Getting Older

Getting older was something that I always heard the women in my family talk about. They discussed how awful the “change” was and said that life would never be the same again. It was always a very sad and disappointing topic. As I got older, I began to dread what would occur when I reached that stage in my life…

Just a few days after returning home from three full weeks exploring Cambodia, I found myself in tears on a not-so-comfortable plastic exam table in my chiropractor’s office.
Three weeks of hiking, biking, and wandering through temples in 100+ degree tropical heat – and I had felt fantastic…

If you step into your ideal self at age 95 and look back, what do you want to see? Is it a life of happiness? Of meaning? Certainly, you want to feel…

Have you ever quietly wondered what your retirement plan would look like if it were just you? Not “the two of us.” Not “we’re set.” Just you. It’s not a question most couples linger on. And yet for many women, it eventually becomes reality. After my husband died, I discovered something no spreadsheet had prepared me for…

Why do we live in the past? Why don’t we look forward to whatever years we have left? Is it because we know we’re going to die? If so, I can’t think of a better reason to enjoy our lives and keep planning for the future. We should never stop dreaming, dancing, laughing and learning. Here are a few thoughts on how to stop living in the past so that you can find the happiness that you deserve…

Close your eyes. I know it may seem a little silly when you’re just starting to read an article, but for a moment, imagine it’s a Tuesday, and you’re 85 years old. Society often puts older women into stereotypical boxes: frail, dependent, out of touch, irrelevant…

A reader once told me she loved her home more than any place she had ever lived. The garden she planted years ago still bloomed every spring, and the kitchen held decades of memories. But she quietly wondered: “How do I know when staying makes sense and when it might not?”

Do you remember doing calisthenics in your gym class? You might recall the part where you had to try to touch your toes by bending over from a standing position or while sitting on the floor with your legs extended…

Six months ago, I helped my parents leave the home they had always said they would never leave. At the time, I had no idea how much strength this season would uncover. From across the country, I had been watching subtle changes for years. Our Sunday Zoom calls slowly faded, and without seeing them face to face, it became harder…

I’m putting it out there. I am having issues with growing old. They say there are certain age bands when you feel the process of aging. Right now, at age 61, I am currently in one of those bands. I recently had dinner with a former colleague turned friend. We have known each other for 34 years…