by Bruce Hyland
Photo credit: Joyce Bolinger
Lola is a poet, busy with projects and focusing on being happy. She goes out for walks, being mindful on those treks of the beauty around her.
She says, “Of course I’ve had bumps in the road and hit boulders in life. But I learned to deal with things. My goal is to be happy. When I hit a dip, I look inside myself to see what’s really going on. It’s very important for us to know ourselves.” When she is troubled, she consoles the little “person” inside her who needs to be comforted. It’s her path back to happiness.
She’s keeping in contact with friends. Saying that she’s a hugger, she misses the close contact, but says that “air hugs” are ok for now. She reflects that last year a new brand of toilet paper came out, along with sales for it. She grabbed those bargains. Now she wonders if it was prescient.
Her hope from this: That people are WOKE. [Interviewer’s note: Concise clarity from a poet.]
Her fear? She refuses to dwell on fears. “I don’t want to add any energy to anything bad. Besides, we’re mostly making things up in our heads.” When asked if she’s experienced any negativity, being of Asian heritage, she says, “Not me personally. That speaks to what a great place Tucson is.”
Rather she advises us to focus on what we want for the future. Add energy to that.
Her message to Senior Pride: “Do love yourself. You’re worth it. Listen to music that you love. Music is a universal language. It speaks to our soul and allows us to connect to more than ourselves.