Author - The Durango Herald

Twenty years of writing and change

November marks 20 years I have been writing columns for The Durango Herald. I approached Bill Roberts, then opinion editor, with ideas for writing about children. He had me submit three samp...

DATE: Nov 1, 2023 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

So many deaths, so little time left

It’s daunting. So many people I know and care about are dying, it seems like all of a sudden. People I am close to, my contemporaries, my friends. A woman I had dinner with just last month. ...

DATE: Oct 3, 2023 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Choosing our disposal

What do we do with our bodies when we die? Who, what, where ... here are some details of what’s available here in Southwest Colorado. There are so many more choices now, in our more environm...

DATE: Sep 2, 2023 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Parenting at our age!

Mothers will always be mothers, and fathers will always be fathers. Even if our children are in their 40s, 50s and 60s, we still love them, care for them as much as possible, give them what ...

DATE: Jun 3, 2023 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Ancient wisdom coming to the rescue!

A broken arm, a surgery to add a plate and screws to my already metal-filled body, and much pain later, I find myself reflecting on the past several weeks. To lose use of my dominant, right ...

DATE: May 6, 2023 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

What do we remember about our lives?

While visiting a friend in hospice recently, I was struck by how perceptive this man is in his memories. He wanted to talk about all the “coaches” he has had in his life, people that guided ...

DATE: Apr 1, 2023 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Voluntary stopping eating and drinking

Sometimes conversations with other elders are about how we want our deaths to be. We want them gentle, peaceful, surrounded by loved ones (or not). Many friends of mine have died recently. O...

DATE: Mar 4, 2023 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Medical interventions or not?

It’s winter, time to go through my checklist of medical appointments/procedures: dermatology, yearly physical, blood work. And my number is up for a colonoscopy, hopefully my last one. Many ...

DATE: Feb 4, 2023 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Generational differences at the holidays

Happy 2023! Here’s hoping people have had a fulfilling holiday time with friends and family. I had a family Thanksgiving with people I dearly love. We gathered in Denver and all camped down ...

DATE: Dec 31, 2022 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Saying goodbye for the last time

Have you had to say goodbye to someone you know you’ll never see again? Whether from dying or distance or something else, it’s very difficult, but can be beautiful. Traveling to Maine in Oct...

DATE: Dec 3, 2022 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Death and the Quality of Life Impact Study

A very old man I knew took his own life this past spring. I only met him once, and emailed with him several times after that, but he had quite an impact on me in that very short time. We tal...

DATE: Nov 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging

Can we change the doom and gloom upon us?

When in our long lives so far, have we ever felt so much dread at the state we are in? Sometimes, I feel we are at apocalypse’s door, the final and total destruction of the world. This is me...

DATE: Oct 1, 2022 | CATEGORY: Authentic Aging