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Aging Frances Podcast TTT Season 2

Season 2 Episode 38: Frances on the Art of Aging

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.  

Thank you for listening in. 

A few weeks ago, my mother,  Frances, and I were discussing the aging process, something that we all have in common.  I think of the quote by Andy Rooney: “It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.”

There are many self-help books and articles that promise ways in which we can age gracefully and provide tips on how to stay sharp and look amazing.  When Frances suggested that, for her, it was books that added joy to the aging process,   I asked whether she would share her thoughts on a short podcast.  Since we were on our mobile phones, rather than in-person, we did not know whether the audio would have enough clarity.  Thanks to our techie, we have a short discussion about books, life and embracing who we are at any age.

So put the kettle on and add to this discussion. We would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you for joining Frances and me on Tea Toast and Trivia.

Until next time, dear friends, keep safe and be well.

Julianna Wagar on the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and The Lyon in Mourning Project – Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

S5 E12: Julianna Wagar on the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and the Lyon in Mourning Project Sing me a song of a lad that is gone, Say, could that lad be I? Merry of soul he sailed on a day Over the sea to Skye.   Billow and breeze, islands and seas, Mountains of rain and sun, All that was good, all that was fair, All that was me is gone. Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone By Robert Louis Stevenson Vocals and music by Julianna WagerWelcome to Tea Toast & Trivia. Thank you for listening in. I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. The 1745 Jacobite rebellion has been romanticized in literature and media.  However, this was a difficult and complex period.  The stories of those who lived during this time have been captured in “The Lyon in Mourning” manuscript, which was compiled by Rev Robert Forbes.  The tragic Battle of Culloden shattered the hopes of restoring the Stuarts to the throne.  The communities and social structure of the Scottish Highlands were changed forever.   Dr. Leith Davis, Professor of English at Simon Fraser University and Director of Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Scottish Studies, is currently investigating and creating a Digital Humanities project on “The Lyon in Mourning”.   This project is a collaboration with the National Library of Scotland and SFU’s Digital Humanities Innovation Lab.  Today, I am joined by Julianna Wagar, Dr. Davis’s research assistant, to share her thoughts on the Lyon in Mourning project. Julianna recently completed her BA at Simon Fraser University in English, Gender, and Women’s Studies. She is currently working towards her MA in English at SFU. Her research interests include eighteenth-century Scottish literature, women’s literature, and Scottish women’s travel writing. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting dialogue on Tea Toast & Trivia. I invite you to meet up with Julianna and Dr. Leith Davis at the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University. The Centre, located at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby campus, provides a focal point for faculty, students, and all who are interested in exploring Scottish history and culture and the connections between Scotland and Canada in the contemporary global landscape.  It is a place where the past reaches out to our time and reminds us to live boldly, with courage and hope. Until next time we meet, dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures lead you. Music by Trabant 33 "Dreams of the Brave" Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/zhMobBG9tX/
  1. Julianna Wagar on the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and The Lyon in Mourning Project
  2. Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene on Dead of Winter and Creating Epic Stories
  3. Brian on Transitions
  4. Macbeth’s Witches Chant with Shehanne Moore and Catherine Cavendish
  5. Rachel McAlpine A Poet’s Voice on Aging

By Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

5 replies on “Season 2 Episode 38: Frances on the Art of Aging”

I love Frances’ reading choices 🙂 One of the joys of retirement is all the time we have for reading and enriching our knowledge. It truly is a privilege to have so many options and opportunities, and I’m always so happy to know other families enjoy sharing and discussing what books mean to them. I look forward to more on this topic…

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I am so glad that you joined our conversation, Mary Jo. A few years ago when I was contemplating an ending of a career and the beginning of something new and unknown, I read Mary Catherine Bateson, Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom.” The premise was that we have more time than previous generations. What would we do with the extra 15-20 years? As well, family structures had changed. Her main premise was: meaning would come with our willingness to learn, to accept diversity, to actively participate. In other words – to show up. I enjoyed her discussion. This is the thought that resonated with me, at the time, knowing that with aging, it would become ever more relevant.

“… as we age we have not only to readdress earlier developmental crises but also somehow to find the way to three affirmations that may seem to conflict. … We have to affirm our own life. We have to affirm our own death. And we have to affirm love, both given and received.”

Hugs – thank you again for adding depth and breath to this conversation.

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I enjoyed your conversation with your mother on reading. As she aged, my mother became an avid reader, and always wanted me to read what she had just read so that she could discuss the book with me. I couldn’t keep up with her! I remember there was one book in particular (although I don’t remember which one it was) that she wanted the English teacher analysis, which struck me kind of funny, but I obliged her. I agree with Frances that reading is indeed a privilege, and one that I have never taken for granted. In fact, when I was very little, I thought reading was such a privilege and so wondrous that only grownups were allowed to do it.

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I can imagine the animated discussions between you and your mother, Liz. What great memories you have to sustain you on your journey forward. I laughed out loud when I read that you thought that reading was only for adults. You reminded me of my childhood experience. I was 5 years old when I met someone my age who could understand the markings on paper. How was this possible, I wondered? And that was the moment that reading entered my life. Reading was an essential part of our family experience. When we moved, the books were the priority over anything else. Mary Jo Malo recommended Lynn Austin’s books for Frances to read, which she has enjoyed over the past few months of isolation. When you are with a book, you are in good company.

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