Your Best Summer Yet

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway has been a favorite inspirational saying since I read it off the cover of Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. groundbreaking book. Seven little words with the power to make or break a great life, or in this case, Summer! It indeed says so much in just seven short words.

I’ve conveyed this to friends as they’ve entered their older years and were scared to try new things or take significant risks. But, life is about taking chances like the amazing Patti Gerke at 68 years YOUNG, training mentally and physically to tackle the 28-mile Pacific Coast Trail (Tackling the Summit of a Lifetime, Pg 6) in one day! No seven words were more accurate.

Yoga Instructor Jennie MacGoy brings yoga into our everyday lives…no formal classes needed! I recently tried the 10-minute Yoga video she created for our readers (https://youtu.be/KZUbdV_skqA ) during my workday when I needed to clear my mind and get the blood flowing. Oh, the feel-good chemicals it created. I need this daily! Taking risks: If Not Now…When? Pg 18 struck a chord with me. What are we waiting for in life to act and check off on our bucket list? Joan and Bob Heck jumped with two feet into the life they always dreamed about right in the middle of the pandemic. We are never too old to create or try something new, like smoking brisket for a summer party. I sat down with local pit boss Chris Campos of Chris & Monica’s Lil’ Brisket Shack out of Chula Vista for a step-by-step beginner guide on how to use our smokers that have been sitting in our backyard for two summers. Guilty! It’s easier than you think. You can do it!

We love our homes, and older adults clearly know that aging in place is a top priority and goal. The January 1, 2022, California HOME Act (SB 9) is an option to split your lot and make building an ADU easier. Who knew? Realtor Melina Rissone and developer Bill Adams teamed up to provide the nuts and bolts about Revolutionizing Retirement Living without Moving, Pg 24 and New Options to Age in Place & Earn Passive Income Pg 10. Two solutions to help you stay in your home as you age.

When Your Family Doesn’t Want Your Stuff Pg 8 is a wake-up call that it’s never too early to make a plan for our stuff and what we’ll do with it. Not everyone wants your beloved things, but you won’t know until you ask, so ask sooner than later. A great list of where to sell, store, auction, giveaway, create keepsakes, etc., is included.

If you haven’t heard, our Boomers and Silent Generation still impact our community, even in retirement (How Older Adults are “Hitting Pause” on the Summer Slide, pg 15)! These amazing generations ensure Generation Alpha ( Kids born in 2010 and beyond) learn to read and keep up over the summer. San Diego Oasis (Lifelong Adventure) pioneered this fantastic program. Check out the grand opening event of their newest location in Rancho Bernardo on June 24th. (https:// san-diego.oasisnet.org/san-diego-oasis-at-rancho-bernardo/ Committed to getting back to your sport or trying a new one (yes!)? Before you take that first dip into the ocean, read Never Too Old To Play Pg 12 to get your checklist of how to be ready, stay limber, and be flexible for all the great summer sports to mitigate injuries. Our Aging Athlete column debuts this month with Physical

Therapist Sean Kuhn, DPT.

You Are NOT Your Body… pg 22 cultivates a positive outlook that we can’t let what’s going on with our aging bodies label who we are. Our mind is in control of how we feel. We debut our word search and Sudoku puzzle to keep our minds sharp. Let us know what you think of it.

This issue is all about getting you outside, exercising, experiencing new things, or revisiting old favorite things you haven’t done in forever, and taking risks, because, yes, the risk is what makes you feel alive. So keep planning to live, plan to age well, try something new, and check off something on your bucket list. And for heaven’s sake, make a bucket list if you don’t have one, and celebrate living in San Diego because we are the lucky ones. Once you get it planned and figured out, you can relax and finally try a new restaurant in Petco Park (Summertime in San Diego, pg. 23).

San Diego is a chunk of paradise, but it’s the people who make it so unique, and it is brewing with ridiculous talent and ridiculous good beer. Try a new one! We know together we AGE better, so make plans to see family and friends and check something off your bucket list, all in the name of fun and creating your best summer ever. See you in Fall!

Age Well San Diego!

Jacqui Clark, CSA™

Editor & Co-Founder, Aging Well Partners

Jacqui Clark is a Certified Senior Advisor™ (CSA™), consultant with Living Coastal Senior Resources, and co-founder of Aging Well Partners. She is an industry leading living-and-aging well expert, and a respected communications specialist.