January/February 2018

I’m suspicious of any activity that requires a signature on a liability waiver.

I’ve gone years, in fact, finding plenty of things to do that don’t require a waiver. I’m rethinking that. Northeast Ohio has had an indoor recreation boom recently, and the activities look like a lot of fun.

Trampolines, rope courses, climbing walls, indoor cycling. All are great winter-busting activities and don’t require layers of clothing and boots better than the ones I already own.

Here are a few places to try, either with some friends, alone (if you’re self-conscious) or with a grandkid or two.

Play: CLE is an indoor adventure park in Avon with the added bonus of serving both food and alcohol. It’s got a zip line, a rope course and a climbing wall. playcle.com

Sky Zone in Boston Heights offers an indoor trampoline park with ladders, climbing walls and other activities. skyzone.com

Zip City in Streetsboro has an indoor zip line, a trampoline park, a ropes course, a Ninja course and two Ninja laser mazes. zipcityusa.com

Ray’s Mountain Bike Park in Cleveland is open October through April. Don’t have a mountain bike? Rent one there. The course is user-friendly for folks of all skill levels. raysmtb.com

The Golf Dome in Chagrin Falls has an indoor driving range, mini golf and batting cages. thegolfdome.com

Get Air Cleveland in Middleburg Heights is just what it sounds like: a trampoline park with foam pits, trampoline walls and other indoor adventures. getaircleveland.com

Marie Elium fell off a mini-trampoline in middle school and hasn’t been on one since.

 

 

 

 

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Why do some people thrive after retirement, while others seem to fade away?

The difference is often between those who continue to seek self-improvement with a sense of purpose and those who fall into a state of basic routine. The deciding factor in each pathway is one’s sense of self, otherwise known as self-image.

Who are You?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, self-image is the personal view — the mental picture — that you have of yourself. Self-image is your collection of your characteristics, how you describe yourself: intelligent, beautiful, ugly, talented, selfish, kind. These represent your assets (strengths) and liabilities (weaknesses) as you see them.

Self-image changes over time, affected by early childhood influences plus accumulated experiences with teachers, coaches, friends, family, coworkers and even strangers.

These relationships reinforce what you think and feel about yourself, for better or worse. Your sense of self is entangled with your sense of purpose, and both are shaken when children leave the nest, you lose a loved one or you face retirement.

A Retirement Roadmap

Dr. Dudley Tower is a human and organizational systems expert from the Dynamic Aging Institute, a nationally recognized program based in South Carolina. Tower says we live in an era of age-defying opportunities created by longer lifespans and delayed physical and mental decline.

Despite the apparent advantages of a longer, healthier life, many retired older adults are not motivated to pursue purpose in self-actualization or try to reach their full potential. Instead, some people spend retirement in a state of “mindless routine and busyness,” he says.

The problem is that retirement is unnatural, Tower says. The type of work you do should simply change, not stop. A growing population of older adults has retired around age 65 and now faces another 20 to 25 years of life expectancy.

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One of the most frequently asked technology questions by Boomers and older adults is not that technical.

“They want to know ‘If I unfriend someone (on Facebook) would they know?’” says Tak Sato, founder of the Cleveland-based nonprofit Center for Aging in the Digital World, which offers technology instruction to those age 60 and over. “I always chuckle when I get asked that in class.”

While folks in their 50s and 60s represent one of the largest groups to embrace the digital world, Sato says that they need to “relearn” how to nurture online friendships.

“Social media mimics real life. The difference is that in real life, you curate your relationships one person at a time. With social media, you can curate (many) at the snap of your fingers.”

Millennials, who don’t recall a time without cellphones and instant communication, just accept technology as normal, says Sato, but even people in their 40s often must learn to shift their frame of reference to virtual.

“Until a few years ago, it was OK not to embrace the digital world. Now it is essential to use digital,” Sato says, noting that some companies and organizations only accept communication through email or a website.

For example, people often work into their 60s and 70s. To receive unemployment benefits through Cuyahoga County, everyone must register their work search information. For the first two weeks, the process can be done via phone, but after that, job seekers must report the information on the county website.

By the numbers

More than three-quarters of adults 50 and older own some type of computer, and nearly nine in 10 have a mobile device. Almost three out of four adults in their 50s own a smartphone, and over half have a tablet, according to a November 2016 report by G.

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Looking for Love (or Maybe Just Like)

Are Your Dating Moves Out of Date?

 

Valentine’s Day can be an opportunity for angst, especially if you’ve been out of the dating pool. Consider these dating suggestions for those of us 50 and older from Tracy Sorboro, regional director of Real Cleveland Singles (realclevelandsingles.com).

 

• Identify what it is you want. Marriage, a long-term relationship, casual dating or companionship? Time is precious; don’t date someone who wants something far different than you do.

 

• With age comes experience and knowledge. Trust your instincts. They’re more refined as we age.

 

• Age is just a number. Age matters in our younger years when considering marriage and a family; it’s less important as we get older. It’s common for someone 50 or older to date someone eight to 10 years older or younger.

 

• Make safety a priority. Use caution when meeting someone new. It is fine to suggest that you meet in a public place rather than having someone pick you up at home, especially if you hardly know the person.

 

• Find a partner with shared interests and hobbies. Think about the things you really enjoy doing and attend those types of events. You may meet someone there.

 

• Be very cautious using online dating sites that do not screen potential members. Who you think you are communicating with might not be a reality. Online dating sites can be deceptive.

 

• Have a positive attitude. We attract the kind of energy we put out.

 

• Be open to new possibilities. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

 

• Appearance matters less, and compatibility and shared interests much more.

 

 

 

Homebodies

A Great & Big Garden Show

 

Do you …

Scroll through Pinterest looking for garden inspiration?

Dream of visiting Waco, Texas, to get a glance at Chip and Joanna?

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While we’re buried in our phones and work and Netflix binge-watching and other decidedly un-nature-like activities, it’s easy to forget the value of paying attention to the season’s cues. Some people want to do good deeds. Others want to improve their health. I want to be more like my chickens. Over the next two months, I intend to follow their example to recharge this winter, a season that inexplicably surprised me by arriving on time. ...

It’s challenging to get enough exercise and sunlight during the short days of an Ohio winter. Ohio’s state parks provide a venue for both. Geneva, Headlands and Punderson state parks offer three different experiences in Northeast Ohio. Pick one, pick all three — then venture out to one of our incredible metro or county park systems. And don’t forget our local county parks if you get a case of cabin fever. Cleveland Metroparks (clevelandmetroparks.com) has Ohio’s tallest and longest toboggan chutes at Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville. Big Met Golf Course in the Rocky River Reservation, the North Chagrin Nature Center, and the Hinckley Lake Boathouse and Store rent snowshoes. ...