The world is conspiring to get you to conform – to be like everyone else. Being like everyone else is reason to pause and reflect. Non-conformity is another hallmark of Emerson’s essay on Self-Reliance. Emerson says, “Society will whip you with its displeasure.” It’s natural for us to feel ill
Do you reflect on others’ behavior thinking they’re doing something wrong? Or something that won’t serve them in the long run? A battered woman who won’t leave a situation, an elderly person who refuses help when walking across a busy street. You wonder what they are thinking. It reminds me
You know about the practice of selecting a word of the year as a touchstone for the year ahead. “The word of the year” is a popular alternative to resolutions. A word of the year is a great alternative for those who’ve sworn off of New Year’s resolutions. It’s an
It’s the beginning of a new year and it’s a good point to check in on those changes you set out to make for this year. There’s one camp ignoring the opportunity to set an intention for the new year out of frustrations over all the past failures. There’s another
“You don’t stop having fun when you get old, you get old when you stop having fun.” Anonymous So are you old or are you having fun? And you know you’re having fun when time flies! When we’re young, time seems to fly by when we’re playing — no one
It’s the beginning of a new year and I’m imagining what I want to create this year. My imagination seems dull, less exciting than I remember it being when I was young. They define the term imaginable as capable of being imagined or conceived. With decades of living in front
Patience. We’ve become so accustomed to virtually instant gratification — anything we want to know or see is on a device. Anything we want to have arrives on the doorstep. Food is constantly available. Waiting for or creating something we want often seems like torture. Except there really isn’t any
When I say alone, I’m not talking about your death resulting from a sudden traumatic event, — a fatal car accident, a major heart attach, or whatever instant death scenario you can conjure up in your imagination. There are very few lives that end so succinctly. How many friends do
I invited six friends to take part in what I called a 30 Day Pride Challenge. We set out to share something you were proud of every day for 30 days. My friends are all retired, so big career accomplishments or work projects didn’t show up on the daily report
I’m not talking about the why as in “why did this happen to me?” I’m not even talking about the “why is this or that going on in the world?” I’m talking about the why you want what you want. For me, this idea of why didn’t come until I
“If You Always Do What You’ve Always Done, You’ll Get What You’ve Always Gotten.” This quote, often attributed to Henry Ford, may be true for many things. With physical function, fitness for daily activities, and well-being as we age, I’m afraid it’s false. Much of the longevity we’re enjoying is
This is an experiment into what happens when women let themselves feel pride at the end of every day for what they’ve accomplished during the day. I believe taking pride in the results we create is self-care. It’s a way we can have our own back every day. By definition,
As a part of my legacy in the world, I want to create a stronger, trimmer, more fit body for myself this year. I want to create it and keep it up over at least the next ten years. First, let me say that I love my body. It is
From the lowest common denominator of “If you’re not aging, you’re dead,” to loftier sentiments from Ramit Sethi “At the moment when we accept our weaknesses and stop deciding to grow, we’re the best we’re ever going to be. It’s all downhill from there.” There’s something about being human that
I’ve met several retirees who talk mostly about the past and their illnesses. When we were young, we were very good at imagining the future. Imagining the future at this stage may scare some people. When I encourage clients to imagine their lives ten years in the future, I’m often
I have wrinkles and that’s okay When I first started noticing wrinkles on my face, I had many of those same horrified feelings I remember having when I looked in the mirror on a Friday night in high school. Fear of someone mentioning the acne, thinking less of myself —
This logo was created by physical therapists and it should be the battle cry for every individual over the age of 50 in this country. Physical therapists have started a campaign to redefine old and everyone should consider getting on board. The physical therapist’s perspective seems to largely be oriented
It’s possible to forge a fresh way of being in the world at any point. Regardless of your age, becoming someone new requires persistence. The trick may be in living and thinking and feeling as if you were already the person you want to be. If you’re retired like me
I’m an aspiring centenarian — a person who lives to the age of 100 and even beyond. I share my successes and failures in exploring what’s possible as we adjust to the boon in human longevity.
