Make Your List Of The Wonderful Accomplishments In Your Life So Far Elita Sohmer Clayman

Today June 6^th, 2012 marks the sixty-eighth anniversary of D Day when the Allied forces crossed the English Channel into Normandy, France and landed on the beaches. It began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War II. It showed the heroism and bravery of the troops of the Allied countries and the proud feelings we who lived in that time experienced and always will remember.

The teacher in the junior high school my husband attended brought a radio into the room so all the kids could listen to the happenings. I was in elementary school and remember the same things.

We all have dates we remember with happiness, with sadness and some with hope. Others we remember with pride on the success we have had on that date. On other dates, we remember something that made us proud, happy and delighted.

Always be proud of what you have accomplished so far; of what you hope to achieve and be proud of your aspirations and desires. I know of a young woman and her husband who have the universal desire of all of us and that is to own their own home. They are finding it difficult to gather together the twenty percent down payment it seems is needed now days. They save; they scrimp and are living in an apartment complex now. They are moving in a few weeks in the same complex to a smaller place in order to save the difference in rent and hope in a year to have enough for the down payment. They have looked at so many homes and either they cannot afford them, do not care for them or they do not suit their needs. They are going about it in the proper way with the saving element and I am sure when they get their first house, they will be proud of what they have done.

Some of us go back and get a college degree at a later age .That is enough to make a person feel so good about, because as we get older, some of these dreams we have are harder to attain. Yet, we try and we realize, effect, complete and bring about these desires.

People are able to do that because there are many online accredited higher learning institutions available and people can get degrees by studying on the computer and taking various courses leading to higher educational degrees. Of course, some may think that not as classy as a fancy college. It can still be beneficial and the degrees are valid and useful. There is lots of learning and studying needed to obtain these degrees and so if from an accredited school, go for it, if that is what you want. It is better than always thinking ‘why did I not ever try this?’ The time goes by and you will be sorry you did not even attempt to do it.

One day, sit down, whatever age you are now, sixty, seventy, eighty, or more and write by hand or if you are computer savvy; a list of everything you are proud of about yourself. Start with the early years, the middle years and now the senior years if that is what you are. You can even list things that happened in elementary school through high school, through college, through marriage, children, grandchildren and other achievements. You will be surprised at what has happened to you through the years that has brought joy, confidence and success.

My list would include writing for the Enoch Pratt Free Library book reviews when I was twelve, going to an accelerated junior high school, producing a  fashion show at a department store when I was sixteen and modeling for another store when I was that age too. I could state being a devoted daughter to my parents, gaining a nice job even without a college education then, rising to a high position in that company, marrying, having two children and going back to get that college degree when I was thirty-three and half years old. Also, accomplishing that degree when I was thirty-nine, running a nice home, now being married almost fifty-two years and a grandmother of four. There are many other things too and now writing this, my one hundred and fiftieth article for Hunt Valley-Cockeysville.Patch. Com at age almost seventy-eight. This is not bragging when you make your list. This is being proud of you.

In the evening hours when we are eating dinner, and the television is on, many shows such as Access Hollywood and many others shout out to you from the television screen, the current actions of movie stars and television actors. They are screamed at you about what they did either good or bad. Who really cares about them? Many are obnoxious people who gained prominence not from fine deeds, but from bad decisions on their part. True, there are many who achieve stardom by their abilities and or their good actions for others.

It is not amusing to listen to this or view it when one is eating. Sometimes, I turn it off and others I guess, I am like everyone else; I think it amusing to know of their dastardly deeds. Some of them keep on doing those things, I think because they like the popularity of their actions. When I was young and there was not television, computers, cellphones and such, you listened to the radio and heard this. There was a movie star who was a loved personality and an extremely fine actress. Her name was Ingrid Bergman and she left her physician husband and daughter and was cavorting with a Hollywood producer/director.

The public was incensed and she lost her popularity and position as one of the highest paid performers; but one who was emulated and respected because of this. Of course, that is mild now because these folks do much more than what Ingrid did. Many years later, the public kind of forgave her and she was again respected for her work and became admired for her talent. At that tumultuous period of time for her, a United States senator Edwin C. Johnson criticized her and called her “a powerful influence for evil.”

Her accomplishments as a talented and beautiful actress did not help her at that time; though the public changed its ideas about her and she was revived once again as the gifted and capable actress and person she still was.

Take time out of your busy week or day or month and make your list of accomplishments and happy moments. You will see that there are plenty of them, some you may have forgotten about, others you may have thought minimal, but are still wonderful. You will be proud of yourself, of your life so far and most of all what you really are all about. There is no one like you, you are unique, accomplished, fine, and good and most of all you are still producing, connecting, living and being happy. Remember the dates if you can when different events made you so happy. My current one is July 19, 2011 when I started writing for the Patch and now today, June 6^th 2012 which is my one hundred fiftieth article.

Eleven months of creating, producing, writing and loving every moment of this adventure, journey and road to happy days in my “active adulthood” as my email Steven Behr of Washington State calls us seniors. Continue if you are seniors, to be active, dynamic, skilled, adept and capable of even doing more than ever.