Discovering our wisdom through writing life stories. — Last year, I ran into an old writing friend over the Thanksgiving weekend, and we decided to spend an afternoon freewriting together. We sat at her kitchen table, set a timer, and put our pens to the page. “I lost my sister, and I thought it was my fault,” I…

Navigating contradictory messages about looks and aging. — I was walking through the neighborhood one day when, from behind a hedge, a dog started barking at me. A woman I couldn’t see quieted it down by saying, “It’s all right. It’s just an old lady.” “Who are you calling an old lady?” I thought. Then: “Well, I am…

My path from denial to acceptance of life without a job. — Right now, I’m sitting up in bed, my laptop on my lap, my cat curled up at my feet. I usually make the bed right away, but today, at almost 10:30 in the morning, the blankets are bunched up, and the pillows are strewn around me. …

Thoughts on plastic and human parts Seeing the Barbie movie sparked a memory of my first Barbie doll, which was also the first toy I paid for with my own money — that is, money I’d saved out of my allowance, birthday checks, and Chanukah gelt. My Barbie had the…

Seeking a place to age without having to rely on a car. — I have no idea how to get anywhere in Florida because I’m never driving. My 89-year-old mother drives, or lately, her boyfriend gets behind the wheel. I’m always in the backseat, like a kid. I know street names — Military Drive, Jog Road — but not how they relate to…

Healing perfectionist thinking by offering a class to fellow retirees. — Why did I take this on? That’s the question I asked myself as I sat my favorite cafe, my notebook open in front of me, a cup of coffee in reaching distance. I had volunteered to teach a writing class to fellow retirees at the Osher Center for Lifelong Learning…

As it happens, kindness is pretty good for us. — November 13 is a busy day for celebrants. In addition to World Kindness Day, it’s National Hug a Musician Day, National Indian Pudding Day, and more soberly, World Orphan’s Day. Who knew? It’s also Sadie Hawkins day, a holiday that grants women permission to ask a man out instead of…

Broaching the topic of end-of-life care with my mother. — I don’t know about your family of origin but mine is pretty bad at expressing strong emotion. We swallow our anger and then blow up later over some ridiculous transgression, like forgetting to put salt in the spaghetti water or leaving a wet sponge in the sink. We eat our…

Give yourself and your loved ones a fighting chance to recognize a scam before it’s too late. — “That’s weird,” I thought. It was the last thought of my own I had. For the next three hours, my thoughts belonged to “Harry,” the man on the phone, who I now believe was operating out of India — probably from one of the big phishing offices in Kolkata —…