50+ Lifestyles

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

Seventeen Years — the End of an Era

By Eloise Graham

50+Lifestyles has been a major part of my life for the past seventeen years. I have been contributing articles for the past sixteen years, but now it is time to say good-bye to my involvement in this publication. What an exciting and learning experience this has been.

This opportunity has enabled me to meet so many wonderful people here in the QCA and surrounding areas. I have met poets and writers of prose, educators and librarians, dentists and chiropractors, lawyers and political figures, contractors and realtors, audiologists and eye specialists. I have seen the senior housing market explode. This baby-boomer surge of senior housing includes everything from condos, co-ops, one floor dwellings, independent living spaces, assisted living, memory care, and skilled/rehab care. Some places are low-income or a sliding scale to high-end over the top retirement living. I have enjoyed meeting with their marketing directors, staff and residents. It has truly been a blessed time.

Someone once asked me what my title was here at 50+Lifestyles, you know — I don’t really know. We all just worked together to make sure the job got done each month. I have been keeper of the calendar, cook and taster for Ella’s Kitchen, wordgame wizard, done the billing and accounts payable, delivery person, PR and promoter, selling of ads. Come to think of it, I have done it all except the actual layout of the magazine and the printing. Those two items were above my calling and true professionals did those jobs.

What did I learn? Well, for starters, I had not used a computer before. I learned how to do emails, forward them and respond to them. Often I would respond, then end up
forwarding my response rather than the originals. But I soon learned the difference and how to do it correctly.

I learned what attachments were and to tell the difference between word, jpg and pdf. Things have changed drastically in the past seventeen years. Some things are easier now, others are more complicated. It is all a learning experience.

The most exciting part came from meeting you, the loyal readers of this publication. You have called, written or stopped me to tell me of your experiences and how one of my articles touched you. I have had many compliments and some well-needed corrective criticism. I have enjoyed writing on a number of different topics over these past sixteen years. I have learned a lot of trivia as I fact-checked items and thoughts.

I was not a journalism major. However, I feel like I have developed some good writing habits with you as my critics. May each and every one of you be blessed. Thank you for being a part of my life.