Finding Happiness

The empty nest isn’t just about missing your kids. It’s about missing yourself. For decades, you knew exactly who you were – the one they needed, the one who kept things running, the one who showed up no matter how tired or invisible you felt. Your days were measured in loads…

After four decades of regular workouts, my body has decided to defend itself by developing osteoarthritis. Every workout is now a rousing game of Will It Hurt If I Do This? Oh, what fun.
But unlike a real game show, no prizes are awarded…

There’s a myth about growing older: that life shrinks with age. That our world gets smaller, our opportunities fewer, and our days predictable. But the truth? For women over 60, this season can be the most expansive, creative, and fulfilling of all. The kids are grown…

Women over 60 have lived complicated lives. By the time we reach our 60th birthday, we have our share of battle scars. Some of us have lost someone close to us. All of us have, in one way or another, battled discrimination and stereotypes. Throughout our lives, we have faced questions of body-image. Now, as we enter our 60s, we have a choice to make. Will we allow our negative self-talk to prevent us from living our dreams? Or, will we take control and replace our doubts with positive emotions and a desire to get the most from life after 60? Here are 5 of the most common negative statements that women make to themselves, consciously or unconsciously and, more importantly, what we can do about them.

Fall is here, and I admit that I have mixed feelings about its arrival. Many people say fall is their favorite season and why not? The days cool down, the trees change colors, the air feels crisp and sometimes carries the aroma of burning leaves…

Have you ever noticed that happiness doesn’t just “happen,” even when life is going well? Maybe you have a lovely home, good friends, and plenty of reasons to feel grateful – yet the spark just isn’t there. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you…

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say we’re living in troubling times. But rather than spending our time getting into all of that, I prefer instead we turn our attention in an even more important direction: to our own experience in it all…

At 67, Clare realized that she’d been asking herself the wrong question her entire life. Fall was settling into Oregon, the morning light filtering through Douglas firs where the first leaves were beginning to turn. The season here held a quiet grace, so different from the dramatic autumn…

“You always look like you are having so much fun,” remarked one of the young ladies in my condominium area. “You’ve got your boots on or your tango shoes in hand, and you give off the vibe that life is always full of joy…”

Self-compassion practices are exercises that allow us to treat ourselves with the same warmth and understanding we would offer a dear friend. After decades of caring for others (children, partners, careers), learning to extend that kindness inward can become an act of self-love…