Author – The Durango Herald

Sleeping bags and unfinished business

Going through my camping gear a few weeks ago before an outing to Utah, I was struck by how long I’ve had my sleeping bag. It has traveled many wonderful places with me and kept ...

DATE: Jun 1, 2019 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Joy and happiness for this time in our lives

There are many “happiness” studies these days, looking at what makes us happy as we age, who is the happiest and where do happy people live. To be truly happy, I believe we are l...

DATE: May 4, 2019 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Opening the door to dependence

I have entered new territory. The door has just opened for me into the world of dependence as I age. Hiring my neighbors to help me shovel the snow in February feels like it’s ju...

DATE: Apr 6, 2019 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

What we save and what we leave

One of my indoor projects this winter is to go through an old trunk I have and sort out what to throw out and what to leave for my kids when I’m gone. It’s all part of getting my ducks in a ...

DATE: Mar 2, 2019 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Memory is another complication of aging

Memory is an essential part of our self-awareness. According to neurobiologist Gerald Edelman, it is connected to our actual living bodies, and along with identity and space, def...

DATE: Feb 3, 2019 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Comparing bloom of adolescence to the elder stage of life

While visiting my family in California in November, we were all stuck inside for much of the time because of the smoke from the Camp Fire. As a result, my 12-year-old granddaught...

DATE: Jan 5, 2019 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

How do we celebrate, remember and honor a life?

December feels like endings. It’s the end of the year, the end of my garden and the end of the light in the late afternoons until the winter solstice starts shifting us back. Fun...

DATE: Dec 1, 2018 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Reading into winter: Books to contemplate aging, death

November is a good time to think about books. The long, dark nights are coming, and there’s just more time to read, reflect and be. So many great books have come my way lately, a...

DATE: Nov 3, 2018 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

We may want to consider writing our obituaries now

When my brother died in June, my remaining brother and I were extremely disappointed in the obituary that was published in his local hometown newspaper. It was full of inaccuraci...

DATE: Oct 6, 2018 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

How do people deal with serious illness later in life?

We all seem to know someone who is going through a serious illness. The older we get, it’s becoming more and more common to hear of great struggles with difficult disorders. I’m ...

DATE: Sep 1, 2018 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Who have been the influential women in your life?

Seeing the movie “RBG” (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) recently got me thinking: Here is this woman who has done so much for women’s rights during my lifetime. She won five gender discrimi...

DATE: Aug 4, 2018 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Lost opportunities with dying friends and family

Three people in my life have died in the past month. All of the deaths were sudden, unexpected and a total surprise to me. I don’t feel “finished” with any of these people. I wou...

DATE: Jul 7, 2018 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging