WARNING: Do Not Read if Your Pet is Healthy
My dog died. My husband and I can’t get off the ground. This is embarrassing to admit but I think if my living-far-away uncle died I would not feel as grief stricken. If you are already worried this could happen to you, stop reading! That’s a BBLB mandate. When my Jozy was healthy, frisky, and a little naughty, I couldn’t read pet obituaries on Facebook. And now, I’m writing one.
Grandmother’s Rules of Procedure
Grandparents, at least the non-judgmental ones can really be a help. Even if parts of us are dimming, grandparents are perfectly positioned to shine a light for their families, even if it’s only a flashlight.
If Only… I Loved the Life I Have
I was struck by how many “if onlys” I heard during a recent conversation with a long time friend.
What is the Key to Aging? Imagining a More Hopeful Future
Feeling control over our destinies is the best indicator of good health. It helps us imagine a more hopeful future. Adventures big and small can help us do that.
Do Our Personalities Change As We Age Into Our 60’s?
Do our personality types remain constant as we age? Research studies say they can change as we age into our sixties and beyond.
A Color-Coded Dating Trend
What is a beige flag? Social media sites describe it as the “odd habits of a romantic partner that fall somewhere between a green and a red flag.
A BBLB Book Launch and Birthday Bash
I celebrated my book’s publication and impending 70th birthday at a book launch hosted by a wonderful indie bookstore.
BBLB Book Launch
The subscribers to my Be Brave. Lose the Beige blog inspired me to weave some of my posts into a book. Be Brave. Lose the Beige: Finding Your Sass After Sixty, is being published by She Writes Press, the 2019 Indie publisher of the year and will be released May 16th.
Brother Time and Sister Space
Time is our God, and we are its flock of submissive followers. We worship at the feet of time, creating golden idols in the form of clocks and watches.
Lent: A Time to Venture Into Your Wilderness
While my illness may have prevented me from attending Ash Wednesday services this year, it may have brought about a different version of the start of the Lenten season
Love Letter to My Subscribers on Valentine’s Day
Thanks to the loyal support of my subscribers, my blog posts evolved into a book project. And today, Valentine’s Day, is the day my publisher, She Writes Press, is sending my book to print. Be Brave. Lose the Beige! Finding Your Sass after Sixty is scheduled to be released on May 16th.
Covid: The “Mayhem Guy”
Even though we were both “vaxxed to the max”, my husband and I still managed to contract Covid in early November of last year. I recently found a journal entry I wrote at the time, anthropomorphizing this unwelcome visitor.
The Charlevoix Nativity Scene
A precious nativity scene reminds me why it is worth the calorie burn to decorate for the holidays each year
Thankful on Thanksgiving
The only way to suspend the onslaught of time is by fully inhabiting the moments of our lives and being present. My day felt elongated yesterday, filled as it was with meaningful exchanges. I was and am grateful. A good way to usher in the Thanksgiving holiday.
Convening for Creativity
Eureka! Finally! Science and medicine are catching up with the arts! Members of these esteemed communities are now acknowledging that creativity is good for you in the same way physical exercise and good nutrition is.
I attended what was called a Convening for Creating Healthy Communities hosted and sponsored by the Pabst Steinmetz Foundation and University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine and the couple of weeks ago at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Orlando. Guess what I learned? An essential ingredient for a healthy community? The arts. All of them. Any of them.
Mini-Adventures Enrich the Spirit
Adventures don’t have to be big and bold. Adventures come in many sizes and forms and help us feel young again. I like taking mini-adventures that sometimes aren’t planned but thrust on you like when you are riding your bike in the afternoon and the summer rains make an unexpected appearance.
An Ode to Dogs on National Dog Day
National Dog Day is celebrated each year on August 26. The buoyancy our furry friends provide is balm for our Covid-weary spirits. Pets made great companions during the throes of the pandemic. I experienced separation anxiety when we felt brave enough to take our first trip (as I’m sure they did, too. “Wait, I thought we were BFFs, their imploring eyes and barks conveyed.)
What is Authentic Gratitude?
The “Gratitude” Industry must be huge. Countless books and journals focus on the topic, including titles such as The One Minute Gratitude Journal; Good Days Start with Gratitude, TheGratitude Journal for Men, The Gratitude Journal for Women (because of course gratitude differs across gender lines?), and The Psychology of Gratitude, to name just a few.
If You Want to Make God Laugh...
Dear God,
I hope miracles are still in your wheelhouse because I sure need a couple right now. I have been so sick for ten days. Please help me surrender my raggedy breath, snotty nose, and fierce, shuddering cough to your (hopefully) healing hands. I confess to having doubts right now about your very existence. Why would such a loving force subject her children to such misery?
#Saytheirnames: Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss
Happy 4th of July! Today is America’s day to celebrate our independence and the brave people who make it possible. I’ve been thinking about our democracy and freedoms of late as I have watched the January 6th House committee hearings. I’m pretty sure I’ve watched every minute of them. I guess semi-retirement affords me the luxury of flex time so I can watch the hearings at 2:00 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. I’m glad because it feels important. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it feels like the health of our democracy is at stake. These hearings have given me a measure of hope as brave Democrats and Republicans have stood up to protect our democratic processes.
Find a full index of all of the Be Brave. Lose the Beige! blog posts here