I Know My Feet Are There—I Just Can’t See Them: My Flat-Belly Quest
I am at my perfect body weight, but I am not happy. You would think that I would be ecstatic. My weight is just where I have wanted it to be for most of my adult life. So why am I so unhappy? Last week, I stepped on the...
10 (Mostly Free) Splurges That You Deserve After 50
I can hear my mother’s voice ringing in my ears saying, You deserve it. She was referring to her belief that a little indulgence is essential to happiness and that I—and everyone—should take the time (and expense) to go after our wants and wishes and the things we desire in life....
Don’t Ditch Your Toxic Friends…They Might Change
About a dozen years ago, my friend Kathy (name changed) told me that she had dumped all of her “toxic” friends and felt much better. I was dubious. Was a friend exorcism the way to go when friendship is so hard to come by? There’s a growing body of...
Age Does Not Bring Wisdom…and If It Does, Who Cares?
Personally, I am not a fan of wisdom. I see it as a ploy to give us older folks a job in society without having to pay us. I searched Google and LinkedIn for an hour and found Chief Innovation, Chief Inspiration, Chief Impact and Chief Evangelist Officers…but only...
Careful Travel: Will Accessible Tourism Set the Post COVID-19 Standard?
I traveled by airplane for the first time in months. Here is a photo of me in near-hazmat gear to ensure that I was as safe as possible. Even through my paraphernalia I could observe other passengers from the security line to the moment we deplaned. I noticed that...
How to Accomplish Anything You Want
I am the “Queen of Productivity.” To paraphrase the Lady Gaga lyric, “I was born that way.” And according to my mother, I will die that way, too. When I was nine years old, my mom and I sat on our plastic-covered dark-green couch with the uncomfortable back buttons...
Five Things that Are Surprisingly Better After 70
Certainly, there are a variety of good things that older age brings, many of them discussed and explained by developmental scientists. For example, we are supposed to become more transcendent of the world around us, less ego-driven and more focused on our legacy. At least so said sociologist Lars...
Escape Artist: How to Safely Evacuate Your Home During Fire, Storm or Natural Disaster
Last month, I vacationed in Paso Robles, California’s West Coast wine region. I was with my husband, children and grandchild for a long awaited, idyllic escape from their COVID concerns in Los Angeles. My husband, Stuart, and I took a COVID test…then flew across the country wearing masks and...
Active Leisure: A Worthwhile Retirement Goal
There was time when retirement meant fast rocking chairs, slow bingo games and lots of time on our hands. When Del Webb built the first retirement village, called Sun City, golf and tennis became part of the American retirement culture. But that was about it. Boy, have times changed....
Lifelong Learning and Earning at 50+
My husband and I seem to spend half of our lives in the car…driving to get to someplace or driving home from somewhere. We have been doing that for nearly all the 50 years of our marriage. After the first 30 years, we ran low on new topics to...