Almost twenty-five hundred years ago Plato wrote: ‘You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.’ With insights like that it’s no wonder the guy is still a philosophical rock star today. Without play, we become dull, tired and worn out. Sometimes we resist the idea […]
disrupt aging
The Falsehood of Normality
For much of my life, if asked, “How’s it going?” My rote response was an automatic: “Fine.” It was my go-to answer for two reasons: 1) Because I though complaining was weak and ugly and 2) I was afraid to admit that anything in my life might be anything other than fine. The problem with […]
Know Thyself
My mother embroidered and framed a picture that said, “Know Thyself.” It was hanging in such a place that you couldn’t leave our house without seeing it. Truthfully, it was one of those daily reminders that sometimes really pissed me off, especially since it was also my mother’s answer to me whenever I blamed someone […]
Not Our First Rodeo
Most things are possible if you’ve got enough nerve to buck up and throw yourself fully into the challenge. With age, much of our grit is based on a foundation of experience. Our self-assurance for many of our decisions is honed from our prior experiences both positive and negative. Our confidence reflects a mature temperament […]
Owning Our Eccentricity
I’ve always gravitated towards eccentric people. A dictionary search defines eccentricity as unconventional and slightly strange behavior. Strange is defined as unsettling and hard to understand. Personally — I define eccentricity as any and every form of self-expression from bowties and suites to tattoos and mohawks because it all depends on individual persuasion. Depending upon […]
“Poring” Over Beauty
I remember watching my mother while she would put on her makeup and set her hair. Everyday, no matter what she had been doing to care for her five children, our home and yard, at 5pm like clockwork, she would get dolled up for our father’s arrival back home after work. As she was preparing […]
Scoring One Hundred Percent
We all have days when we feel like we just want to quit. On particularly rough days when I feel that I’ve reached the end of my capacity to give, love, care, think, act, change, try, hear, or do whatever else is demanding more more more…I find it’s helpful to remind myself that my track […]
Taking Calculated Risks
I’m a big believer in taking healthy calculated risks and pushing oneself into uncharted territory. My goal is to give up both my fears of failure and my fears of success: They are equally powerful. Yet, the more I accept that there are no guarantees of failure or success, the easier the idea of making […]
Some Kind of Wonderful
As we age, we often tell each other, “You’re looking good….” with the subtext being… “for your age.” I propose we all start changing the phrase to: “You’re looking wonderful.” After all, “wonderful” is an adjective describing something that arouses “wonder.” Don’t other people regularly arouse wonder in you? I wonder what people are thinking? […]
Space Still Available
Stop Aging? I don’t think so. Wrong message. In fact, I’m here to boldly declare that this is not what I’m trying to do at all. Slow the biological impact of aging factors, yes. Stay as healthy as possible, yes. Stay metabolically and mentally strong, absolutely. Stop all the wisdom that accrues from daily experiences […]