What brings us happiness? There are so many things that money will buy – a foreign cruise, a new car with all mod cons or lots of bling. You can have all that. I recently had two moments of pure joy, which cost not a cent. Each made me a very happy woman…

While on break from my classes, I took advantage of a free flu shot offered through the college where I teach. When I popped into the small conference room crammed with colleagues and nervous laughter, a young 20-something…

I have a confession to make. Writing this essay was painless. I did not have to cloister myself in a cabin in the woods, empty my calendar of obligations, or stay up all night. As a retirement writer, the ideas for most of my pieces…

In 2001, when I was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early form of breast cancer, everything was going well in my life. I was 47 years old and had three wonderful children, ages 12, 16, and 18. Happily married, my husband…

When was the last time you felt thrilled? Yes, thrilled, as in “I’m thrilled to be here,” “I’m thrilled to see you,” and “I’m thrilled to be doing this.” Being thrilled is the epitome of positive human emotions. It means to be delighted, exhilarated, electrified and galvanized…

For those of us over 60, it’s common to accumulate life experiences that may have left us with unresolved emotional wounds. From past experiences or recent ones, unhealed inner wounds have a profound impact on our emotional state…

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?

It can be infuriating to answer a question with a question. But if you think about the idea of personal growth and transformation as a journey that is in flux every decade of your life, it makes sense to ask one more follow up question. Or, at least, it does to me…

The idea of inclusivity demands that we examine who we are and what we stand for. I struggle with that on a personal level, as I don’t want routine assumptions to blind me to reality and limit my participation in our evolving society…

Do you ever find yourself caught in a repetitive mental loop? It is not uncommon, with more time on our hands, to relive our careers or past challenges from our personal lives. Some memories are quite horrifying, but the sum of these experiences…