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| SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER Photo from WePartyPatriots.com |
It seems as
though top events often come to “America's Finest City.” AARP'sIdeas@50+ was definitely one of those.
A long list of celebrities and experts that this event brought to San
Diego included Martha Stewart, Guy Kawasaki, Kevin Spacey, Erin
Brockovich, Arianna Huffington, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michio Kaku,
Ph.D. The presentations were open to everyone; however, you needed to
arrive at least 15 minutes early to get a seat for the most popular
ones.
Held annually,
the next one will be in Miami, Florida, May 14-16, 2015. At a cost
of $35 it's a great value.
I enjoyed the
opportunity to see Martha Stewart, who at 73 is still working
and adventuring around the world. As business woman, writer, TV
personality, and former fashion model, her lifestyle is beyond what
most of us could ever imagine. Her home in Bedford, New York, has 350
miles of riding trails, and she still rides weekly. She hikes in
Acadia National Park, which is near to her 35,000 square- foot home
in Seal Harbor, Maine. A weekday might include a full day at the
office in Manhattan, which is a one-hour drive from her home. The
chauffeur drives her back in the evening after a dinner with friends
in the city.
Always a
proponent of helpful food, she drinks a green juice daily which is
usually made with organic vegetables from her own garden. Exercise
with a trainer is also on the regimen, three-four times a week. Her
latest book, Living the Good Long Life: A Practical Guide to
Caring for Yourself and Others, provides
advice on living healthier and better as we age.
A speaker who offered some amazing predictions about the future
of the brain was the physicist
Michio
Kaku. His recent book, Future of the Mind, reveals the
latest secrets of the brain that are now being revealed due to the
new technology in computers and high tech brain scans. This includes
a “smart pill” that can enhance our cognition; being able to
upload our brains to a computer; sending thoughts and emotions on a
“brain-net;” controlling computers and robots with our minds.
Scientists are now able to take rough photographs and videotapes of
dreams with MRI machines. Among the future benefits could be
advances that may someday eliminate the pain of mental illness and
dementia.
Another excellent presenter was Arianna Huffington, who
is the author of 14 books, including the current best-seller, Thrive.
She is the cofounder, president, and editor in chief of the
Huffington Post Media Group. After collapsing from exhaustion in
2007, she learned to look at life in a new way. Making the point
that our eulogies are never about money and success, but the other
stuff: “what we gave, how we connected, how much we meant to our
families and friends, small kindnesses, lifelong passions, and the
things that made us laugh,” she has redefined success to creating a
life of well-being, wisdom, and wonder. She is from Greece, where
aging is considered to make life richer.
As we exited
at the end of each day, the loud sound of drums could not be missed.
We finally got up enough courage to sit down and join the drum circle
that was open to everyone with instruments provided. It was a fun
experience, no skill required. This might be a new- found hobby of
mine—joining up with drum circles, after all I did play the bass
drum in my high school band.
Favorite quotes from the occasion:
“Find what you love, and do it regularly.” -Martha Stewart
“Life is like a train journey, some of the scenery is good and some
is ugly, but the train keeps moving on.” -Arianna Huffington
“It's not about aging, it's about living—don't be defined by your
age—embrace it.”
--Jo Anna Jenkins,
Chief Executive Officer, AARP
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| ARIANNA HUFFINGTON |
“Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.” -Rumi (a
popular 13th century Persian poet that Arianna Huffington
frequently quotes.)
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| MARTHA STEWART |
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| SAMANTHA BROWN POSTER |
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| IDEAS @50+ PINS |
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| DRUM CIRCLE |
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| RON PLAYING DRUMS |
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