About Ilene Marcus

I attended Columbia Business School for one week in 1983. I learned all I needed to know. Always have an escape plan. It’s an important lesson, especially as we move into a phase of life where every moment counts. We want to choose our path and not have it…
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It took me 50 years to discover the power of a childhood friend. It all started when I was shipped off to sleep away camp in the summer of 1969 and met Betsy Brown. By 1975 we were already too old for camp. Would we still be friends…
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Why does New Year’s Eve evoke such strong feelings in people? It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – thanks for the insight, Charles Dickens. The real question is: how do I bulletproof myself either way?
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It seems like yesterday I was singing these songs to my own daughter. Heck, it seems like yesterday I was learning them. And now it’s time to teach them to my children’s children. Read More

We love our friends. We really do. But even as I practice channeling acceptance, meditating, Zen breathing, and openness to the universe, I get irritated. It’s not about accepting them. I do. It’s not about judgement. I don’t judge…
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There’s nothing like a pandemic to show the cracks in the veneer. Where things can break down. What does not work. And yet I am the eternal optimist. I like to find that silver lining. The lesson, the takeaway, the surprise…
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Nothing surpasses motherhood. Of all the feelings, emotions and do-overs I would like in my life, my relationship with myself vis-a-vis my daughter is at the top of the list. Read More

Location. Location. Location.

There’s an old saying: “What you see, depends on where you stand.” How often have I traveled the same road, only to notice something new? Read More

Why pay for the gym, when real life chores are so much more beneficial? Not to mention, I need a solution that saves time, money and is practical. It’s a retirement conundrum: the gym has become inconvenient…
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At our age, we think we should have what we want. I got a new car. I wanted leather seats, but I didn’t get them (more on that below).

We all know the trick to life is wanting what you have. It’s been quite a lesson to figure out what are the things I need, versus what I think I need. How do you stay in that zone of being happy with what you have? Read More