Aging ain't for Sissies

Best of Episode: From Wi-Fi To Ukuleles: Your Library’s Secret Perks

• Marcy Backhus

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Enjoy this best-of episode while I'm touring Ireland. Ever thought of your local library as a life-hack headquarters? We start with a raw, moving reflection on the gift of aging—how wrinkles mark joy, gray hair signals wisdom, and time itself is the rarest present—then swing into a lively tour of how libraries have reinvented themselves to meet real needs. From staying connected with grandkids to rediscovering joy in museums and music, we map out easy wins that cost nothing and add a lot.

You’ll hear how to tap library tech like Wi‑Fi, tablets, and hotspot lending to keep budgets sane without losing touch. We walk through cultural access programs that unlock free museum and park passes, plus a smart reminder to check credit card perks and city resident free days. We also spotlight memory cafes—gentle, welcoming spaces that support people living with dementia and their caregivers—and the unexpected magic of “human libraries,” where borrowing a story means borrowing perspective.

For entertainment and learning, we unpack free streaming via Hoopla and Kanopy so you can watch films, documentaries, and concerts without subscription creep. And for hands-on living, we explore the Library of Things: tools for weekend projects, slide scanners to digitize old memories, yard games for family gatherings, and even instruments if you’ve always wanted to try a ukulele. Downsizers save space, curious minds try more, and families get simple ways to play and connect.

If you’re ready to age boldly while spending less, this guide will have you marching into your library with a smile and a plan. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves a good freebie, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find us. What will you check out first?

SPEAKER_00:

Hello, and welcome to Aging Aim for Sissies. My name is Marcy Backis, and I am your host. Well, welcome back, my fearless, fabulous listeners. This is Aging Aim for Sissies, the podcast where we laugh at life, side-eye the nonsense, and try to age like a fine wine. Or at least like a box of wine that's been refrigerated. Well, I have a kind of a funny story about box of wine. So those of you that have been listening for a long time know that I am sober, 37 years, 38 in January. At home when I drank, box wine was my go-to. And just in case you need to know this, you know, once you think your box of wine is empty, if you take out the metal bag and cut it open, there's a whole nother glass of wine in there. And of course, only an alcoholic would know that. But thought I'd share that with you just in case you're at the end of your box of wine and you need another glass. So hope everybody is doing well. I am taping this a little early this week because I will be leaving tomorrow, is Thursday. I will be leaving for Seattle for a wedding of a young man that I watched grow up and looking forward to some time in Seattle. It'll be great. I came across something called the gift of aging. And if you indulge me, I'm gonna go ahead and read it to you. Because after all, this is a podcast on aging, and today we do have some things to talk about. Today we're gonna talk about freebies at the library you didn't know you need. And I'm gonna ask you to hang on because there's some freebies at the library that I had no idea existed, and they're pretty fabulous. So hang in there with me, we'll get to that. But right now I want to read to you the gift of aging. The gift of aging is something we don't always recognize while we're young. We spend so much time worrying about the lines on our faces, the gray in our hair, or the slower steps we take that we forget what they truly mean. Wrinkles aren't flaws. They're proof that we've smiled, laughed, and cried through a lifetime of moments. Gray hair isn't something to hide, it's a crown of wisdom earned through the years of experience. Slower steps don't mean weakness, they mean we've walked far enough to know that life isn't a race, it's a journey. The hardest part of growing older is saying goodbye to certain chapters. The noise of children running through the house, the energy of youth, the people we've loved who are no longer here. I didn't expect to get choked up reading this. But the beauty of aging is realizing how rich those chapters were and how much love we still carry forward. Aging is not losing time, it is gaining perspective. It is the privilege of seeing the seasons change, of watching children grow into parents, and of knowing that your presence has shaped lives, oh my goodness, in ways that will last long after you're gone. I'm so sorry. The truth is, not everyone gets the gift of aging. Every birthday is not a burden, but a blessing. Every year is another chance to love, to laugh, to live, to leave behind a legacy of kindness. Because the gift of aging is simple. It means you were given time, and time is the most precious gift of all. I really love that. And I read it so many times in my head, and when I read it out loud, it got me choked up. So I hope that changes your perspective. I my perspective on aging has been changing a lot over the last few years. Not only because I have this wonderful friend group that are older and wiser than I am. I love you all, but you are. I am old as well, and I have my wisdom, but you have taught me a lot. You have taught me about what the gift of getting age really means. And aging a persis is the truth. It's not easy, but it's a wonderful gift. Alright, so enough of the waterworks and all that. Now let me ask you this. When was the last time you set foot in a library? No, really. Think hard. Was it when your kids were little? Because that it was for me. I I haven't been in a library since I moved to Chicago. When you needed a quiet place to hide from your spouse, or maybe when you were dragged there in 1978 by a librarian who smelled faintly of dust and disapproval. Well, buckle up because libraries are not what you think they are anymore. They've had a glow-up. Forget about just borrowing books. These days you can walk into your local library and come out looking like you rated Amazon without spending a dime. That's right. Freebies, freebies. And honey, they're sweet. So today we're talking all about the surprising, and I am telling you, these are surprising things. Your library has that aren't books. And trust me, some of this will blow your bifocals right off your face. So hang in there, give me a minute, and we're gonna get started on what's happening at your local library glow up. All right, your library has had a glow-up. Now, again, not all libraries have had a glow up, so you're gonna want to look for one in your area that has these items. But these items that we're gonna talk about today are widely available at larger city libraries, maybe even small town libraries. I don't know. But at least I'm gonna give you a list of things to go look up. Now think about it. If a library hasn't changed with the times, it's gonna die like a dinosaur death, right? Books are important, I love books, but the with the availability of things online, I know that a library's function needed to change, and I'm grateful to see it has. So the first thing is technology. Libraries have basically become Apple stores minus the smug 20-something in a beanie trying to upsell you a$90 phone case. Absolutely true. Did you know that you could check out tablets and Wi-Fi hotspots at some libraries? Yes, you heard me. You can literally walk in and borrow an iPad and FaceTime your grandkids, all without paying your cable company another dime. It's like Robinhood, but with Wi-Fi. And don't even get me started on free internet access. Every library has Wi-Fi now, so that is every library. If your library doesn't have it, shame on them. Because kids, everybody needs access to Wi-Fi. And I know there's a lot of cities that are that have free Wi-Fi throughout the city. Don't even get me started on the free internet access. Every library has Wi-Fi now, which is great because nothing says high culture like streaming the Golden Bachelor while sitting next to a guy researching 17th century pottery. Needs to be a balance, people. We can still watch the Golden Bachelor and be refined. But think about it. If you need Wi-Fi, if your budget is tight, I know that this isn't for everyone, but free is free. And if you can get free Wi-Fi at your library and you need it, that is a place to find it. You can also get hot spots. What's a hot spot? A hotspot creates Wi-Fi wherever you are. So if you can check out a hotspot and you can have Wi-Fi in your uh home or apartment or on your vacation or whatever, it's uh it's a great thing to do. If you're not sure about hot spots, look it up, check it out. If it's something that works for you, check out and see if your library has hot spots. All right, number two, cultural cheats. All right, let's talk culture. I I have to admit, I am a reality TV junkie. I do love my culture, I do go to the theater, I do listen to live music, I do listen to jazz of my house, but uh, you know, there is nothing like uh reality TV for me. I do love me a housewife, I do love me a survivor. I've never missed an episode of Survivor, I've never missed an episode of Amazing Race. I have watched those since day one. Anyways, forget that. Let's talk about if you do need culture. Museum passes. Your library probably has them. You can skip those ridiculous$25 tickets to the art museum and stroll right in free of charge. Imagine it. You walking through the museum, chin held high, looking at a Picasso like you get it. I do get it, actually. When in reality you're thinking this guy just forgot where the ears go. But hey, you got in free and suddenly you are an art critic. Well, my son, who is an artist, told me something. He said, I said, does it ever bug you when because he did go to school at the Art Institute, which he has access to, the Art Institute, which is a, if you don't know, one of the top music art museums in the world, and his school was inside that. I said, Did it ever bother you that people look at paintings and go, oh, a kindergartner could have done that? He said, No, and I said, Well, why? He said, Because art is to make you think. And if they're thinking that, at least they're thinking. And I thought, dang, Alec, good education. I love it. So, yeah. Art is to make you think. So if you think a piece could have been done by a kindergartner, at least you're thinking. But free museum passes. I had no idea that that is something that you could get at a library. I also want to make you aware that many cities, the city of Chicago, for residents, we have free museum days. And we have some of the best museums in the world here. The science and industry, the field museum, you name it, we've got it here, and there are freebie days every month, almost all year long, I do believe. Maybe not in the height of the season. Also, I found that my Bank of America, my it's my Alaska Airlines credit card, which is Bank by Bank of America. If you have any credit card banked by Bank of America, there are museums, including the art museum here in Chicago, you can get in free the first weekend of every month. So I'm gonna go back, just take a little brief moment from talking about libraries to make sure you're looking at your credit cards and what benefits they give you. They give you a lot that you aren't aware of. So take your time, look at your credit cards. If you're planning a trip, find out what credit card can do what for you on your trip. All right. So, again, your library free museum passes. Check it out. I also know that they um they have uh national park passes that you can borrow. So take a look at that too. Memory lane. This one tugged at my heartstrings. Memory cafes. Yes, libraries host these amazing gatherings for people with dementia or Alzheimer's and their caregivers, music, gentle activities, conversations, it's beautiful. So not only do they have kids' story time, libraries are now reaching out to an aging community. But let me tell you, even if you don't have memory loss, half of us could use a memory cafe. I mean, how many of you walked into your kitchen this morning and forgot why you were there? Exactly. I say we make memory cafes mandatory for everyone over 50. Free coffee, a little storytelling, maybe a dance break. Who's with me? Who's going to the library for memory cafe? I think this is a great opportunity. Check your libraries if your libraries have it. Um you might want to let some of the um Alzheimer units in your area know that it's there. They may not even know. You could put them together and create something beautiful. Um, interesting enough, too, in Denmark. I live there. There is a library in Denmark where you can check out people. Yes, people. You can go to the library and register if you are an expert at something or if you have gone through World War II or something of value that people might want to talk about. You can register your person yourself and somebody can check you out. Isn't that cool? Check out people. I think we are so full of information and interesting things that I think it's super important. All right, next one. Segment four here, stream and zoom. Now brace yourself for this one. Libraries are basically Netflix now. You can stream movies, TV shows, even music with apps like Hoopla and Canopy. I don't know those apps, but they're free. No subscription, no$17.99 charge sneaking into your credit card bill every month. So Hoopla and Canopy are two free apps where you can stream movies, TV shows, even music. And the best part, you don't have to remember to cancel the free trial because let's be honest, none of us ever remembered to cancel a free trial. That's how I accidentally paid for Paramount for nine months. Nine months, and I only watched one documentary about Elvis' socks. You know, I think we need to just really take a step back and look at what we can get for free, not just in our library, but in life. Everything is so expensive. Anywhere you can save a buck. I know um Craig and I joined, we got a Panera that opened a kiosk on the corner here where we live. It's just a takeout. You can't eat there, you can just order. And we went ahead and got their$12.99 a month unlimited drinks. And we can go in any time of the day. Craig gets a coffee or I get a soda or I get a nice tea or an iced coffee. Um, and that's for the month, and it is saving us a bundle. Although Craig has taken on the buying a treat, too, which whatever. Anyways, we're trying. Okay, we're just trying. All right. Borrow the unborrowable. Here's where things get really wild. The library of things. Yes, that's a real name. You can borrow stuff. Random, fabulous stuff. Want to try an air fryer without committing? The library's got one. Need a ukulele? Boom! Library. Want to digitize those slides from 1972 where your husband looks like a helmet? There's a film converter at the library. I've read about library lending tools like actual power tools. Imagine that. You can go to the library, check out a drill, and pretend you're handy for a weekend, then return it before anyone asks you to fix something else. Genius. So I'm not saying every library has this, but libraries are expanding. Again, they need to survive. In order for those books to stay there, they may need to rent out a drill or check out a drill. Excuse me, rent. See, it's free. Genius. Playtime, anyone? Libraries are also lending out games, board games, yard games, even croquet sets. Which means, yes, you can now be the cool grandparent who shows up with dominoes and a bocce ball. This is great. Um, I I worked for the city of Irvine for 10 years. I worked in the child care coordination office. I was a librarian for a few of those years at a children's library. A children's library, we checked out toys. Yes, toys. All of our toys were educational, fun, and well taken care of. They were organized, they were kept clean, they were kept neat. Um, I then became in charge of the library and loved that part of my life. I will have you know that the city of Irvine has taken over the county libraries in the city. They came in and saw our children's library and our toy checkout system, and they have taken it, adopted it, and are going to add it to all their libraries. It does mean that my little tiny library that I worked at and loved and helped curate with many other people is now gone. But what a great time in my life. And yes, so you can check out other things from your library. Maybe it's a ukulele, maybe it's a croquet set for a barbecue, maybe you want to play somewhere over the rainbow. I don't know. You can be really cool without having to buy all these things, especially if you've downsized like I have. Um, I don't have everything anymore like I used to. The ability to go rent a drill or check, I say rent and I don't mean that. Check out a drill would be great. Anyways, your library is more than it used to be. If you haven't stepped foot in your library, it's time to do that. I plan on doing it this week. I haven't done it. Well, not this week because I'm flying out, but next week. Next week. So let's recap. Your library can now hook you up with Wi-Fi, museum passes, streaming services, tools, games, and even a ukulele. That's not just a library, that's Target without the checkout line. The moral of the story, aging might not be for sissies, but free stuff sure makes it easier. So do me a favor this week. March yourself into your local library. Tell them that Aging Ain't for Sissy sent you. And when they look at you blankly, just smile and check out a ukulele. Or tell them about my podcast. That would be great. Trying to get my viewership up or my listening ship. I have listeners all over the world. You guys are awesome, but we need more. I need this to make me money, not cost me money. So until next time, keep them laughing, keep aging boldly, and remember life is too short not to borrow an air fryer. Go out and do something positive.

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Marcy Backhus

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