Sheri gets by with a little help from her friends - Carol, Pattie, Susan and Linda!

Friends may come and go but those that stick it out for the long haul really make a difference in our lives.A Harvard study on aging (https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/) found those interpersonal relationships are the key to a long and happy life.So as the song goes, "make new friends but keep the old - one is silver and the other gold".My recent post on Sheri led me to four other amazing women who she calls inspirational and in turn they put Sheri on the top of their list of women who inspire them.

Meet Sheri's friends:

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Carol, 65

friend, hiker, pilates, traveler, wife, mother, grandma, artist and activist!  

One of the best things that happened in Carol's career was being let go of her 17 year copyediting and writing job at PacSun! At 61, she had to interview and landed a fabulous new job as an editor at Pearson Education. It was a scary time of reinvention and challenge all bundled together.  One of the perks of the job at Pearson was working with younger people and being introduced to Stitch Fix, movies and books that otherwise would have been off her radar.Carol is part of a book group with Sheri, who have been together for years. The friendship also included hiking the Hadrian Wall Trail with Sheri and a group of 7 other people, two men and five women ranging in age from 60-74. This adventure was physical hiking 10-12 miles a dayCarol has never colored her hair and is inspired by the gray haired pro-agers of Marin.  She wants to travel more, stay active, watch her grandkids grow up and be active with them.  Carol wants to continue working while working on her art, reading more books and continuing to volunteer for causes she supports.Carol says, "Seek out your passion"! [gallery ids="1874,1867,1865" type="rectangular"]

Pattie, 71

hiker, artist, teacher, friend, wife, mother, grandmother

Pattie grew up in Marin spending much of her time in West Marin (Marshall/Tomalas).  Her mother's family were Swiss immigrants and are 3rd generation in West Marin (Marshall/Tomalas).  Her mother's Swiss upbringing instilled global citizenship and neutrality, making her have compassion and empathy for all people.Pattie reinvented herself at 33, after getting divorced she moved to Sebastapol and on a blind date met her second husband, married for 35 years.Art saves lives! Pattie's job at Youth in Arts was the best job she ever had and lasted 20 years!  She met other artists, took lots of classes at College of Marin and become an accomplished artist (http://www.pattiegrey.com). She continues to create beautiful art pieces and is inspiring her granddaughter to become an artist too, having her own work station in Pattie's studio.Some of Pattie's inspirations, Sheri and a friend who recently started a detective agency at 72!!On aging, Pattie doesn’t care about others opinions and she embraces her good health and family. She says have social interactions daily, don't become isolated and keep learning! [gallery ids="1887,1873,1885" type="rectangular"]

Susan, 71

hiker, artist, teacher, business woman, friend, wife, mother

After teaching spanish for a year in California, Susan decided to go to Spain with her sister for a year to travel and teach english.  During her first days in Spain, Susan met her husband, an American and they have been married for over 45+ years!! When they returned to the States, she taught kindergarten but knew she always wanted to be an artist.Her friend came to her about starting a business and since she always wanted to design fabrics, they started a shower curtain business together.  Susan designed and silk screened original art which morphed into aprons, dish towels, pot holders.  Bullocks was one of her first and biggest clients.  They were passionate about what they were doing and they were making money.  Her children inspired her to start a kids tshirt line working with various brands in the area.  She evolved her designing with the times and learned to do computer designs too.Once when admiring a painting by a local artist set in Redwoods, Susan began to visualize creating a life and home with a similar view.  While house hunting in Marin, she and her husband walked into their dream home, loved it, bought it and set up their life in the Redwoods.  Unbeknownst to Susan, she and her husband had moved in next door to the artist that had painted that inspirational view!  Talk about making your vision happen.Art: (http://www.susankathleendoyle.com)  Materials inspire Susan, from a carload of empty Arizona Tean cans to discarded books to beautiful scraps of silk. Her art is inspired by color and relationships, both personal, political and in nature. She uses non- traditional art techniques - weaving aluminum or pages from a book, making a dress that has more meaning than just a fashion statement (see pic above - Cycle of Life Dress).  Art is one of Susan's languages for expression.Susan stays active hiking the hills of Marin.  Her love of hiking and Spain inspired her to hike the 500 mile Camino de Santiago a few years ago."Surround yourself with positive people who are doing what they love. Be confident and follow your vision." 

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Linda, 67

friend, swimmer, reader, traveler, career woman, student of the world

Linda is very good at what she does, as the Director of Business Affairs at a small ad agency, Argonaut.  Her depth of experience (J.Walter Thompson, Foote, Cone & Belding and Butler, Shine & Stern) is being put to good use at Argonaut.  Linda loves working with younger people and has learned a lot from them (I have a feeling they are learning much more from her).

In her free time Linda does a lot of reading -- mostly fiction and non-fiction essays.  She's  a swimmer and tries to go at least once or twice a week to the swim club she's belonged to since the early 80's.

Linda loves watching films, old and new, foreign and domestic.  She enjoys going for walks in San Francisco, her favorites being the Presidio and along the Bay.  Visiting museums and art galleries is also a favorite. And she really loves hanging out with friends, going out to dinner, sitting around talking/laughing and enjoying each others' company. She and a group of girlfriends take a trip together up to Northern California for a few days every year where they rent a house and talk for three days straight.

Her passion is educating herself about the world in all its forms.  Linda loves learning about art, politics, history and how people live their lives everywhere.

Linda says she has a wider, more experienced perspective on life which helps her balance the bad news with the good.

" A true friend is the greatest blessing"