Friendships

For most of our lives, our social relationships are accidental. Then, in our 60s, we find ourselves wondering how to make friends as an adult. This is not a trivial question. Having strong social ties is good for our health and happiness. Let's explore this topic together.

1 year ago

Living with Roommates in Retirement – The Golden Girls Were Right!

Many of us share common fears as we enter retirement. We fear financial challenges, failing health and feelings of disconnectedness as we grow older. The good news is that there is one strategy which can help us effectively face all three – living with roommates…

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1 year ago

The Emotional Benefits of Pen Pal-ing

I remember passing notes to my bestie in grade school and waiting with exhilaration for her return message. It was all great fun even though we were sitting just a few rows apart in the same classroom and would spend our entire recess engrossed…

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1 year ago

What Do You Look for in Friends After 60?

The old quote by Jim Rohn, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” bears attention, even in our ThirdThird (ages 60-90). A few years ago, I was in a period of change, going from one type of work to another, and this quote helped me go forward…

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1 year ago

The Loss of Friends Is Inevitable but It Hurts No Less

I like being old. At nearly 80, I think I am allowed to say so. Indeed, I like being old so much that I wrote a book about it. But that doesn’t mean that everything about being old is wonderful. Far from it. And one of the things I like least is the loss of friends…

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1 year ago

The Importance of Choosing Good Friends After 60

Lately, I’ve been thinking a great deal about friendships. Friends and social acquaintances are a big and important part of a woman’s life. Therefore, it remains vital, as we age, not to let those relationships slip away. It’s so easy to get…

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1 year ago

Keep Your Women Friends Close, Even When You “Don’t Have Time”

Author and diarist Anaïs Nin wrote that “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” According to a 2011 study in the journal Oncology Times, women with early-stage…

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1 year ago

Finding Cherished Friendship in Times of Adversity

I have just finished reading “These Precious Days”, an essay written by Ann Patchett, published in Harper’s Magazine. I loved it so much the first time; I re-read it for a second. I feel ridiculously close to Ann after reading this candid…

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1 year ago

Can You Ever Really Know Someone?

My sister and I exchange emails at least once a week. Sometimes I’m shocked when I read her impressions of something I’ve said. It’s eye-opening and gives me a different lens through which to see myself. Brought up in a small town in northern…

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1 year ago

How to Successfully Navigate Renting to a Friend

Have extra space in your home that can be used to create a rental income stream and a friend in need of a place to live? Before long, the conversation inevitably turns to a discussion about becoming housemates. It may sound like a perfect idea to live…

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1 year ago

How a Surprise Friendship Showed Me that Life After 60 Gives as Much as It Takes

The older I get, the more clearly I see – through my new trifocals – that life really is a give and take proposition, often with equally unsatisfactory results. For example, life giveth plantar fasciitis and taketh away fashionable footwear….

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