Life is a two-way trip. That becomes more apparent as I age. On the one hand, I notice skin getting looser and muscles getting softer. My brain has to work harder to remember things and I must take care of joints to avoid unnecessary pain. At the same time, there are inner changes that are transforming the way I experience life. …
When you reach a certain age, you may feel like you’re grown up. You’ve completed your education and passed the stage of life characterized by growth. But the truth is, you grow every day for as long as you live. Even after you’ve gotten as tall as you’ll ever be, you keep growing. Your cells continue to regenerate. Your hair, though …
Pain is something we too often have to live with as we get older. Whatever part of the body it’s radiating from, pain can disrupt sleep, normal activities, and our peace of mind. How can we cope with pain when it hogs all of our attention and seems to take over our life? Last week, I discussed the pain I had in …
When I get a message from three different sources, I tend to pay attention. In a recent issue of O magazine, there was a piece in which Katie Arnold-Ratliff described doing some really dumb things. Instead of agonizing over her blunders, she learned to shrug them off and chalk it up to being part of life. In the Guide for Spiritual …
There are times when we might worry about the future. Especially as that future becomes shorter. In my wellness classes we spend time talking about what most troubles the older women in the group. The number one concern that is brought up is not knowing what the future will bring. Some women describe being worried about what may happen to their …
Sometimes we flounder in an effort to figure out who we are at this stage of life. As someone who has always been driven, who always sought challenging work and opportunities to advance, this time of life has thrown me a curve ball. It seems that much of what I had used to identify myself is falling away. Joan Chittister writes …
Sometimes getting older sucks. I know I am known for being an uplifting motivator, but let’s get real. Sometimes this whole aging thing really sucks. Like when loved ones make their transition. Like when you wake up with another part of your body in pain. Like when it looks like there’s nothing but trouble ahead. Superficial things, like seeing new wrinkles …
It’s funny how sometimes the things you’ve said come back to haunt you as if they were a brand-new message. I was listening to Rev. Michael Beckwith’s weekly radio program when I heard him interview Elisa Romeo, a licensed therapist and spiritual intuitive who helps people discover their soul contract or life purpose. In the 1980s, I followed the New Age …
Never mind how many years you have been alive. Forget about what you did yesterday. The past has no power over you, unless you allow it. You don’t have to be restricted by what you have done before. You are not defined by who you used to be. Stop worrying about your future. Drop the habit of imagining possible horrors or …
Between 2010 and 2011, I interviewed women over 60 to understand their experience of aging and the impact their religious beliefs had on how well they aged. It was a study conducted for my doctoral dissertation on spirituality and aging. I wanted to understand how someone’s faith impacted their experience as they aged. The results were amazing. I conducted in-depth interviews …
