continuing the blog post series on me talking with some older women, i introduce kay johnson!
kay was gracious to answer all my questions and i’m all the more enriched by getting to know her a little more!
Kay Johnson, age 70
I stayed home with my kids until they were old enough to be involved in activities that kept them for after- school practice. When I did return to the workforce I was an administrative assistant and human resources person.
The best thing about growing older is you finally realize you can be your own person and not be concerned with being who your friends want you to be or saying what you think they want to hear. You finally realize you are fine just the way you are. We all have different childhood experiences and different personalities but now we embrace those differences. (A far different attitude from my 20 year old self.) <amen, kay!>
The decade I like most was the 50s. I loved the music and the innocence of the times. My grandchildren will never be able to attend a Halloween carnival at their elementary school and trick-or-treat all the way home after dark with just the other neighborhood kids.
One of the best decisions I ever made was never to act shocked at anything my teen-aged daughters ever told me. I figured they would feel free to talk to me about anything and never be afraid to come to me with whatever might be bothering them. It worked just as I had hoped but with one little glitch. I heard way more than I wanted to hear.
One of the worst decisions I ever made…. oh, how could I forget! Once I let a door-to-door salesman into my house when my husband was gone. Just two little girls, a dumb Cocker Spaniel, and me huddled together listening to his spiel about a water softener. It was fine but believe me I knew it could have worked out differently. (Looking back I think it was his first call and he was more terrified than I was.) It taught me a lesson though. I don’t have any problem turning people away or hanging up on the solicitors.
Advice to a younger woman would be don’t fail to recognize your worth. Wake up every morning and look in the mirror and tell yourself one thing you like about yourself. Educate yourself so you will never HAVE to depend on a husband or significant other to support you. Position yourself so that you have choices.
The person I admire most has to be my mother. She was always so wise. She is 92 now and still has her moments. She has very high morals and a strong work ethic that she passed on to my sister and me not by preaching but by the way she lived her life. I love some of her sayings . . . She was widowed at age 58 and never remarried. She always said, “I’d rather be single than wish I was.” You gotta love that!
The most famous person I ever met was Fats Domino. We were on the same flight to Oklahoma City in 1965 and was I ever impressed! Seriously, Blueberry Hill, I’m Walkin’, Blue Monday, Walking To New Orleans!!! I loved rock and roll and Fats Domino was one of the best.
thanks kay! that was wonderful!
