Compared to What?!

"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 Or maybe we just feel like the bounce in our step has been replaced by arch support inserts.

On a Bookshelf Near You

You 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.

books, Inspiration, Modern Life, personal responsibility, reading trends, Listen to What He Says!, God's Guide to LivingSue Anne KirkhamMarch 22, 2024Christian Living, Life's Instruction Book, Do This - Not ThatComment

Can It ReallyBe That Easy?

To 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.

aging, baby boomers, graceful aging, grateful aging, health and wellness, humor, Inspiration, WellnessSue Anne KirkhamMarch 1, 2024Healthy Aging, The Simple Life, Breathe Listen Love, Breath Work for wellness, hug therapy, easy lifestyle tweaks, listen breathe loveComment

Air(wave) Pollution

I'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.

baby boomers, Christian Witness, civilization in decline, clean humor, communication, Faith & Courage, Inspiration, Modern Life, personal responsibility, reading trendsSue Anne KirkhamJanuary 28, 2024profanity on TV, contemporary culture, godly language, Only Murders in the Building, Loving Zelda, cultural declineComment

New Year's Absolutions

I'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.

baby boomers, Christian Witness, Christians and coveting, faith, graceful aging, grateful aging, Inspiration, Personal GrowthSue Anne KirkhamJanuary 18, 2024Resolutions, New Year's resolutions, forgiveness, sufficiency Comment

The Sound of Silence

Noise 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,

It's Just a Number, Right?

How old are you? The blunt question came hurtling out of the blue, from a woman I had met only minutes before.

aging, baby boomers, coping and readjusting, graceful aging, grateful aging, Inspiration, Personal GrowthSue Anne KirkhamNovember 7, 2023Baby Boomers, age means nothing, how old is old?, seventy-something and thriving, 75 aliveComment

Seeking Serenity in a Turbulent World

I 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."

Anxiety in today's world, baby boomers, faith, graceful aging, grateful aging, health and wellness, help and hope for anxiety, humor, Inspiration, Modern Life, Personal Growth, WellnessSue Anne KirkhamOctober 19, 2023Forest bathing, God's peace, peace of mind, finding tranquility, Christian Inspiration Comment

What's Your Love Language?

…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.

Inspiration, relationships, communicationSue Anne KirkhamJuly 29, 2023Love language, Sue Anne Kirkham, Love Comments

Deal or No Deal?

Have 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?

Anxiety in today's world, baby boomers, game shows, grateful aging, Inspiration, Modern Life, Personal Growth, Christians and covetingSue Anne KirkhamMay 3, 2023coveting, covetousness, greed, deal or no deal, righteous desires, gratitude, choosing to be content, motivation Comments

Happiness Is . . .

It'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.

Advice, Anxiety in today's world, baby boomers, graceful aging, grateful aging, health and wellness, Inspiration, Personal Growth, WellnessSue Anne KirkhamMarch 24, 2023The Happiness Course, brighten your day, the glass is full, choosing joy, Sue Anne Kirkham Comments

I Make Me Sick!

Wellness, Inspiration, health and wellness, graceful aging, grateful aging, coping and readjusting, baby boomers, Chronic Fatigue SyndromeSue Anne KirkhamJanuary 2, 2023CFS, New Year's attitude readjustment, Sue Anne Kirkham, neurochemicals Comment

Sweet Greetings of the Season: An Excerpt from Loving Zelda

baby boomers, childhood memories, Christian Witness, Foodie, InspirationSue Anne KirkhamDecember 22, 2022Christmas, Joy of Giving, Sue Anne Kirkham, Christmas Goodies, children and gift-giving Comments

A Heavenly Pep Talk

Christian Witness, coping and readjusting, Faith & Courage, grateful aging, InspirationSue Anne KirkhamNovember 21, 2022Love your life, Need inspiration?, build on your strengths, Sue Anne Kirkham Comment

Quotes to Laugh By

Okay, so I promised you some interesting quotes from the hidden depths of my bloated file cabinet. And yes, I am late in fulfilling that promise.

But if you knew the state of my filing system—not great—and the number of lengthy quotation books on my shelves (actually it's five), you'd understand the delay.

After some sifting, I came up with a few distinct categories. Choose your favorite or explore them all.