Getting Older

Aging. It’s happening and it’s weird. Some days I am relaxed in the process of it. Other days I am Don Friggin’ Quixote, battling the windmills with Pilates classes, hiking, and an over abundance of green salads and coconut water…

I don’t mind getting older. I see it as a privilege and want to appreciate it fully. Yet, I find myself pushing back against things that “old” people do. For example, I just had my second eye surgery…

I don’t have a big thing about birthdays. Sometimes I celebrate and sometimes I do very little. I make a bit more effort for the special decade birthdays, like 60, 70, 80. But 83 did not seem special on any count. So, as my birthday approached, I made no plans…

I often ask seniors what it feels to be old, and I receive a multitude of answers. One person told me they use the word “older” instead of “old.” To her it feels good to grow older, but not be old. Another person told me when her body…

An old friend and I were chatting recently via email. She had sent me a photograph she had taken of me earlier that day. I replied that it made me notice how very white my hair is and that I needed a haircut…

Most care partners are thrust into their duties through a crisis situation: a sudden diagnosis; a slip or fall. I was one of those, thrust into a situation after my sister passed…

I recently attended a moving play that served as a reminder for viewers to make the most of this one life we get to live. The production highlighted both the joys of fully embracing what life has to offer and the reality of its eventual end. This is the journey each of us is navigating…

The day I saw “Nancy’s 65th birthday” on my computer calendar I honestly took a double take, and if there had been a speech bubble over my tilted head it would have said, “Whose 65th birthday?!” Seeing the visual of my name next to that number did not compute…

Most of us associate aging with the physical signs of growing older, such as wrinkles, graying hair, and a slower pace, but aging is much more than outward appearances. It involves a series of complex biological processes known as the Hallmarks of Aging. These hallmarks represent the key mechanisms that drive the aging process. Before […]

It is a well-known fact that we begin to lose our memories as we age. I’m not talking about serious conditions like dementia, but just day-to-day problems of bringing something to mind. Much of it isn’t too important…