A FEEL-GOOD ROUND-UP
The Dancing Nana turns 100! Nostalgia Makes Us Happy. I'm Bingeing "Next In Fashion" and It's Giving Me All the Feels.
Happy Hump Day, Friends! It’s been very rainy here in LA and though my dog, Noodle isn’t a fan, I dig it. I love the rat-a-tat-tat of falling rain and spying on the finches that flock to my balcony to seek shelter from the downpour. I love sipping a steaming cup of English Breakfast tea, with a space heater singeing my knees, and relishing in this tiny reprieve from LA’s endless and eternal sunshine. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sunshine too. I’m not a total mole person. When I first moved back to LA after years in foggy SF, I woke up every day to bright light pouring through the curtains with a song in my heart. But too much of a good thing is just that and every now and again, I appreciate weather—or as they pronounce it in New Zealand, wee-tha. Now on to some feel-good news!
THE DANCING NANA TURNS 100
You may have heard of the The Dancing Nana a.k.a., Shirley Goodman, who became a viral sensation after one of her grandkids posted a video of her dancing “The Tush Push” at a family wedding. (⬅️Click link to watch her go!) I must’ve had three or four people forward the video to me on Instagram. My friends really get me. Obviously, I became a little obsessed with Shirley, not just because she’s a delight and an inspiration, but also because I love tap dancing. I took lessons for a few years and I wasn’t great at it, but it was so much fun. Tap is a dance that one can do at any age and I highly recommend giving it a try. I said it before and I’ll say it again—dancing keeps us young and our brains sharp. Angelenos, if you’re interested in lessons, check out Howard Blume, my former tap teacher and the education reporter for the LA Times.
HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE, KEEP MOVING, AND EAT CHOCOLATE
Born in Schenectady, New York, The Dancing Nana learned how to dance at age eight from her father. In 1938, Shirley performed a tap routine on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour Radio Show and won first place. In the 1943, she married Alfred Goodman, “Alfie” who gave her the nickname, “Twinkle Toes.” A Lieutenant and pilot in the air force, he was captured in Germany and spent a year in a POW camp. During that time, Shirley opened a dance school to make ends meet. She lives in Sarasota, Florida now and dances weekly at the Senior Friendship Center, the location where many of her Instagram videos are filmed. And yesterday, she turned 100! So what’s her secret? Shirley, who survived two open-heart surgeries, plus the installation of a pacemaker and a stent, said, “The only thing I would tell you is to have a good attitude, and don’t sit in the rocking chair and feel sorry for yourself. Keep moving all the time and try to be positive. That’s the best advice I can give you, and eat a lot of chocolate." Hey, now. That’s the second centenarian I’ve written about (France’s Sister André was the first) who endorses chocolate as a longevity aid. I’m a believer!
NOSTALGIA MAKES US HAPPY
Last year, our beautiful 17-year-old Dualit toaster went on the fritz. Jared wanted to toss it on the scrap heap and buy a new one. I refused to give up on the old girl. Instead, I watched a YouTube video, ordered replacement parts, and talked Jared into performing life-saving surgery on the patient. I’m pleased to report, she’s still with us. As you may have gathered, Jared isn’t very sentimental. He’s an early-adopter. He taught himself to code, starting listening to podcasts before it became a thing, and enjoys watching videos of test robots leaping over tables. Meanwhile, I still listen to the vinyl records I’ve been lugging around for 30+ years, send handwritten letters, and drink tea out of a Detective Columbo mug. I’m awash in nostalgia and reticent to throw away possessions that conjure sweet memories from the past and bring me joy. Well, as it turns out, I’ve been onto something all along. According to the latest article by Arthur C. Brooks in The Atlantic, Nostalgia Is A Shield Against Unhappiness.
Here’s an excerpt: “Psychologists writing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2006 found that provoking nostalgia in experiments strengthened people’s social bonds, boosted their positive feelings about themselves, and improved their mood. Similar research has shown that when people feel nostalgia, it can bolster their sense of life’s meaning, lower an existential reaction to the idea of death, increase spirituality, and raise optimism.”
So don’t feel bad about holding onto that Snoopy address book from 1977 (I actually have one of these) if it makes you happy. I’m thinking if I just revel in nostalgia and eat chocolate every day, I may live to be 150. Watch out, Sister André. I’m coming for your Guinness Book record.
ALL THE FEELS TV
I’m a sucker for a creative competition show, especially baking and fashion design competitions. I guess it’s because so much can go wrong, and often does go wrong, that it makes me feel better about my own creative process. Right now, I’m addicted to Season 2 of Next In Fashion on Netflix. I love all the contestants, even if I don’t necessarily love their design points of view. Almost every designer has shared a poignant story of struggle, which has brought me to tears. But then there’s a lot of fun and funny moments too. And honestly, watching these people pull together a runway-ready look in a day-or-less blows my mind. I mean, it takes me at least ten minutes just to thread a needle. I want them all to win, but of course, only one person can take home the $200K. If you’re watching this show, let me know in the comments and we can discuss.
INSPIRING OLDER ADULTS
I plan to start profiling inspiring older adults in upcoming issues of In With the Old. If you know someone over seventy who is living their best life, please send them my way or let me know how to get in touch so that I can glean their secrets and share them with you.
As always, thank you for reading, commenting, and liking my posts. It means so much to me to have your support. And if you know anyone who might enjoy my musings, please forward this on. ❤️💋
I'm so glad you managed to revive your toaster! I'm all for hanging on to a bit of nostalgia where you can.
I've also been tearing up at Next in Fashion - Who'd have thought it?!
And those older adult profiles sound great!
Tell me, is the cup warmer a huge life changer, or what?!