Getting Older

I was conflicted about turning 70 this past summer. Understatement. We all aspire to reach our 70s, or to reach what we consider old age. For me, 70 feels old, or at least, a lot! We take care of our health all our lives, so that we can have long lives…

I was recently talking to some friends about the fact that I was writing a book about being in our later years, which I have just published. I may have used the word “old.” One woman immediately alerted me to be careful never to use the word…

There is salad dressing in my refrigerator that dates back to the Bush administration. And there’s a plastic container in the back that’s growing a chemistry experiment but I’m afraid to look, so I just leave it there. I know when the milk…

There are products that have been with us since childhood. You know just where to find them on the shelf, in the grocery store, in the pharmacy or wherever you and your family shop. Or, do you? In grocery shopping over the past months, I would casually…

If you’ve lived six decades or more, you have probably experienced some unexpected and profoundly difficult life events. Perhaps the loss of a spouse, divorce, an unsuccessful business venture or being let go from the job you loved…

My son called me recently to share an observation he’s had at college. While his older professors are wise and erudite, they aren’t necessarily as open to new ideas as some of his younger professors. He’s onto something. It’s generally accepted…

In 1911, when newspaper publisher and journalist Joseph Pulitzer died, he was waked in the library of his Manhattan home. The room was filled with floral tributes and the furniture arranged for the assembly of mourners. Throughout the morning, family, friends…

I don’t think the phrase “leg bag” was ever part of my husband’s and my vocabulary when we were newly-wed several decades ago. But it was just one more thing we learned over the course of his treatment for a stubborn and troublesome kidney stone…

A few days ago, I went to my gym and headed for one of two empty rowing machines only to be stopped by a young man of sub-average fitness. He and his buddy had corralled three sets of lighter weights (the ones most popular in a gym)…

We’ve all heard them. We may have even helped to perpetuate them – those old adages about aging that are limiting at best and can be downright damaging to our well-being after 60. They’re deeply intrenched in our culture and difficult to dispel…