Things I’m lucky to have survived — People who know me think I’m smart. And by standard measures — academic grades, SAT scores, the intelligence tests I didn’t even know I was taking in early elementary school — they’re correct. I am genuinely interested in people, which leads to a fortunate tendency: At social gatherings, I’m more…

It might be the most responsible thing we can do as we age — My late husband’s mother lived well into her 90s, and she did it with a lot of class. She set up a charitable organization, was active in her church, and helped newcomers from Armenia, her family’s country of origin, acclimate to American culture. But when I was much younger, what…

She spent the rest of her life trying to abolish the holiday — The woman who created Mother’s Day never married and never had children of her own. She was described by the press as a “spinster” with all the negative connotations that term carried. Anna Jarvis didn’t care. It all started at her mother’s grave. She’d been remembering attending her mothers Sunday…

Okay, we’re not exactly terrorized. More like curious — A UFC has been captured on film near where I live Last week, while checking my local Nextdoor feed — no doubt you’re familiar with Nextdoor.com, the app that allows you to exchange neighborhood gossip online — I came across a video posted by someone in our ‘hood. Captured by their movement-sensitive security cam, the UFC (Unidentified Furry Critter) ambles across…

With Chat GPT, there’re more than 50 ways to leave your lover — Even when you know it’s right, having to dump somebody sucks The only thing worse is being the dumpee, but at least then you’re the one people feel sorry for. When it’s you who has to be the one severing ties, there’s just no good way to say it. All you can look forward to is a stinky stew of guilt…

Four things you can do to ease your mind and soften your landing — It happened so fast One moment I was walking along, enjoying a rare sunny day in the midst of a long winter. The next, I was splayed inelegantly on the sidewalk, stunned and bruised and not entirely sure how I’d gotten there. Blame a patch of black ice on the sidewalk, or my inattention…

Who everyone thought was a man — In Goldrush California, stagecoach drivers were rock stars During the states’ early, rough-and-tumble years, getting from points like San Jose to Oakland, Stockton to Mariposa, and especially the hair-raising route over Mount Madonna to Santa Cruz, was no joke. Roads were unpaved and uncertain in bad weather, and highway robbery wasn’t just an expression. Drivers with enough skill…

Especially ours! Here’s why — If you’re not listening to podcasts, it’s high time to start A recently released study conducted by Edison Research and NPR says that, when it comes to podcasts, a whole lot of folks 55 and over haven’t gotten with the program. The study is called “Hit Play, Boomer! Podcasting’s Age 55+ Opportunity.” Hey, don’t blame me, I’m just the messenger. But…

Especially if you’re part of the Baloney Generation (read on) — In her 96 years, my mother never once darkened the door of a gym Neither did my husband’s mother, and she lived to approximately the same age as mine. Nor did either of them ever hire a personal trainer or wear a fitness tracker, and they certainly never bothered to calculate their BMI, their RMR, or their body composition. So why do I do…