment of our society, young and old
Not very long after becoming a podcaster, I ran up against this concern from my friends and family members: what the heck is a podcast? If they knew what it was, they often had no idea how to find or listen to a podcast. We worried that people whose medium was written words, would not bother to find our work, hence this story.
So What is a Podcast Anyway?
In January of this year, I was invited by editor Nancy Peckenham to become involved with a small group of people who…
We began our first season with a gala podcast launch. Geriatrician Louise Aronson, MD was our guest speaker. We had a wonderful time, the audience was enthusiastic and the question-and-answers segment was lively. “Older people care about their rights, their individuality, and their uniqueness. We aren’t invisible. We aren’t dead yet. Besides, we have a lot to offer.”
The Crow’s Feet Podcast Gala Was Fun But the Audience Was the Best
Wednesday night the Crow’s Feet Podcast team of which I am a part put on a premiere party to celebrate the launch of…
Bringing in the sacred
My most recent interview was with spiritual teacher and ritual lady, Barbara Biziou. Barbara has taken her own life lessons and turned them into a business that is helpful to all her followers. She helps them create rituals that add dimension to their lives and allows them to connect deeply with what they consider sacred. Listen here.
Ritual-Making: Feeding Our Hunger for the Sacred
In the new Crow’s Feet Podcast, I talk with Barbara Biziou about using rituals to bring the sacred into everyday life.
Dancing, high kicks, and splits
I think my most fun interview was with Cheryl Steinthal of The New Florida Follies, probably because I knew one of the dancers (my sister-in-law dances with the troupe) already, and I got to watch lots of videos full of music and dancing and learn some of the backstage details of their shows. Also, I loved the idea of a large group of supportive women friends. Listen to the Podcast here.
The Next Crow’s Feet Podcast Spotlights Cheryl Steinthal and The New Florida Follies
Not “just a little adult dance recital”
Don’t sweat it. Just Move
One of my favorite topics is how to find non-exercise ways to move around, and turns out that
, the guest on this podcast (interviewed by Melinda Blau), is onto the same thing. Listen to her talk about changing your lifestyle to incorporate more movement in this podcast. If it doesn’t make you want to try a somersault or install a bar for hanging, it will probably make you laugh. Listen here.
A Movement-Based Lifestyle is Right Up My Alley
Listen to the Crows Feet Podcast this week to learn about it
Real happiness, loving sex
I had a very enjoyable interview with 87-year-old Katharine Este, a psychologist, sociologist, and writer whose book about life in your eighties broke some new ground. Katharine talks about the joys of newfound love after loss, the pleasures of sex, and intimacy in relationships as well as the idea that people in their eighties typically are happier than those in their seventies. She was curious if the trend would continue into our nineties as well. Listen here.
If You Are Not Yet Eighty-Something, You May Be in for a Happy Surprise
Get ready for the next Crow’s Feet Podcast
Long walks and Buen Camino!
I was excited to talk to 67-year-old Mary Louisa Cappelli about her hike along the sacred pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Along the way, she discusses the variety of people, many of them older than her walking the same path. Listen to the podcast here.
What’s for dinner, Grandpa?
My first podcast was an interview with our very own team member Lee Bentch. Lee and I talk about his role as the chief cook and bottle washer in the extended family with whom he lives. Lee had a system for getting a decent meal on the table for his grandchildren and daughter every night and we talk about how several generations living together benefits everyone. Listen to Whats for Dinner Tonight Grandpa here.
Starting in January of 2023, our second season, we are releasing a podcast on the second and four Wednesdays of each month. We hope you will listen and subscribe to our podcast so you don’t miss a single story.
Jean Feldeisen 