From the September 2015 Archives Causes, campaigns, elections. Everyone has an opinion. Or do they? I am dismayed at the number of people who seem to be anti-having any opinions or at least think you should keep them to yourself. Stay quiet. Keep your opinions to...
We all have rituals. Some around events, holidays, and rites of passage. When do we find we must create new traditions? I recall years ago when I picked up my grandson from daycare. We had regular “gramma dates.” He is, at this time, four years or so. He tells...
(As a verb, to muse is to contemplate something. As a noun, it means a person — especially a woman — who is a source of artistic inspiration.) I am a writer who spends more time thinking and talking about writing than actually doing it. I have a writing coach, a...
Manifestation I hear people use the word manifestation a lot these days. Seems like I hear it more and more from people I wouldn’t consider “woo woo” persons. As in “I manifested a new client”. I’ve even used it myself. And I have manifested...
Hay Stack Rock and the tip of Cabo San Lucas are iconic rocks that I have photographed. There even is a joke that I framed a picture of me in front of a rock. My friends laughed and pointed out that one would not be wearing a tropical shirt and a sun hat...
Ten years ago I started a blog called Not Your Grandmother’s Seventy. Tag line: living your best life at any age. I started it in commemoration of turning seventy. I blogged on and off these last ten years. Sometimes diligently weekly, sometimes I skipped weeks,...
In keeping with the theme of it’s never too late, today I took a look at the octogenarians among us. We are a powerful lot: politicians and activists. Still very active. I’ve included the president of the United States because he will be joining us soon....
Does it feel different? Of course not. Why do we think we will wake up the next morning and everything will be different? The pandemic is still raging with Delta variant our latest cause for concern Climate change is still real Forest fires are still cause for concern...
I have subtitled this blog Live your best life at any Age —it is never too late. Do you really believe this? Do I? Is it truly never too late? I started this blog as an inspiration to others, and myself, that it truly is never too late. I started it as I turned...
Ten years ago I started a blog in anticipation to my 70th birthday. Feeling energetic and active, I decided to call it Not Your Grandmother’s 70. Subtitle: living your best life at any age. It seemed fitting because I considered myself the poster child for it’s never...
How many New Year’s Eves has it been? I remember the year I said that I had no expectations of anything happening in the coming year. Funny, before the year was over I was married. The one and only marriage I have ever had. While that may be a subject of future posts,...
”What would you tell your younger self? Ah, the time machine question. I was recently challenged to write about what I would tell my younger self. Obviously: “Keep writing!” I wrote as a young girl. When did that stop? Probably when my mother...
”You really need to understand football, all of you” was a command from Mrs. McLaughlin. (The same Mrs. McLaughlin that I credit with making me take college prep classes which changed my life) So we learned the basics of football. First and Ten — do it again. What...
Seven years ago I started this blog on the eve of my seventieth birthday. It’s been an on and off situation. Sometimes people even read it! So if you are good at math you can determine that I am now 77. Holy Thor. I’m not sure I know anyone that old. So once again I...
Some successes come with a resounding “Yippee”, and a spin around the room. Passing a bar exam comes to mind. Some successes take a while to sink in. And then there are the ones you didn’t realize were such a big deal until much later. Often when looking around for...
“No one reads blog posts anymore” is something I heard a few weeks ago. Perhaps no one reads anything longer than a twitter feed anymore. I am told Instragram is where it’s at. #donotmakemeread. Pictures of cats, babies and beautiful cupcakes? That’s all we want?...
This was written in March 2011 — in anticipation of turning 70 that year. There have been stops and starts in the years between. This year I committed to revive the blog with a new post every Sunday. Today I look back at the beginning. The baby boomers are now well...
“Oh, I don’t talk politics, you can’t change anyone’s mind.” I often find myself "preaching to the choir" feeling I can't possibly make a difference. But that's not true. I do believe we can and should shine a light. We can make a difference. Whenever I feel that...
I learned this week that no one reads blog posts anymore. Well, that just makes me sad. But I just keep writing them whether anyone reads them or not. So there! As you have probably guessed, this blog is my fun writing. It is keeping the mental juices flowing,...
I was listening to an audiobook today in which the author talked about manifestation and all that woo woo stuff. She approached it with amusement but yet a touch of seriousness. She pointed out that one cannot just sit poolside and manifest a great job, a lover a...
I have been writing a lot about connection, accountability, and developing social circles. Most are very informal, but there is a variation that is more formal that has made a tremendous difference in my life. The groups go by different names but they are basically a...
The Road not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better...
Remember the old days when we used our charm to get our way? I think today charm is way way underused. Charm can be used by male, female, nongendered. Old, young. “Charm is the ability to make someone think that both of you are quite wonderful. Charm is not about...
I am in the business of making people single. I see the positive changes happening to people when they reclaim their lives. Often they did not know how unhappy they were until they made the change to being single. But I do have to caution folks that it is not the...
Last week I wrote about commitment and that I had committed to an every Sunday post. Well I broke the streek. You know, Super Bowl, friends gathering, etc. etc. So here it is Tuesday and I am committed to a blog this week. Fresh out of ideas, I asked my tribe....
“Commitment is what Transforms the promise into reality. It is the words that speak Boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak Louder than the words. It is making the time When there is none. Coming through time After time after time, Year after year after...
Grandma meets the millennial. He probably winced when I walked in the door of the Mac store. Certainly not his demographic. "She's going to waste my time and won't understand anything" I'm sure he was thinking. He seems a little more interested as I pulled out my...
The new year has come and gone. Last week I found myself with a head cold, my car was out of gas, there was no coffee in the house. If I didn’t have auto pay I probably would be without lights or heat. Adulting can be challenging. And then this . . . A true...
This is my friend, Bonnie and her Seahawks ring. Bonnie is more than 70. Bonnie is on Facebook. Be like Bonnie.Now and then I meet people who refuse to be on Facebook. Not sure what that is about. Once again I make my case. Of course, the likelihood of you seeing...
Here we are. Another year. What is a new year without resolutions? For several months I have been promising to bring back this blog. Then I set a very clear intention that I would begin January 1. A Super Moon, a full moon. It was a great time to begin an...
I am told the first step to being a writer is to call yourself one. I write. I write marketing pieces for my business, I journal. I write e mails to clients, other attorneys and I think some pretty funny Facebook posts. I occasionally, but not as often now, write...
You ain't never been blue; no, no no You ain't never been blue, Till you've had that mood indigo. That feelin goes stealin down to my shoes You know what it is. The pits, the gloomies, down in the dumps. Rolled up in a ball on the bathroom floor. In bed, covers...
On a recent sunny day I ventured out to a place back in time. Fifty years ago (FIFTY?) I was a new teacher in the small logging town of Snoqualmie and today seemed like a perfect day to visit the famous Snoqualmie falls. Yes, a perfect trip back in time. Except I...
Update: This was written two years ago It is amazingly prescient as I sit here wanting to revive my blog. “I got nothing”. That was how I opened a recent speech. Seriously – I had nothing. Let me put it into some context. I attended a speech workshop. I...
For several years I have been writing a book. Well, I have been talking about writing a book, thinking about it, taking classes, attending seminars and I’ve even designed the cover of my book. Except the book never gets written. Now I am clear: I am NOT writing a...
Causes, campaigns, elections. Everyone has an opinion. Or do they? I am dismayed at the number of people who seem to be anti having any opinions or at least think you should keep them to yourself. Stay quiet. Keep your opinions to yourself. "I don’t talk politics,...
Today I took a walk on the beach in hopes of finding a solution to a problem I had been wrestling with. I did find an answer but it was not what I was expecting. And the result is a lesson that might just apply to other situations. I am working on a project and was...
Spiritual advisor, counselor, guru, therapist, resident philosopher, teacher – all terms for someone who gives you guidance mainly by listening without judgment, perhaps interjecting just the right words of wisdom. Many people pay for such guidance but most of us...
Why would you go to a high school class reunion? Unless you were class president, homecoming queen or a cheerleader, high school was probably not your favorite time in your life. All that teen age angst, all that never quite belonging turns out to be a common...
“When life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade. You use the seeds to plant a whole orchard - an entire franchise! Or you could just stay on the Destiny Bus and drink lemonade someone else has made, from a can.” ― Anthon St. Maarten Let me tell you about two...
Living your best life includes having a spiritual basis. Don't worry, I'm not going to go all religious on you. My friends come in many variations of spirituality including traditional Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, NewThought, and even atheist. The kind of...
One of my discussion groups was discussing how our lives are shaped by decisions we made along the way. There is a somewhat new agey idea that all of our decisions are the right ones because they got us to where we are today. My group all agreed there were some...
Many people suffer from this disease and it can be quite debilitating and while not necessarily life threatening, it can interfere with a person’s quality of life, affect personal relationships, careers and even one’s hopes and dreams. Waidle (sometimes known as...
When we were little kids we all used to like to play with kids our own age. An older child playing with younger kids was considered weird. Many folks carry this into adulthood. I suggest that you learn to play with people of different age groups. I frequently have...
"Fictional characters like Professor Kingsfield of The Paper Chase have contributed to an image of the quintessential law school professor who puts a student in the “hot seat” and delves into what seems like an intimidating and almost torturous line of inquiry. This...
"Your Story can change someone else's" You, Yes you! can make a LOT of difference in someone's lives merely by practicing the LOT principle. Listen, Observe, Tell Does the name George Bailey ring a bell? He was the main character in the perennial classic...
“When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars. This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius , Age of Aquarius” If you identified with these lyrics this message is for you. If you...
"Oooh, I would never do Facebook - it's dangerous!" Walking across the street is dangerous, life itself is dangerous. OLD is about not trying new things. My purpose in these musings is to help folks from being OLD. (OLD is the opposite of the wise sage we...
November 22, 2013. Of those of us alive in the United States, there are three events that will forever be “where were you”. They are Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy Assassination and nine eleven. Those who remember Pearl Harbor are now in their late 70s and beyond. ...
The question for today: How to impart wisdom to those following behind without sounding like a know it all grumpy old person. I started this blog when I celebrated my 70th birthday. My challenge for the BIG birthday was a two week trip down the Colorado River...
Do you ever have days when your life sucks? I don't mean big momentous tragic events like a health problem, serious relationship issues or, God forbid, a car collision or other disaster. No, I mean just one of those days where you have what we may call the blahs,...
The space needle is painted orange these days – homage to the days of its beginning when it was the symbol for the 1962 World’s Fair. It was a symbol for the future, looking forward to the next century. For me the Space Needle will always have a different meaning. ...
In case you didn’t know it, we in the Seattle area have been snowed in for a week. I was going to write about how Facebook kept me connected. I was keeping up with friends, enjoying videos from friends who were “stranded” in L.A. and had to drive up the coast to...
As I converse with people in different fields I often hear myself say "I've done that". It does seem like I have had a lot of jobs. Today I decided to list the jobs I have had for pay. These are pretty much in chronological order although I sometimes revisited...
I said I was going to blog. I actually published some posts and some got reposted. Good grief I even have some followers. Now what? I participated in a thirty day challenge to blog every day. I lasted four days. Now what? I made a commitment that I would continue...
One of my favorite children's books is Alexander and the Horrible Terrible Very Bad Day. Maybe you have read it? It begins with Alexander declaring "I woke up this morning with gum in my hair and I knew it was going to be a horrible terrible very bad day" He then...
I love to browse cookbooks and magazines about cooking. I subscribe to Cooks Illustrated and and even watch the Food Network at the gym. (OK, I did that three times but it sounds good) I imagine the wonderful dinner parties I will have. In the meantime I eat...
"Aging is mandatory. Getting old is optional" has become my mantra. Granted I am being opinionated here which is a prerogative of being a sage, which I intend to be. So here goes my own opinion grounded in careful research while moving around my community and...
I don't want to be disparaging to old people. I just don't want to be one of them. If you are reveling in being old, go for it. I choose not be. So here are some more irreverent ways not be old. TECHNOLOGY Please don't run from technology. You learned how to use...
Glamour, Vogue, W, Cosmopolitan, Savvy. We expected it of them. But MORE -- the magazine for mature women? They all do fashion and makeup articles for looking good at any age. Really? ANY age? Rarely do they even go to 60. As the baby boomers are now in their...
Six months ago I started this blog with the idea of memorializing my countdown to the end of my sixties. I added one more post shortly after the first when I found my mentor and writing coach had pushed me out of the nest by publishing my post to her 800 nearest and...
Feel the fear and do it anyway. So they say. What do they know anyway? It usually takes a good friend to push you into the water, or off the couch. I have just had a friend give me that push. I have been outed. For some time I have been tinkering around with...
"My financial plan only needs to go to seventy because that's all the longer I plan to live" A financial planner quoting a client I was quite taken by this comment from a financial planner sitting on a panel with me on retirement planning. It was a...
But you don't look ________(that old) Gloria Steinem is one of my heroines. She came into my life at just the right time. When she turned 40, it was unheard of for a woman of such years to admit her age. She did. People kept telling her that she didn't look forty....
Yesterday the first baby boomer turned 65. I'm ahead of the curve. I'm not exactly a member of "the greatest generation". (Never mind that I was born in the wrong county for that). I'm apparently five years older than the oldest boomer, yet that is where I feel I fit....
