Retirement means a lot of things to me. Above all else, it means freedom. — Thanks to Nancy Peckenham’s excellent article on what being retired means, or doesn’t mean, I’m thinking long and hard about what the word means to me. What Do You Mean You’re Retired? Isn’t it time we called it by a new name?medium.com In a nutshell, I feel like I’m finally living, finally in a position to do what I want when I want. Unfortunately, my body…

Was I presumptuous to think an altered appearance is anti-aging? — [Note: I have no affiliation with any of the external (that is, non-Medium) links in this essay.] Not too long ago I got miffed that Nicole Kidman was flashing finely sculpted arms on a magazine cover. …

That might be the question but there’s more afoot. — January turned out to be a real bust when it came to writing. I had started the Smokelong Fitness Group in earnest but quickly lost my will to write. I submitted two pieces to my group for feedback, but I’m not sure if either is worth working on further. …

A case study of ageism and sexism in the doctor’s office — Background I’ve been tolerating chronic neck pain for about a year now; sometimes suffering, but mostly tolerating it because my pain threshold is relatively high. I’ve done all the things: chiropractor, physical therapy, x-ray, primary physician, MRI, orthopedic surgeon, cortisone shot, and pain medications (over-the-counter and prescription).

Facing a new year while grieving isn’t easy, but turning away from Life would hurt more than help. — Happy New Year, everyone, and here we all are once again. It’s been several weeks since I last published on Medium. As many of you already know, the last six months of 2022 were rather hellish for me and my family. Both of my sisters died unexpectedly as well as…

My sister thought she was invincible. — In less than six months, I’ve lost both of my sisters. On July 1, 2022, my sister Shirley passed. And now, my sister Charlotte. Charlotte passed away on November 25, 2022. In the last few weeks, she went from being full of energy and living independently to needing oxygen 24/7…

Does it matter if you don’t have a purpose? — Recently, I agreed to participate in a university research project to study the impact of exercise on cognition among older (60+) adults. During my first study visit, I was to rate a list of statements by the degree to which the statements described me. These kinds of exercises leave me…

And how apt that also fixed in time is a momma bird feeding her baby. — My bedroom wall calendar still displays the month of June 2022 along with an image of an adult Brown Thrasher feeding a baby. Brown Thrashers are large birds with soft brown feathers and black-streaked white underparts. They forage on the ground for worms and insects. …

Crow’s Feet Prompt #19 — When I was about ten years old, my favorite TV show was That Girl with Marlo Thomas. Oh, how I envied Ann Marie and how she could live alone in her own apartment, answerable only to herself. I even told my mother how much I looked forward to being like…