Author – The Durango Herald

How do we answer the risk vs. safety question?

Shall I climb up that ladder to hang the bird feeder? I really want more birds to visit this winter, but I’m not sure about the ladder ... Crash! Bang! Boom! 911! Casts and doctors and three...

DATE: Feb 1, 2017 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

From wisdom to gratitude, aging has positive aspects

It was a couple of days after the election, and I ran into a friend walking on the river trail. Being disappointed in the election outcome, we said things like, “I’ve been here before,” “I f...

DATE: Jan 5, 2017 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Learning how to hula is helping my aging mind

My kids took me to Hawaii as a big birthday gift during Thanksgiving. I decided to prepare a bit beforehand by immersing myself in the culture. I read James Michener’s Hawaii and...

DATE: Nov 30, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Disposal of our bodies: What to do after we die?

November is the cruelest month. People I loved have died in November, and with Halloween and Dia de los Muertos just past, it seems fitting to think about the macabre and our bodies dying. W...

DATE: Nov 2, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

The holidays can be more difficult as we age

Many of us will be spending time with family and loved ones this holiday season. The joys of seeing grandchildren, being with our own kids, perhaps traveling to exciting places, experiencing...

DATE: Oct 31, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Jumping from early childhood to aging adulthood

I write to learn. I feel that if I can write about something, I really know it. My Patient Parenting columns have always been about a topic I’ve been interested in or a suggestion or request...

DATE: Oct 30, 2016 | CATEGORY: Patient Parenting

Support end-of-life options, vote ‘yes’ on Proposition 106

We get the diagnosis: We have six months to live. We’re in pain, very ill and can’t see ourselves struggling through these next few months. None of us want to be confronted with t...

DATE: Oct 5, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Looking back at our lives can bring gratification

Do you think it’s important to leave something behind when your life is over? Something for your family or something for the community? We all want to feel that we made a difference, that th...

DATE: Aug 31, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Vacations bring so much joy, but challenges too

It’s summer, time for vacations! Not only is it fun, but traveling gives us different perspectives on things. It takes us from our comfortable routines and forces us to adjust, h...

DATE: Aug 3, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Downsizing to calm: When it’s time to de-clutter

Many of us are trying to clean out years of accumulated stuff, de-clutter our living spaces and simplify our lives as we get older. Reasons for this are many: to make it easier f...

DATE: Jul 6, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Big birthday is reminder to live in the moment

There’s a big birthday on my horizon this month. It’s one that has a zero. Yikes! It’s interesting to watch myself cling to the decade before this new one. Somehow, aging up to a...

DATE: Jun 1, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Wrestling with big questions without clear answers

I am way out of my league here, but this loss of roles we experience as we age has me exploring ego and self-identity. We begin our lives just being. We are here, with no agendas...

DATE: May 4, 2016 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging