A few months ago, Zoom was foreign to me and I rarely used Skype and FaceTime. Virtual teaching was something I’d occasionally thought about but dismissed it as too cumbersome or impersonal. Really, I’m a technophobe. Then the pandemic hit and virtual classrooms sprung up everywhere. The only way to teach was online.
Bare Basics by Judy Martin
Settling in for the Long Haul by Debbie Leaman
While I vacillate between stretches of calm and momentary bursts of panic, it’s taken an earthquake in Salt Lake City, on top of a global pandemic to wake me up. The message for me now, more than ever, is to be “in the moment.”
While the earthquake put us all on edge (understatement of the year), it was a huge lesson: I can’t predict what’s going to happen today, tomorrow or a month from now. With a few aftershocks fresh in my mind, I can’t predict what’s going to happen five minutes from now. I need to just remember to breathe and remain in the present moment.
"This is a Good Time to Stop Fighting Anxiety" by Laura Turner, The New York Times
In normal times, I have anxiety; I’m an expert on worrying about the future, ruminating about the “what ifs?’ and worst-case scenarios. The “Coronavirus Symptoms Checklist” is on my desk. While I’ve never been obsessive about germs or washing hands, now I question everything I touch — handling mail, swiping my credit card, or going shopping becomes fraught with danger. (Please don’t get me started on the gentleman who was coughing behind me at the grocery store a few days ago.) I won’t list who I’m worried about because honestly, it’s every single person on the planet.
Online Dating For Seniors by Karen Hayes
At age seventy, I signed up with a matchmaking website for seniors. If you haven’t tried online dating (and it was all new to me), the first hurdle for a woman ‘over a certain age’ is to get past the idea that meeting someone online is too much of a fringe thing, and that goes against everything our generation was warned about.
But if you decide to give it a try, here are some things to consider. First, you’ll need a ‘handle’ for your profile. Remember the days of truckers on their CB radios using nicknames like GoodBuddy and RubberDuck? ’ Well, a dating site is like that. So how do you choose a name for yourself that gets attention without being . . . what? . . . too coy, as in Needaknight? Too suggestive, like Sweet&Low? Too anything?
I'm Going South . . . No Moving Van Required By Cathy Love
It started with the one-inch black chin hair I found. Yes, on my chin. It started on the chin bone but wrapped itself underneath the chin, almost in hiding or to save me from the horror of well, finding it. I mean, why stay married if your husband cannot identify these points of interest? Clearly his protective gene has aged out.
Why Does No One Ever Tell You How Brilliant Ageing Can Be? By Suzanne Moore
Dream, Dream, Dream . . . By Lois Maxson
Three young people, three different dreams, and one aging American tourist.
I heave my carry-on into the overhead bin and prepare to settle into my seat, when I realize I now have a seat mate. When I checked in online the night before, there was no one assigned to the window. As I comment on this fact, the young man with clear azure blue eyes and a length of pale blonde hair sweeping across his face grins. “I’m here now, he says. “Would you like the window seat?”
“No,” I reply, “my cranky joints prefer the extra room the aisle gives me.”
Studying Sea Snakes? Time to Call the ‘Fantastic Grandmothers’ by Annie Roth
“A group of snorkeling seniors has helped scientists collect data about greater sea snakes in New Caledonia.” New York Times, November 30, 2019
Many thanks to my cousin Betsy who sent me this wonderful article by Annie Roth in The New York Times. As Betsy said, “Some buoyant and creative aging!” Read on and you’ll agree.
Who Were You . . . And Who Are You Now? By Mary Prior
(This piece was in response to a writing prompt from the workshop, “Creative Aging: Re-Imagining Your Life.” Participants were asked the simple question: Who were you and who are you now?)
I WAS as skinny, shy child, a dreamer. I was a would-be artist, and according to my early teachers, I was a poor reader. Thus labeled, I feared failure.
I AM a reserved adult, not shy, but quiet and observant. I am an excellent reader. I read for information and for relaxation and maybe sometimes for escape. I have taken many university classes, and although not degreed, I believe that my education may be a “little north of average.”
Silver Pen Award Winners!
Silver Pen Writing Award Partners, Salt Lake County Aging & Adult Services and the SLCC Community Writing Center, invited all older adults to participate in the 2019 Silver Pen Writing Contest by writing and submitting their own essay or poetry based on: ""A Story I Haven't Told You . . . "
To read the winning essays and poems, click here.
Grandparenting 101 by Holly Webster
Going to Gran’s and Granddaddy’s house was both an outing ripe for exploration and cause for an eight-year-old to yawn and fidget. My time see-sawed between my clandestine attic and basement explorations looking for treasures and mind-numbing, endless adult conversations. But Gran and Granddaddy adored me, chuckling often at my antics and grabbing me for a squeeze. As I cartwheeled through the living room, Gran was always reminding me to be a little lady. “Ugh. Little Lady? How boring,” I protested.
"Redoing the Undone" A One Woman Show in Salt Lake !
Kathy Feigal is a published poet (thanks to Art Access and the Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons). She’s sung with Utah Opera, written for Catalyst Magazine and acted in local theater productions. Other careers include: realtor, teacher, banker, massage therapist, home renovator . . . "like Sinatra, I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate and a poet.” She’s proud to announce that she recently turned 70.
Watch Kathy’s video montage, Lines ("Loving the lines of time and nature”), by clicking here.
Do you have a personal essay, poem or thoughts on aging you'd like to share? If so, I'd love to read it. Send it my way!
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Writing Prompt #6 What Are You Curious About?
What are you curious about?
As we get older, we have a wonderful opportunity to open up ourselves to our own curiosity. Creating more space and expansiveness in our lives allows us to figure out our priorities and listen to that inner voice, that quiet but persistent whisper that wants to try something new — perhaps research Egyptian history, travel to Bangkok or Baton Rouge, learn how to make pastry dough or play the piano, volunteer with immigrants or run for political office. Whatever it is, you owe it to yourself to stop and listen.
“What Have You Gained as You've Aged?" A Writing Prompt Response
Back in May, I posted the following quote by Viktor Frankl "Why are we so obsessed with what we lose as we age, and unclear about what we gain?” and asked you to take a few minutes to write down what you’ve gained as you’ve aged. A dear friend of mine took this to heart and wrote a list of what she gained as she’s become older. She prefers to remain anonymous, which, BTW, is always an option if you want to post! Below are her thoughts:
Being Forgetful Can Actually Make You Smarter, A Hyperreal Nude Redefining Beauty, and Aging Hippies in “Hair”
Reluctant Planning By Debbie Leaman
Lake O'Hara, British Columbia - Photograph by Howard Leaman
“Even a cloudy day in the mountains is beautiful.”
- Howard Leaman
Howard Leaman, MD is a retired Sleep and Occupational Medicine physician, and in the winter, a ski instructor at the Alf Engen Ski School at Alta, Utah. Read about his journey into retirement: “Retirement: Diving Into Danger.”
Do you have a personal essay, a photograph or poem on aging you'd like to share? If so, I'd love to see it. Send it my way! Together, we can continue to build an online community - a forum to share our stories and images on aging.
Join the mailing list for info on upcoming workshops, writing prompts and blog updates.
I Remember Cars By Jan O'Neill
It is a peaceful storm, snow drifting and floating, lulling me into memories. Years past, fall away like lazy snowflakes. I drink coffee and reminisce about you, my sister. My older sister whom I loved to be with, who took me on adventures before my time. I remember cars. So many memories. So many questions. What has become of you and me and those cars from way back when?