As the saying goes, it can be difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. Some might consider it a nearly impossible challenge to attempt to change a person’s long-established ways, especially as we grow older.
Now just who are you calling old? That wouldn’t be me, would it? While I may be starting to slow down a little (it’s barely noticeable, LOL), that doesn’t mean that learning or developing new skills is beyond reach. Sometimes there’s a better way even if adapting to a new way of doing something isn’t as easy as it might seem. The original saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, dates from the sixteenth century, at first appearing with a literal meaning in a book of Husbandry. Conventional wisdom says that to change a pattern or behavior, we must first come to the understanding that the action is not working for us. It doesn’t mean being older makes it necessarily harder to change: however, with age more than just habit must be overcome to change ingrained behaviors. Let me share a few examples based on things I’ve learned in the last year or so.
If I were asked to name the top three things I learned about myself since I retired and social distancing became the norm, it would be;
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- how good it feels for my feet not to hurt
- how good it feels to move about more regularly
- how good it feels to be well-rested
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Perhaps I’m preaching to the choir with these realizations? There have been tons of articles written about all three, so they’re not groundbreaking discoveries but let’s start with my feet. Like for the countless others who’ve also mostly stayed at home, and whether WFH or not, there has been little need for me to wear the “career/office appropriate” shoes that I cannot bear to part with yet. Over the years, my choices regarding footwear have evolved to where very few of them have more than a 2 1/2″ heel. Even so, years of wear and tear on my feet have taken their toll.
Despite efforts to avoid likely causes for pain (high heels, pointy toes, cheap quality, etc) by the end of a day, something would hurt. It had occurred to me while I was still working that I avoided foot discomfort by limiting any walking around which then caused other types of aches and pains. You know, the joint stiffness that settles in when you’ve been sitting and working at your computer for long stretches. Compounding this problem was my nearly 2-hour commute for the last 10 months I was working.
With much more time on my hands now, there’s nothing in the way of me clocking in some activity 4 to 5 times a week for 45 minutes to an hour at a time. At first, I would ache during and after just walking in my neighborhood. For a while, it would be my hips that hurt, and at other times, it would be a knee or stiffness in my feet. I researched what features in sneakers would make them better suited to my foot type and I now spend more time doing a few gentle warm-up stretches before heading out. The aches and stiffness while walking are no longer an issue nor do I find myself groaning to stand after sitting for a long stretch (at least, not very loudly).
Some time ago, I saw a post on Instagram that said something like “I’m not impressed by your lack of sleep”. Not to say that there aren’t justifiable causes for a night with minimal sleep, but to accept it as a way of life and to seemingly revel in it is not healthy. And I know because I use to do it. Not the bragging part, just the thinking that I could get by with 5-6 hours of sleep. I thought that the mid-day energy drop was normal. Back then, I couldn’t wait until I wasn’t working anymore and when afternoon naps would become a daily occurrence.
Nowadays, I strive to consistently clock in with over 7 hours of actual sleep a night, as reported on by my Fitbit. It is magical to be able to wake up when I want to instead of when I have to. And while sometimes I might feel a little mid-day energy drop, I rarely take a nap because I’m not really tired. No need to catch up on sleep over the weekend when there were so many other things I’d rather have spent time doing. My mind feels so much clearer when I’m well-rested.
What other new tricks does this old dog have up her sleeve? I finally got a new smartphone as my iPhone 6s had been on its last legs for a while and the process to upgrade wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had feared (except for the cost). In 21 in ’21: Looking Back On The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly of 2021, I included my moving to a digital calendar for planning blogs posts as one of the highlights of last year which I considered a risky step at the time. And now I’m so glad that I did it. I got a few questions in the comments for that post so I’m planning a blog post to describe my process.
In any other year, at this point, I’d likely be sharing a list of challenges for myself that I’d probably abandon within a month or two. So in the vein of “old dog, new tricks”, there’ll be no such list. However, I do have a list of intentions to focus on. My plan is to make this an evolving list, adding to or subtracting from as it feels appropriate. One of my intentions is to create more through my passions such as sewing, crocheting, and cooking. Another intention is to hone in on and establish a clearer vision of my style.
I also intend to continue to be mindful of the principles of sustainable fashion. This means my intentions are to buy less overall, to seek brands that embrace sustainability, to look for better quality, to reconsider the clothes I already own, and to opt for secondhand when possible. Not exactly a new trick but I’ve only come around to this approach in the last few years which leads me to today’s outfit. All of the pieces were bought secondhand; the long cardigan, the dress, and the scarf were bought at thrift stores, and the boots I found recently on Poshmark.
One more thing to mention before I wrap up. If you’re wondering why the usual lead-in into the Fine-Whatever link-up is missing from the end of this post, that’s because I’m moving the party to Mondays. At the end of the month, I’ll be sharing an update to my Where Have All The Blog Link-Ups Gone? post and I’ll go further into my reasons for changing the day of the link-up then.
No better time to ponder on the subject of “old dog, new tricks” than at the start of a new year. Anything can be accomplished with the right attitude and spirit. Never say never, right?
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
Feature and final photos: MMPerez
16 Comments
Love those boots…I have the exact same pair (that is if they’re Borns). I also have them in black and have had them for years and years! As for teaching an old dog new tricks…one year I tried to learn something new each month. That only lasted for few months as I fell in love with creating wreaths and such out of felt. I kept at that for several months. I look forward to seeing what you create. When I was teaching, I never considered myself creative at all. Now, I realize I’d poured all of my creativity into my teaching! But, it’s time for this particular old dog to learn another new trick!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Marsha, you certainly know your boots. Mine are indeed by Born and they also come in black (which I was tempted to get as well).
Happy New Year, Rena! What a great post and I love this outfit! I am trying to be more sustainably conscious as well. But I still can’t shake those retail therapy urges that send me to the mall to buy brand new things that I definitely do not need!
Shelbee
Shelbee, sometimes there’s no better therapy than a day of shopping. And online shopping doesn’t come anywhere close to having the same benefits 😉
I decided since I hate running, I will not force myself to run much this year. I do enjoying the running club for the socialization and the occasional 5K so I plan to at least do it twice a week but otherwise I am going to focus on walking more each day as I actually love that activity. Like you I want to focus on 2nd hand shopping this year so I plan to do a once a month consigment shopping to get rid of most of my shopping urges. I love this outfit! The special hem on the dress, the grey with the red! And those fun fun boots!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Mireille, I agree with you … why do something you hate when there is another as beneficial activity you can do instead that you enjoy.
Great post Rena. I am always preaching about how we older people CAN learn new tricks. I was with a group of women my age recently and appalled by how they cheerfully admitted to being useless at using phones, afraid of driving in the dark…….But there’s no reason why we can’t learn how to do any of these things. When I started at a new company four years ago it was pretty daunting because I was the oldest one by a long shot and had to do a lot of things that were new to me, because my last company had been much bigger and had more resources. What a learning curve! I love this grey and red outfit and pinned it to my Fab Bloggers board. Thanks for linking!
Gail, I abhor the idea of being so set in my ways that I would delight over not wanting to learn/adapt to new technologies. Learning keeps us young at heart.
It’s great that this outfit is all second hand! And I love the scarf and coat together 🙂 Such cheerful red with the neutrals!
I’ve always been someone who didn’t like painful shoes, haha! It was sad to see how many of my heels I had to give up after I first injured my knee years ago. I went from someone who wear heels 7 days a week to having to go buy flats just to help my knee recovery. Now I have more sneakers than anything in my wardrobe, I need the comfort and support sadly, and luckily with work from home life they work in my very casual wardrobe!
Thanks for joining the #WeekdayWearLinkup! Hope that the first week of 2022 has been a good one for you 🙂
Mica, sneakers and other more comfortable footwear is a reality and I’m glad that there are so many stylish options like the ones you wear. When I see “influencers” wearing an outfit with stiletto heels, my first thought is how unrealistic the look is.
I have been buying more on Poshmark and really love the art of the deal! Your outfit is fabulous! Red looks so good on you! I love the whole look- I used to have boots very similar.
thanks for linking!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Jess, I agree that the art of the deal is a most satisfying part of shopping whether it’s secondhand or retail.
I am going the sustainability route for my wardrobe as well. Poshmark has been my go-to for the last quarter. I do have a few second-hand stores within a few miles from me that I have yet to get visit, but I hope to once Omicron fades. And the pandemic had opened my eyes to a few realizations as well, but that’s a topic for another post.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Michelle, you and I are kindred spirits.
I used to be exactly the same with work footwear – it’s madness to force ourselves to wear shoes that hurt, and yet most of us have done it. Now I mostly wear trainers and I love being able to go for a walk at lunchtime when I’m in the office. The red cardigan is gorgeous and looks great with the scarf. Thanks for linking up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Emma, how I wish that I’d embraced wearing trainers on a daily basis years ago.