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Lynne Spreen
Is a Vibrant Nation Blog Circle User

Lynne Spreen

My Blog Circle:

I write about issues affecting women age forty and better. I am through apologizing for being older. Everything I write reflects my passion to find empowerment in the second half of life. My latest novel, Dakota Blues, features a middle-aged woman whose world falls apart, forcing her to find the courage to change. It's available now on Amazon.com. You can watch the trailer and find out more about it HERE You can read more both here and at my personal blog, Any Shiny Thing. I hope you'll stop by and tell me what middle age is like for you. Let's learn from each other.
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my VN interview

How did you get to where you are now?
Age, luck, hard work, good mentors and finally, finally, the love of a great husband.
How do you see yourself differently now than you did 10 years ago?
I used to sacrifice myself to save everybody. Then I invented a couple of new rules: 1. I would treat myself at least as well as I was treating everybody else. 2. If they never reciprocated, I drifted away. Here's the good news: I respect myself more. Here's the bad news: I'm no longer a hero. I threw away my cape and tights. Now I'm allowing myself to be just average. It's harder on my self-image but easier on my stress levels.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A famous writer, riding the wave of Baby Boomers, writing about all the stuff we're going through that nobody thinks is interesting or important - yet.

a postcard to my younger self

Hey, Young Lynne, 1. Yes, you are different from other people, and that will make you feel lonely sometimes, but everybody else is different, too, just in different ways. So don't worry so much about it. 2. Figure out what makes YOU happy. Stop worrying so much about how to make other people happy. 3. Quit feeling sad over what the cool people are doing, that you are not. Because you're not cool, and that's okay. See above. 4. Don't listen to New Age music after four in the afternoon. It's too depressing. 5. Yes, you will have more surgeries and health issues than most people but you also have better skin. So there's that. Now go have fun. Love, Old Lynne

my posts

Adulthood: One Size Does Not Fit All

Posted in Any Shiny Thing on February 09, 2013

I was filling out a form the other day, and had to select an age category. Here were the choices: infant, toddler, adolescent, teenager, and adult. And I wondered, is that all…

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Glad I’m Invisible

Posted in Any Shiny Thing on February 08, 2013

When I was young, I was cute. Pretty, even. And there were times I hated it.

I felt like prey. As I walked past men, I hated the idea that…

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Midlife Inspiration

Posted in Any Shiny Thing, work & money on February 01, 2013

Whether you lost your job in midlife or feel the need to change/reinvent yourself for more benign reasons, it helps to see what other people our age are doing. In read more »

Living a Purposeful Life

Posted in Any Shiny Thing, spirituality on January 29, 2013

After you retire, you sometimes lose your way. People who are working fulltime, and especially those who are also caring for dependent family members, don’t have this luxurious problem. But if you’re…

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Your Amazing, Aging Brain

Posted in Any Shiny Thing, health & fitness on January 19, 2013

This is the last of four posts about all the cool things going on in your aging brain.

Ten years ago, Sister Bernadette died of a massive heart…

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my comments

Response to: Midlife Inspiration

Comment posted on April 6, 2013 at 6:53 pm:
"Darcy and Angie, I'm glad you found each other. I sit back and marvel at the beauty of your words...." (read comment)

Response to: Midlife Inspiration

Comment posted on April 6, 2013 at 6:51 pm:
"Darcy, will you have access to a computer and the internet? Because we can stay in touch. Best wishes...." (read comment)

Response to: Midlife Inspiration

Comment posted on April 6, 2013 at 9:36 am:
"Oh, Angie. I'm so sorry for your loss, and especially for your mother. I don't know if I could survive that, if it had been my child. But I'm glad you had enough distance that it doesn't keep you from moving forward. (small mercies keep us going). ..." (read comment)

Response to: Midlife Inspiration

Comment posted on April 5, 2013 at 12:46 pm:
"PS my birthday is the 12th, Julie. Happy birthday to both of us...." (read comment)

Response to: Midlife Inspiration

Comment posted on April 5, 2013 at 12:42 pm:
"Julie, I understand your fear of death. I'm in the same boat. I often wonder, what would life feel like without that fear? But here's an empowering thought, if it helps (and I'm almost exactly your age). My mother is almost thirty years older than me..." (read comment)