Did you know that Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated a book in his 80s? The fact that he released it on his 82nd birthday doesn’t surprise me—after all, I read about mature adults who do remarkable things every single month! What does surprise me, however, is that I never knew this book existed until I stumbled upon it at Barnes & Noble recently.

Published in 1986, “You’re Only Old Once! A Book for Obsolete Children” was Seuss’ first adult book since the commercial failure of another one in 1939. Having said before that he didn’t like writing for adults, Seuss (whose full name was Theodor Seuss Geisel) justified it by saying that adults were just obsolete children.

Well, that’s a grim title, I thought. I sure don’t want to ever feel obsolete.

It also didn’t put me at ease when I learned the book was written shortly after Seuss had spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital.

But in classic Seuss-style, he relays his frustrations about old age and being “improperly pilled and improperly billed” with humor and wit in this delightful new defense against aging.

“You’re in pretty good shape for the shape that you’re in,” he reminds us.

Wise advice and an entertaining read. I recommend it.

BEACON brings home the bacon

There’s no way I could take all the credit for the awards we brought home from the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA) convention, but it was quite the year for us here at the BEACON. Thank you to the BEACON staff, our freelance writers, supportive advertisers and faithful readers for a successful year! Read more about our award-winning publications inside.

Romance awaits at the Valentine's Dance

Get ready to put on your dancing shoes and save the date for the area’s best Valentine’s dance for boomers and seniors. On February 9, the BEACON Senior News and Hilltop Senior Life Options bring you an evening of fun (and possibly romance), complete with hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and big band dance music by Clark Gault’s Swing City Express at The Commons of Hilltop in Grand Junction. Advance tickets are $20 per person. This event sells out, so reserve your tickets today by calling 243-8829.

2019 BEACON Guide now available

We've released the 2019 BEACON Guide, our annual publication designed to help you age well in Montrose and Delta counties.

From finding leisure activities to planning your retirement, The BEACON Guide can help you navigate the continuum of care with hundreds of local, state and national resources and hard-to-find phone numbers.

If you need more free copies of this handy guide, or would like a copy of our Mesa County edition, call us at 243-8829.