After 23 years of marriage, I was finished. For the last nine of those years, I’d owned a house with a garden in East Tennessee where I grew herbs, perennials, wildflowers and vegetables. I gathered herbal bouquets and dried flowers. I was a member of … Continue reading
Are you by any chance an African-American widower living in Des Moines who loves gourmet cooking and pickleball? Or a Seattle barista, cancer survivor and gaming fanatic? Perhaps a Denver cannabis enthusiast, heli-skier and telenovela fan? Then there’s… Continue reading
If you’re into fitness, if you have a few pounds to lose or you’re just trying to live a bit healthier, you might already be using a fitness tracker. But whether you own the latest, snazzy wearable gadget or use a free app on your smartphone, you’re pr… Continue reading
(This story is part of a partnership between Next Avenue and Nature: American Spring LIVE, a three-day, multiplatform event live on April 29, 30 and May 1 on PBS and Facebook.) Prolific conservationist Rachel Carson, of Silent Spring fame, urged that … Continue reading
(Editor’s Note: This story is part of a partnership between Next Avenue and Nature: American Spring LIVE, a three-day, multiplatform event live on April 29, 30 and May 1 on PBS and Facebook.) “Absolutely spectacular.” Those are the two words that Andre… Continue reading
“It’s peaceful here, calm,” he’d say. “I have my books. I read the newspaper and listen to the radio. Of course, the news is no good. People are devising bigger and better ways to kill each other every day.” He’d sigh. We would sit facing each other in… Continue reading
Every 10 years, my husband and I undertake a long-distance walk somewhere in the world. The year I turned 30, Barry and I spent three weeks walking the Muktinath Trail in the Himalayas. When I was 40, we walked the four-day Inca Trail, ending at Macchu… Continue reading
Resilience. Authenticity. Bliss. These are important words in Mary Pipher’s new book Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age. And then there’s schlimmbesserung, a German word that means “to be worsened by improvement.” … Continue reading
Like many of us approaching retirement age, just hearing the word retirement triggers my anxiety, particularly when I hear experts say how much boomers my age should be saving. The fortunate boomers have cushions of 401(k)s, pensions and real estate. T… Continue reading
Three years ago, Oro Valley, Ariz. resident Sherry Circle felt completely isolated from the world. She was diabetic and weighed more than 300 pounds. “I was an athlete in high school,” explains 63-year-old Circle, who had to wear a CPAP machine at nigh… Continue reading