When Grandma Alice was in the apartment I kept busy all day, protecting her. I was a paragon, a perfect 4-legged granny nanny. I slept under her walker and by her bed. I followed her to the bathroom and shower to make sure she stayed safe. One night she got up and headed to the…
Both elderly parents still live in the rehab center. I am camped out in their apartment, and I will confess to enjoying the quietude – nothing but the sound of urban traffic speeding by and the hum of hundreds of air conditioners. It is not the quiet of my little campground near Yellowstone; however, compared…
I remember intense, illogical youthful emotions – even a lost sock could send me or a friend into a tizzy. A poor grade in college, an indifferent boyfriend, a disruption in nightly plans, a lost textbook – all major life crises with the power to detonate a mighty, peace-destroying, self-deflating missile. I was never one to…
Seven nights ago, I posted about staying overnight in Livingston, MT, at the truck stop near the freeway. I awoke at 2:30 AM to hop the westbound Greyhound. Tonight, I am at the same truck stop, in the same van. That is where the similarity ends. I need not wake up until 6:30 AM, a real…
Be around young people Participate in their lives Learn about what they like Listen to their views Give some of your time and talents to others Keep moving Keep learning Follow your heart, trust your instincts For a more thorough prescription, see the Center for Conscious Eldering!
My mom was ahead of her time by limiting our intake of sweets and soft drinks. That, of course, made the few times we had a sweet treat even more special. If I could choose my own, I favored Chuckles, a jelly candy. My favorite of the five flavors: black licorice. I saved that spicy, sugar-coated…
I was walking Tango this morning and a neighbor–a master of idleness – shouted to me from his lounge chair, “What are you thinking right now?” Darn, he caught me thinking about the things on my “to-do” list (license plates, pick up RX and mail). This was a disappointing answer since the guy is my…
People in the Midwest work hard and display generous doses of common sense, most of the time or at least when I grew up there. My grandpa identified strongly with those traits. He spent his career in one place, lived in the same house from the time he married until he died. Grandpa lived well–he…
Highway to hell, stairway to heaven, leaving on a jet plane, where the streets have no name, everybody’s looking for something. The passport to retirement reveals a journey forward, to new dreams, and a journey backward, to reclaim those pushed aside. Passport
I have not fallen into a vat of tequila or impaled myself on a barrel cactus. I have been wandering this past week, a bit further north in New Mexico to meet up with friends who came down from Colorado. Before I write about that, I have something hilarious to report. I was back at…