A weathered 36-page booklet from my collectibles file addresses the root of many of mankind's problems: Constipation.
Read More"I'm not sure how we're supposed to be feeling at [our age]." That was a friend's reply to a recent check-in text in which I asked the lame old question, How're you doing? First, I chuckled, but then I got to thinking about her frank remarks on life-after-youth.
Most of us find ourselves dealing with a few new health issues after retirement. If we're lucky, it's only life-altering stuff, not life-threatening. Maybe some joint issues that affect our movements in new and mysterious ways. Or a pricy prescription that has us seriously considering Tom Selleck's reverse mortgage pitches. Or maybe we just feel like the bounce in our step has been replaced by arch support inserts.
Read MoreYou occasionally hear someone say, "After all, life doesn't come with an instruction book." It's a declaration offered as an excuse for some notable human failure.
Read MoreTo this seeker of simplicity, the article headline was like a jig spinner dangled before a hungry walleye: Seven Simple Ways to Improve Your Life. So, I bit.
Read MoreIt's 9:30 p.m. I've had a pleasant day. I enjoyed three good meals, plus a few hearty snacks. I got in some physical activity and ticked a few items off my to-do list. I had a phone call from a dear friend, taking the edge off my hunger for social connection. Now I am tucked into bed with an absorbing book, two chunky furballs purring at my side. Yes, life has provided many blessings in the form of creature comforts today. I offer a prayer of thanks.
But my greedy heart yearns for more.
Read MoreI've been having problems with my tongue lately. Nothing physical or medical. More of a slippage issue. Foul language, which I abhor, occasionally comes rolling out from some murky cesspool in my subconscious.
Read MoreI've been thinking about things in my life I'd like to revise in 2024. Not alone in that, certainly. Virtually every newspaper or magazine you pick up this time of year reminds us of our obligation to take advantage of a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate, and all the other clichéd redundancies.
But this year I felt a need to approach things a bit differently.
Read MoreNoise has always bothered me. The kaboom of Independence Day fireworks made me cower as a child. The roar of the State Fair midway sent me running in search of a saner space as a teenager. And as a 20-something, the frantic buzzing of rush hour traffic while waiting for a bus left me straining for escape.
As an adult,
Read MoreHow old are you? The blunt question came hurtling out of the blue, from a woman I had met only minutes before.
Read MoreI went neighborhood bathing before breakfast today.
Before your eyebrows disappear into your hairline, this did not involve my playing Goldilocks with various neighbors' bathtubs. In fact, no shocking display of inappropriate behavior was involved. This early morning ritual of ambling the winding streets surrounding my townhouse cluster is simply my version of what trendy types call "forest bathing."
Read More…the man I adored wasn't big on committing schmaltzy outpourings of prose to paper. That was more my style. But he was ever ready to swoop in and solve everyday problems with his creative, Mensa-qualifying intellect and his tender, considerate heart.
Read MoreInfluencer. It's a fairly recent coinage. Online references paint the picture of someone who wields the power to affect purchasing decisions because of their authority, knowledge, position, or simply because they've You-tubed their way into the hearts of a large number of followers. Those who exploit their public popularity in order to steer public opinion and shape political thought also figure in.
Read MoreHave you ever noticed the attitude of contestants on quiz shows when they've opted to take the prize money they've already accumulated and walk away rather than risking it on the chance to gain even more?
Read MoreIt's time for some happy talk. So dive in for the latest in practical and research-based formulas for reclaiming bright spirits in a world that feeds our fears and insecurities as if it were tossing peanuts to hungry zoo animals.
Read More