COUNTDOWN TO A STAR EXCERPT 2

Today I bought a long cloak to wear over my gown. I will be performing at the Metropolitan Club in NYC where the stage is open with the audience (no curtain.)
The idea is since I am mingling with my guests beforehand, now when I get on the stage and remove the cloak my dress will be a surprise. Actually my sister Judy gave me that idea!
My biggest problem is that my sleep is being interrupted because I think up new ideas for the show and there is more than 6 months to go. What will I look like if I keep this sleep pattern up?

Today another musician said he would accompany me on stage.
I am so excited.

COUNTDOWN TO A STAR/EXCERPTS

Ok, so I am going to be 80 in October God Willing.
I thought much about what to do for my 80th and going around the world was a top priority.
I checked out cruises, air travel, where I would want to go and all the rest.

You see in the last 3-4 years I have taken up singing; open mic a couple of times a week singing jazz.
It could not be more fun to stand up in front of a crowd and sing. No matter how bad or good we are we get applause, it is a place to look our best, learn a new song to sing and mingle for hours as we wait our big turn accompanied by brilliant musicians live.
Suddenly it came to me…. Why not put on a show of my own for my big 80th?

EXCERPT 5 FROM HERE COMES AMAZING YOU

CAROL SUE’S RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Close your eyes and simply imagine! Go deep into

your imagination and keep a pencil and paper

nearby. Try not to push any thoughts out of your

mind. You may imagine a long road in front of you

and on either side, two side roads. The side road on

the left is where you can put whatever or whomever

you no longer care to have in you life. On the road

to the right, put new projects or people. Now pay

attention to the road straight ahead. Does the road

look wide and long or is there no road at all?

When I do this exercise, if I see a shorter road,

I quickly start to think about something new to

expand the road. I want to always have a long straight

road ahead of me with just a few curves to keep it

interesting. Imagine! Go deep into your imagination

and keep a pencil and paper nearby. Try not to push

any thoughts out of your mind. When you open

your eyes, look over your list and realize what came

into your mind. Are you surprised at your thoughts?

Now imagine doing everything on that list.

Your age is a valuable commodity. You have years

of wisdom because of your age, wisdom for yourself

and to teach others. Let your age work for you not

against you. If there is something you have kept

yourself from doing or placed on the back burner,

did it come when you closed your eyes and went

into your imagination?

As you can see you are only limited by your imagination
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Excerpt 4 from "Here Comes Amazing You

"We are not supposed to go out by ourselves to a restaurant or

a movie or travel alone because being alone is not supposed to

be a good thing. When our children leave we are supposed to

wait to have a grandchild, which makes us pressure our kids to

have children so that we can be fulfilled again. We are supposed

to live near our families or live with them as we age. Most of us

are indoctrinated by our friends and families to follow the rules

of society. Therefore, most people as they age will not venture

outside their own comfort zone, thinking there is nothing new

or exciting ahead.

When you catch yourself saying, should, ask yourself how

you would feel about the situation if you simply dropped that

word. Many times, just by doing that, you’ll feel better about

the situation. When we are forty or fifty we are supposed to

cut our hair and change the way we dress: no more minis or

bikinis. If we divorce we are supposed to go out and find a new

spouse, and the sooner the better. We women are not supposed

to be alone or independent. How many times have I heard an

admirer say to me, “Why are you alone?” What an annoying,

degrading question!

A friend once asked me, “What is good about old age?

Nothing, she said.” To me, there is only one thing that’s not

Here Comes Amazing You

5

good about old age and that is getting closer to the inevitable.

If we take care of ourselves and are blessed with good health,

old age can be a wonderfully interesting period of life. We can

get the answers to questions that might have frustrated us for

a long time. Problems we thought insurmountable suddenly

are no longer unsolved mysteries. We can create, love, live and

teach others some of the tricks we have learned. We are living

longer and healthier than any past generation and we are here

to stay for a much longer stretch; living to one hundred is no

longer a rarity. We can learn to live a more simple life.

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Excerpt 3 from Here Comes Amazing You

Can you imagine yourself free in spirit, living in the best

of health and vibrancy, without paying any attention to

how old you are? Can you imagine having more energy

today than you had twenty-five years ago? You accomplish more,

exercise more, eat more nourishing foods, drink pure water and

get plenty of rest. You are no longer making the excuse, “If only

it was ten years ago, maybe I could start a new business or take

an extended trip or fulfill that impossible dream.” Unfulfilled

desires are no longer part of your life because you are living a full

and upbeat life whether you are fifty, sixty, seventy or eighty plus.

The idea of what “old age” means has been ingrained into of

all of us and most of us live according to societal norms and

expectations. Some people start to die decades before their bodies

actually go. Women start to die as their last child leaves home,

men start to die when their careers end and they no longer have

work. People feel lost when they lose their so-called identity:

when the roles they have chosen come to their natural ending.

Carol Sue Gershman

4

Sixty-five is the age our government chooses to send social

security checks, but does that mean retirement? Why not retire

at forty-five or ninety-five?

There are too many “supposed to do this” and “supposed to

do thats!” These expectations cause much grief. Hanging on to

those “shoulds” makes life so much harder than it needs to be.

Whenever you catch yourself saying, “Should,” it’s a clue why

you’re in so much pain. Thinking the world should be a certain

way is a waste of energy. It’s the way it is.

Excerpts based on book "Here Comes Amazing You"

QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION

1. Have you ever told yourself, “If it was only ten

years ago, two years ago, I would have done this

or that, but now it is too late.” Can you imagine

a new project, a diet, an exercise, a trip, falling

in love, something you never thought could be

possible happen to you now, without thinking

too much time has passed on?

2. Could it be your lack of imagination that has

held you back from being the full and vibrant

you?

3. Does it seem impossible to think that anything

diff erent could happen in your life as you know it?

4. Did you enjoy thinking about the possibilities

ahead of you?

If any of the above hits home, go now into your imagination and get some answers or before you go to bed focus on something you would love to do and let your dreams guide you; no kidding they will, you just have to remember them!

Saturday/9/29
Based on book "Here Comes Amazing You"

Dreaming was intense last night. Dreamt about my old boyfriend who wanted more than anything to make love to me but I resisted knowing the consequences. It was a pleasant dream taking me through the night with all of his attention focused on his hopeful conquest.  Finally knowing it was not happening he went to the barn and played in his band.  Somewhere in the night a new singer came up and  turned my ballad "Sweet Man," soon to be released into a rock and roll tune. The audience applauded, stood and screamed loving it. As said in previous blog your dreams will guide you. In last nights dream, I will never give in to him and now I need to think of "Sweet Man" as a rock and roll tune or maybe the blues.