Living in a community that is populated with what we now call more mature residents, few have dogs. Some family members do bring their dogs, especially the younger ones, and there are a few Millenials hanging about with pets. My three children counseled against getting a dog, especially the young and small puppy I was…
Category: Aging
Looking Back on Cherished Holiday Traditions
Always one to appreciate the many traditions of the season, decorating remains my most cozy memory with my family. As traditionalists we did not display or light the decorations until the Friday after Thanksgiving. Of course, we started with the outdoor lights, decorating the front bushes, and hanging lights along the gutters. Waiting until dark to adjust the…
These Past Months
A month ago my son’s brother-in-law passed away unexpectedly from a fentanyl overdose. It has had a devastating impact on all of our families. He was a young man of means with so much to live for, both in opportunities and future success. Two years ago my son-in-;aw died in a motorcycle accident, and he…
Author Unknown
“Your life is up to you. Life provides the canvas; you do the painting.” Keep painting a beautiful life, your whole life!
Growing Older, Gracefully and with Joy!
I have become elderly this year. No I am not older than my actual calendar years, yet society thinks I am now dispensable. The pandemic moved Boomers from the “in” group to oldsters, Actually, to a group to be discarded in nursing homes. With a moral shadow blighting the national conscience. As the virus decimated the…
Safety Packaging
There is very little that is more aggravating on a day to day basis as the frustration of opening packages of food, bottles of medicine, liquid bottles, and purchased over the counter drugs. Millennials take these inconveniences for granted, never really questioning the origin and implications for older Americans. In 1982, in the Chicago suburb…
Interpretations of Life
It is one of the inevitable processes of living, and it is one we prefer to ignore…we all will die. As blunt as that sounds, it is the preparation for this stage we are obsessed with as it approaches our rear-view mirror. Many find solace in the religious interpretation of what occurs when the body…
COVID Musings on Becoming Elderly
This is the year I came to the belated understanding that I am now elderly, at least in the eyes of others. I don’t feel elderly. The media and the Center for Disease Control continually referred to my age group in a somewhat deprecating and disparaging tone, assuming we had one foot in the grave and therefore…
Working Out: Exercise, before the pandemic and now!
Every morning I used to try to walk to the ocean and back. If we were camping, I walked the dog around the campground. If we were visiting children, a brisk walk around the block was the workout for the day. I threw in chair situps and light weights for the arms. Now, I have…
Keeping Busy During the Pandemic
At certain points during this pandemic, I have wandered around, slightly unnerved by limitations of movement, no favorite restaurant dinners, few safe shopping opportunities, and feel vague and without direction. Oh, I can fill my time, but I have to build my daily schedule as a retiree. I do have a daily list of ToDos,…
Life Gets Better 