Finding Happiness

Remember those days when, as a child, you gave little heart-shaped Valentines and then waited and hoped you’d get some yourself? Read More

“Brilliant! I would never have thought I could have had so much laughter about this subject!” Mhairi giggled as she left the workshop room, hugging me to say goodbye. Read More

It’s that time of year again: the time when we make resolutions. A few years back, I decided that rather than set specific, time-bound goals for myself each year, I would embrace an annual concept. One year it was slow living. Another year it was authenticity.

This year my concept is gratitude. Read More

When I was 57, there was a day of reckoning. Truth be told, it ran longer than a single day. It was more like a series of “dark and stormy nights.”

The nest was empty, and while we were delighted to see our three sons flying solo with minimal turbulence, their need for guidance from us was dropping sharply. Read More

I feel great that I am still learning from friends. A recent talk with one of my more responsible friends could apply to most of us over 60, so please allow me to share our exchange with you. Read More

As the Buddhists say, “pain and pleasure, praise and blame, loss and gain are the natural waves of being human.” Just sitting quietly in a wicker rocker in the sunshine, I am pulled up and down by text messages, phone calls and the fluctuations in my own mind. Read More

Everyone has the capacity to appreciate the simple joy of being alive. It is the delight you feel from the view of a spectacular sunset, the sound of a beautiful piece of music or the smile of a loved one. It is an experience of natural richness. Read More

How many times a day do you check your phone? Ten times? Fifty? In today’s “always on” world, we are constantly bombarded by sounds and sights; many of which come from the devices that we choose to carry. Read More

A lot is being written these days about the joy we’re finding at 60 and in the decades beyond. But is this counter-intuitive? After all, our lifetime is winding down, we’re facing a lot of endings, and our next chapters are undeniably shorter than our first. Read More

Smiling contributes significantly to your happiness, health and longevity, so the research tells us.

Yeah, right, I’m thinking, when my dance teacher commands us to “Smile!” even as I am contorting my body into a completely unnatural position. If this choreography doesn’t kill me first – sure, I’ll smile! Read More