Don’t just dream – do

When we are young, we think we have all the time in the world – to dream, to plan and to eventually get around to doing.
But time, as they say, waits for no man or woman and before you know it your dreams, or at least some of them, may not have been realised.
It seems just like yesterday that I was dreaming about being a best-selling novelist, dictating my breath-taking prose to a secretary in between holidaying in the south of France from my writing income.
While lounging around on my jet-setting vacations, I would take a break from novel-writing to pen some pithy poetry – ah, see, I haven’t lost my love of alliteration, the tool of the talented poet. And so, apart from picking up a Pullitzer prize or two, I would also be Poet Laureate. If I wrote about the evils of war, I might score a Peace Prize as well.
Ah, yes, such wonderful fantasies, such big dreams. And while there is nothing wrong with dreaming, there is a point where we have to try to enact those dreams.
I have been too much of a dreamer my whole life. As a teenager, I aspired to be a creative writer and 40 years later, I have not achieved a fraction of what I set out to do.
I am happy being a journalist but regret not pursuing my dreams. I have encouraged my son and my daughter, both creative souls, to pursue their dreams and they have inspired me to press on and do what I can.
Just because you are middle aged or older, does not mean that you cannot still strive to achieve at least some of the dreams you had when you were younger.
You are no longer going to win prizes for best young achiever, but there are still prizes to be won – the greatest one being self satisfaction.
Reach for the stars, guys, if the stretching doesn’t hurt!

Importantly, still having ambition at an advanced age can help stave off senile dementia and keep your mind and body active. The main aim of living your dream when you are older is not for the accolades or fame and fortune, but for the health benefits of keeping your mind alive and getting the old heart ticking faster.

So full of dreams at 16

Still dreaming at 55

Discovering your family history before it’s too late

WHEN we were young many of us were too impatient to listen to Nanna’s stories or Uncle Fred’s wartime anecdotes and as for listening to our parents blather on about their childhood . . .

We lived in the present and history was something for the classroom, and then only because we had to listen to it – for those of us who were not real history buffs. And even for those of us interested in the history of world events, we did not usually relate them to our own families. It was not cool to even stay too long  in the room of relatives as they reminisced about the “good old days”.

But as we move to our middle years, with our children grown up having children of their own, suddenly we

Researching your family tree can be fun

are interested in our family history. And that is usually because our children are starting to show an interest.

Suddenly knowing about your past is cool – fueled by reality tv programs aimed at people trying to find out about their forebears.

Trouble is, Nanna is gone, Uncle Fred and your parents are either gone or gone soft and you have only a few snippets of information in your head as well as a suitcase of un-named, fading photographs.

It is time to rally what family you have left – if your parents and their siblings are not around, consider their cousins and of course your cousins who may have listened a bit more attentively than you did.

What I am talking about here is an anecdotal history of your family, a good place to start weaving your family story. Before you get down to the serious business of a proper geneological study of your family, those anecdotes you have heard, even if they do not have firm dates, places or events, are an important part of  your family’s story.

You may think that researching your family tree with names, dates of births and deaths is the best, even the only way to go but any stories from relatives adds to the rich tapestry of your family history. Writing those stories down will spur you on to the harder task of  researching your family tree.

So, to start with:

• Interview and film surviving relatives, even if you think their memories are dimming;

• Organise a family reunion with as many branches of the family as you can as you may find a distant relative knows something worthwhile about your family;

• Write down your own life story as it could start a trend copied by subsequent generations;

• Catalogue family photos with names, dates and places if you can and separate them from photos with no data;

• Start the process of doing your family tree and tracing ancestors with the help of genealogy experts which you will find online.

Most important thing to remember is HAVE FUN, even if the task seems overwhelming. Take one step at a time and enjoy the journey.

Piecing together the puzzle of your family story is a great activity for your retirement but also a good way to spend your spare time if you are still working – meeting relatives at those sunny-day picnics and sorting through photos and writing on the rainy weekends.

And don’t forget there could be the  chance to travel if you really want to go that far.

http://www.ancestry.com.au/

http://www.findmypast.com/

http://www.tracingyourancestors.com/