Are you stressed out? Or have you retreated to the laid-back lifestyle you dreamed of when you retired from working 50 hours a week? This week we launch a new writing prompt that asks how we’ve handled, reduced or managed stress as we’ve aged. Check it out here.

We start out this week’s digest with five stories from an earlier prompt about our aging bodies. You can read all the stories submitted in response to the prompt here.

If you’d like to be a more active member of the Crow’s Feet community, we invite you to join our new Facebook Group and to follow us on Instagram at CrowsFeet15.

Now… on to Our Stories about life as we age.

-Nancy Peckenham, Editor

Prompt #3: Adapting to Our Aging Bodies

The Day A Doctor Stopped My Heart Because I Worked Out Too Hard. By Lee J. Bentch

Sissies Need Not Apply. My aging body, here goes……By Colleen Hannegan

My Aging Body is Betraying Me. By D. K. Harmony

My Body and Brain Are Not Sychronizing. The medical professionals and prayers keep me going in my old age. By Richard Armstrong

So, Now You’re Retired

My Husband Retired Last Week. The first three days were a honeymoon. Now the hard work begins. By Beth Bruno

This Senior Season of Life is a Good Time to Take Steps Toward Your Lifelong Dreams. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. By Jean Anne Feldeisen

Hobbies, Hobbies, & More Hobbies. When the hell did I ever find time to work? By Ann Litts

4 Critical Retirement Decisions You Better Get Right the First Time. Out of the thousands of important decisions you’ll make, there are only four that you can’t take back. By Brian Feutz

Retirees, It’s Time to Let the Past Go and Move Into Exciting Days. By Richard Armstrong

How Long Does It Take to Adjust to Being Retired? The adjustment period is different for each person, and it’s not always smooth sailing. By Ruby Lee

The Gifts and Grief of Retirement. Same coin, different sides. By Josaia

Reflections

Things That Grow Better with Age, Including Me! A morning reflection that has stayed with me all day By Deborah Barchi

Taking up Space. Being a public presence at “a certain age.” By Ren Powell

A Moment of Kindness. A reminder of all that we can be. By Josaia

Health & Wellness

Your Health Hinges on You. The only way a tool will work for you is if you use it. By Rae Perry

If You Are a Senior, You Should Talk with Your Cardiologist. Here is the reason. By James Frank Sanders

Here Are the Secrets of Living a Long Life by One Who Has Lived It. It is not complicated. You follow certain dictums. By James Frank Sanders

Can A Person Die From Vomiting and Vertigo? It sure feels like you can. By Cindy Heath

Why You Need This Pink Piece of Paper on Your Fridge. Wilson, a 54-year-old truck driver, was at home one morning in 1999 as he prepared for another long-haul trip. By Lauren Lynn Bradley

Prevagen Helps My Memory. But I need reminders to take my Prevagen. By Brenda Mahler

Getting in Shape

Saying So Long to the Slouching Curmudgeon in the Mirror. Improved posture = younger attitude = better aging experience… who’d a thunk it? By Rand Bishop

Why Everyone Should Take Dance Lessons in Their Sixties and Beyond. The benefits go beyond the physical exercise. By M. Elizabeth Blair

Marriage

Marriage: It’s Mostly Saying, “It’s Wherever You Left It.” My husband and I are celebrating 35 years of marriage this month. By Judy Millar

Thoughts from 43 Years of Marriage. The key to marital success may be to avoid all comparisons. By Warren Turner

I Will Marry a Gladiator in My Late 60s! In his profile he described himself as a somewhat dented knight in shining armour. By Soozie Campbell

Why I Love Snow. A true love story. By Randy Fredlund

Humor

Hometown Sayings. Walt & Stan. By Mark Starlin

Who Gets to Be a Millionaire? Believe it or not, it could be you. By David Martin

2022, the Year that Vermont Lost a Day. Forget about the US Senate passing a bill making daylight savings time permanent. By Brian Dickens Barrabee

How I Upset a Group of Ballet Dance Moms and Survived to Tell The Story. I am just Grandad. By Lee J. Bentch

I Vacationed in Costa Rica and Did Not Get Injured. That’s my new standard for a great vacation. By Orrin Onken

How to Look Young After 50. How dare Meg Ryan age! By Amy Sea

A Handbook for the Golden Years, Part 2. More tips and advice you probably should ignore. By Eric Milch

Should you see “Rolling Stones” as a Band or as Advice for Older People? Rolling stones gathering no moss! By Tim Dibble

Sir, the Warranty on Your Body Has Expired. Can I Interest You in This Extended Warranty? The warranty ran out at 60! By Tim Dibble

Our Parents’ Legacy

Saying Goodbye to Dad, Who Fixed Everything. Sorting through the toolbox of a life well lived. By Kathleen Murphy

April Fools Day Reminds Me of My Dad’s Birthday. April Fool’s Day always reminds me of my dad whose birthday was on April 1st. His birthday was easy to remember along with this minor… By Jean Anne Feldeisen

Grandchildren

We’re Moving to Where the Grandkids Are. That’s a twelve hundred kilometre hike. By Vuyo Ngcakani

My Travels with Our Grandkids. A long-term project that inspired my painting. By Charlene Brown

How I Spend My Time

Is It Insane to Self-Renovate a House in Your Seventies? At our house closing, my husband was practically foaming at the mouth, waiting to get the keys handed to him so he could start the house… By Carole Olsen

Habit Stacking Ain’t So Bad. I recently read Atomic Habits by James Clear. I didn’t enjoy reading the book — too directive and not contemplative enough, but I did… By Laura Culberg- Welcoming Opposites

I Stream All Day, Almost All Night. So? What better reason than it’s just plain fun? By Warren Turner

’Tis a New Year and Gardening has Begun. Dispatches from the Little Homestead in a Mobile Home Park. By Jean Crawford Evans

Cruising. A comfortable, convenient and fun way to travel. By Gerad Carrier

How Not to Spend Your Time

Are You the Ultimate Clean Freak? It’s OK to play in the dirt and feel the earth. By Greta Dias

My Messy Room. Now that I’m retired, I don’t care as much… By Mary McGrath

Back in the Day

They Will Always Wake You at Night. It Never Ends. By Catherine Dunn

I Miss Obscene Phone Calls. You can’t slam a cell phone down. By Sharon Johnson

Poetry

The Poet. The poet came up behind me. By Carol Shamon

The Best of the Rest

Yoga Pants Define Me. “Influencers” like moi don’t need expensive leisure-wear to be comfy. By Brooke Ramey Nelson

That Toxic Person. It’s harder to put up with these types of people as we age… By Mary McGrath

A Trio of Trouble. One of Mom’s favorite sayings: things happen in threes. Not good things. I am currently living this reality.By Meryl Baer

I’m Famous . . . Slight Exaggeration, Moving to France At 68 Is in The Guardian. And I’m amidst a field of sunflowers. The sheep pic was just a little ewemour. Sorry. By Janice Macdonald

Am I Too Old for All This Oscar Night Buzz? I wrote this just before all the controversy surrounding Will Smith, Chris Rock, and the 94th Academy Awards. By Greta Dias

How Do You Make A First Good Impression? Professional photographs will show a best version. By Rae Perry