BBC Newscaster or Barbie?
The BBC is actively seeking to hire a woman over 50 to present the news.
They are being criticized for being sexist and biased toward youth. For too long now this English public station has had a reputation for hiring young women who look like Barbie dolls, while older men with graying hair are common place.
Sounds like a small step in the right direction. We need positive images of real people with AgeEsteem entering our homes on the screen.
Participants at an AgeEsteem presentation during an international woman’s conference in Africa came from Holland, Serre Leone, Nigeria, USA, Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, Wales, England, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Each shared one role model and the qualities most admired in the person. These role models were real people in their lives – people like you and me.
- An aunt who “had no education but taught through example how to have a gentle heart.”
- A friend who “is wise, not afraid to question, and even during difficult moments has time for her friends. She gives positive feedback on how I can improve.”
- A boss who “is energetic and passionate, and concentrates on balancing a very high pressured professional life and her family.”
- A friend who “cares for herself and is elegant.”
- A colleague who “encourages others and is open, confident, asks questions, and is intelligent, strong and not afraid.”
- A top media personality “who interviews to highlight the good in people, is sincere, ethical and respected so people listen to her.”
No matter how different our cultures may be, many of the same qualities and attributes that we respect flow among our answers. What any one of these women expressed, I could very well have highlighted in my life. Probably the same is true for you.
This emphasizes even further that our words and actions carry the power to affect lives for better or worse. Each day we have the opportunity to softly teach and influence through example.
Having strong AgeEsteem helps us to be natural models of influence.
You are a constant model for others.
We never really know the influence that we have on others. If you are like me there have been people who you could not even call by name who have left a lasting impact.
Life’s greatest lessons do not come from books or formal learning. They are learned by watching others live and interact, listening to the intonation of their words, reading their expressions and feeling their emotions.
When we feel confident with age-esteem, we stand out as positive role models to others of all ages. What an effective way to lead others towards a new image of age. Be a living example!
Sharon Horton Nason
I have a dear friend and neighbor named Sharon Horton Nason. She is an amazingly creative person with a passion for people – especially family – and she enjoys cooking for them. Her now-grown family-of-five often visits – and one adult daughter is temporarily living with Sharon and husband David. Two of Sharon’s siblings and her mother all live in the same city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They connect frequently, and Sharon enjoys making her own comfort food of spaghetti with a delectable sauce (recipe to follow).
Daughter Kelly Surace writes the following about the recipe:
This is Mom’s spaghetti sauce. Everyone loves it! She makes it in huge pots and then freezes small servings of it for later use.
It works great as there is always a good, home-cooked meal ready to be served.
My husband had been bugging me to try and make my Mom’s spaghetti ever since we got married.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to recreate it as she doesn’t really have a “set” recipe. So I called her up and she walked me through it. Lo and behold, it turned out like hers! My first time cooking this was in June 2004.
Deborah Joy Phelps
Sharon Horton Nason’s Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients:
Approximately 3 lbs. of ground meat (Sharon uses ground turkey)
1 extra large can of tomato sauce (1 lb. and 13 oz. = 822 grams)
¼ of a large can of water
1 medium can of whole tomatoes
1 to 2 onions to taste
About ¼ cup of sugar (or Splenda/sugar-free sweetener)
A few pours of Worcestershire sauce
Cajun Seasoning (to taste)
1.Combine ground meat and chopped onions in large pot and brown them. (This will take some time with so much meat).
2.Once entirely browned, pour in tomato sauce and container of whole tomatoes.
3.Add the water.
4.Mix together completely. Let this cook on medium to high heat until bubbling.
5.Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for about an hour.
6.At this point, add the Worcestershire sauce and other seasonings to taste. (The sauce should have thickened some by now but should continue thickening.)
7.Let pot sit on the stove and cook until there’s a true sauce consistency.
8.NOTE: Keep your pot covered and check it periodically. Left uncovered, you will have a mess on your stove top.
9.Time: Ranges from 1½ to 3 hours depending on the cook’s preferences.
Sharon uses thin spaghetti as her pasta of choice. Of course you can use whatever you prefer. She notes that the little bit of sugar takes the tang away from the tomato sauce.
“Cajun seasoning” is a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, and paprika. In southern Louisiana there are several varieties available in the grocery store including Tony Chachere’s.
Sharon likes to make two pots of her sauce – one with onions and one without. This way everyone in the family is happy and eats lots of the spaghetti!
I asked my friend what her definition of Age Esteem was. She said it meant “More time to relax, travel, and be by myself to do more things I enjoy.” Among other things, Sharon is a talented embroiderer and has the amazing machine needed to create so many special items like religious stoles for preachers and baby caps for newborns with their names on them. She “makes magic” with this talent.
Hooray for Sharon’s special spaghetti sauce and for Age Esteem, too…
Bravo! And Bon Appétit!
Deborah Joy Phelps
The American Heritage Dictionary has a short and cozy definition of comfort food: “Food that is simply prepared and associated with a sense of home and contentment.”
One online source listed “the top ten comfort foods” in the following order from Number 10 up to Number 1. These were (with many recipe variations):
10. Chicken pot pie
9. Mac and Cheese
8. Fried Chicken
7. Meatloaf with Gravy
6. Hamburgers
5. Apple Pie
4. Ice Cream
3. Lasagna
2. Mashed Potatoes
1. Pizza
Obviously “Aunt Christine” may have a different Fried Chicken recipe than you or I. And how much and what type of cheese mixed with the macaroni would make it your own preferred favorite. In this list, it’s interesting to note that there are at least two pastas (the lasagna and the mac and cheese) and there are two chicken recipes (pot pie and fried.) With all of its ways to prepare, no wonder pizza is way up at the top of this particular list! Note that there are three “Italian” items on the list with “German” hamburgers and meatloaf. And what can be more “American” as apple pie? Top that with a la mode ( French words meaning “with ice cream” here in the United States) and oh boy! We really have quite a global list here.
Deborah Joy Phelps
Deborah Joy Phelps
When Deborah Joy Phelps writes about food her story takes us beyond measurements, spices and herbs. She stirs in the flavor of the cook’s personality.
Deborah Joy, now on the good side of 60, is an artist when it comes to meeting new people and truly connecting with them. Her contact is immediate and spontaneous. This is probably due to the fact that she loves people and is genuinely interested. Since she is authentic and engaging in her interaction, people tend to show their genuine self with her and let down barriers.
Adding the essence of the cook to the recipie brings a special flavor beyond food.
WorldYWCA Board and Guests
What an amazing, competent, dedicated and inspiring organization the YWCA is! Did you know that
- The YWCA is active in 127 countries.
- Their programs touch over 25 million women and girls.
- When women are empowered to become leaders whole communities are enriched.
We were privileged to receive the WorldYWCA Board in our home. This Board is a wonderful example of an inter-generational and inter-cultural body, and one that functions effectively. Members come from 22 countries, each bringing unique talents and experience. A number of them are still in their twenties bringing new views to complement those of other ages.
It is important for our personal age-esteem to keep such inter-generational contact active in our own lives and to reach out and work with others of diverse ages toward a common goal. My commitment to the WorldYWCA not only expands my knowledge and enhances my understanding of other cultures while helping to improve lives, it also boosts my age-esteem! I love being an ambassador for the WorldYWCA.
I love the message of the Blueberry Star in the previous post. We don’t have to travel to foreign places or meet celebrities to discover life’s messages. The star on a blueberry reminds us that miracles surround us. We need only to be tuned into them and relish in their beauty to find courage and joy in each day.
This is one of Dorothy Oliveau’s picture poetry messages. She wrote them for her friends throughout her later years. She was a very talented woman who managed to find the beauty in each day no matter what was happening in her life. – A wonderful role model of AgeEsteem.
- The next time you eat a blueberry, take a moment to discover its beauty.
- Enjoy its aroma and savor the taste.
- Remember that blueberries are one of the healthiest foods for keeping your mind alert.
