Finding Happiness

Nature is my spiritual supplement. Chillaxing under the verdant canopy of a sycamore tree, imagining familiar shapes in the clouds floating across an azure sky, mimicking the song of a thrush whistling in the wood, yipping and skipping down a country road…

One of the things I’ve noticed about getting older is my tendency to try and keep things neat and predictable. I often long for a life that requires few changes and gives me plenty of time to control my own environment…

We live under a constant spell – quiet, persuasive, and everywhere – an endless mantra repeating: new is better. The advertisements promise that happiness lies in the next purchase, the latest upgrade, the state-of-the-art model. But somewhere along the way…

If you’re like me, the phrase “I’m sorry” makes regular appearances in your conversations. I say it when I’m late, when I feel embarrassed, when someone tells me they feel sad about something. I also say it when the person I’m addressing looks…

I’ve talked about changing attitudes and expectations around aging and wellness, and about creating a vitality plan and making regular vitality deposits. But I think there is something else working under the surface to derail positive change…

I think many of us harbor a secret dream about singing onstage with a rock band. I had this dream fulfilled when my choir director, Leah Hokanson, gave us the opportunity to sing with her backup band…

As women over 60, many of us are experiencing our first opportunity to truly reflect on both our present and our past, including happy times as well as more problematic memories. If we are fortunate, the outcomes of our self-reflection include heightened wisdom…

Although I am always grateful to have been born in the 50s, we were the first generation of women to have children, run a home and go to work full time. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the cut and thrust of it all. Looking back, I wonder how I had enough hours in the day to do…

When I feel frustrated with life, I want to be able to call my best girlfriends and meet them for something to eat or drink – whenever I need, and whenever I feel like it. (Think Friends or Sex and the City!) I want to go and have a few laughs, witty conversation, and have all my…

What I remember best about my friend is her playfulness. She was one of the few adults in my circle who really knew how to play. She enjoyed a long, fulfilling life despite many hardships along the way. I’ll always remember her joy and laughter…