Aging

Why should you practice living with an illness as dreadful as Alzheimer’s? Because, according to NIH statistics, one-in-ten people over 65 will develop this most common form of dementia, and by 85-years-of-age, one-third of us will be struck.

When we think about “creativity,” images appear of artists, sculptors, writers, or composers laboring away at creating something unique and awe-inspiring. But what about the person who changes a few...

Why should you choose to be compassionate to someone who emotionally hurt you? Why not just reinforce those behaviors you approve of and punish those you don’t?

Helpless? Everyone at one time experiences it due to aging, declining health, shattered relationships, or deteriorating world conditions. The way we confront the feeling shapes our lives. I learned how to deal...

The words we use and questions we ask ourselves often shape our lives in ways that can be insightful or hurtful. What is the meaning of life is an example of the latter.

There was a time when apologies were made in person, where you looked someone in the eyes, admitted what you did was wrong, cruel, unintentional, or just stupid, and listened to their reactions, as difficult as they were to hear.

In this holiday season, we are obsessed with what to give people we love. Few of us think about what we can give ourselves. So here is a suggestion. One that will not cost you anything, other than the anger...

There are more things that can cause depression as we age. I can’t run as fast or as far as I did ten years ago, my weight only fluctuates upward, I take more time to process information, and I feel under...

Stability, as we age, is more important than excitement. In Part I of this three-part series, I explained the role of stability in aging. In Part II I elaborated on its role in chronic and progressive...

We often underestimate the need for introducing stability in the lives of people living with chronic and progressive illnesses. In Part I of this three-part series, I explained the role of stability in aging....

I came to an understanding about the need for stability when faced with two financial choices. Regardless what I chose either outcome would be fine, unlike a situation in the past were I was forced to choose...

Advice gurus flood Saturday morning cable shows with programs on weight loss, exercise, wealth management, and becoming more authentic. By following their instructions we will become the person we deserve to...

Thought of the Day. A number of years ago I witnessed elder abuse as I walked behind a twenty-something-year-old couple in downtown San Francisco. My hearing then--as opposed to now--was acute enough to hear...

For the past few days trailers about the movie, Selma and criticisms about its historical accuracy flooded the airways. I'll see the movie regardless of the commentaries because I was there. In 1965, I was...

This morning on Facebook I had a request from someone almost old enough to be my granddaughter. Looking at the provocative picture, I wondered why someone this young wanted to be a “Friend” of someone who...

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: A few weeks ago Steve Moran published a three-part series in the Sacramento Bee on “the terrible state of affairs” in skilled nursing facilities in California. The response from the...

At a party the other day I had a conversation with a friend who is my age (69) about our children’s generation and those who came afterward. I’m told the newest is the ME generation. I enjoy my children...

When friends die death comes closer to us

11/06/14  I just spent a week at the John Campbell Folk Art School in North Carolina attending a class on bowl making, despite my fear of the lathe; a turning devise for spinning a five pound block of raw...

04/07/14  I recently returned from a fly-fishing trip to the Mt. Shasta area. As I waded the McCloud River I struggled to remain on top of rounded, slippery rocks. After falling the second time, I looked for...