Lifestyle

To be perfectly honest, I am always on the lookout for challenges. Because of my history (and probably yours!), I feel ill-suited to placid times. I just know something terrible and unexpected is on the horizon. Somehow, the title of one of the very first crockpot…

A woman once smiled as she looked across the table and said something that made me pause. “I spent thirty years planning for retirement,” she said. “What I didn’t realize was that retirement would have plans for me.” At first, she thought she knew exactly how this chapter of life would unfold…

Sometimes life feels different after 60 even though nothing around us appears to have changed. That quiet feeling can be confusing, especially when there is no obvious reason for it. Yet for many women, it is the first sign that a new chapter has already begun, long before they recognize it…

The other day, I was reading yet another article about artificial intelligence and all the ways it is changing our world. While fascinating, I found myself feeling a little weary of the constant focus on technology. Then I came across a simple reminder about the importance of human skills such as empathy, listening, communication, and adaptability…

Last month I was a regular granny in Clapham Common Park in London, pushing my grandson in the infant swing – all I could see was his smiling eyes. Nothing else in the world mattered. I am 73 and had just arrived in London to celebrate my only grandchild’s first birthday and my son’s first Father’s Day…

How is your July going? I always feel like summer is almost gone or at least zooms faster once the fourth of July comes and goes. And here we are again! This feels like an especially busy month for us as all of our adult children (all four of them) are either having a new baby this month (that makes 12 grands for us!)…

Every Sunday morning for the last decade or so, my friend and I meet up at a local coffee shop. We always settle into the same two chairs by the back, next to a wall that displays a rotating mix of work by local artists. The baristas greet us warmly and know our orders by heart. For me, it’s a nonfat chai latte and bagel with double cream cheese – a weekly…

If you have reached the stage of life where the world expects you to settle into a predictable routine, fade into the background, and stop making waves, may I introduce you to a small, unbothered chaos agent? This creature is currently maintaining two incompatible lifestyles, refusing to be pigeonholed by age, expectations, or geography…

For most of my life, I looked at family photos as most others did – they were little snippets of time. I would pick up a few envelopes of prints and flip through the 20 or 36 photos inside, still safely ensconced in their designated sleeve right next to their…

Even in the tidiest and most organised of homes, there is one thing that never ceases to cause problems and that is the dreaded paperwork. And half of it we never even asked for – we can’t even blame ourselves for the little piles everywhere!