Commentary
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“We don’t stop playing because we get old. We get old because we stop playing.”–GB Shaw
When was the last time you played or did something spontaneous that wasn’t scripted? Maybe you hung upside down on the monkey bars, flew a kite or pulled a harmless prank on someone. Most adults do not play enough. When I ask clients when they last did something fun, many say, “I don’t remember.” But ‘all work… Read more
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MOTHERS: WHERE WOULD BE WITHOUT THEM?
For two years, I’ve watched a pair of eagles mate and brood. Last year, Jackie waited weeks for her eggs to hatch. When they didn’t, she tried again. This year, three hatched but only two chicks survived. Through inclement weather and attacks by predators, she and Shadow have ceaselessly protected and nurtured them. Soon, the… Read more
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MARK YOUR TERRITORY
Waiting for a restroom in New York City recently, this sign caught my attention. I recognized the man and woman, but thought the middle symbol was a sink with a mirror. Two 20-something women waiting behind me, began talking about the sign. So, I listened. “Oh my God, the woman’s top looks like an electrical outlet. Like you… Read more
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OLD IS NOT OVER. . .
Yesterday, the produce man was explaining to a woman how to tell when mangos are ripe. “The more wrinkled they get, the sweeter they are,” he assured her. “Just like me!” I piped up. They both looked over but neither got it. Interestingly, science says that time does make us kinder. Soon, I’ll be the nicest person on Earth!!… Read more
Adult Aging, Advice, aging, books, Commentary, fiction, Humor, Inspiration, lucy, Philosophy, romance, writing -
INVISIBLE STRINGS
I have had a recurring dream since the age of 5. I’m in a schoolyard with other children and trying to climb up a fence. The teacher is yelling at me to, “Come Down!” With immense mental effort, I begin to rise very slowly. My feet hover just above the teacher’s outstretched hands. It takes… Read more
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JUDGE THE COVER, MISS THE BOOK
Just when I think I’m seeing things clearly, I get thrown a curve ball. As I enter the produce section of Trader Joe’s, there is a man fondling the bananas. Yes, fondling. He eventually pulls off only one. I’m intrigued. His clothes are ill fitting and shabby and the seat of his trousers seems oil… Read more
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LIGHT IT UP
As a therapist, I’ve seen my share of suicides, psychotics, schizophrenics and other tortured souls: Men and women abusing each other or themselves. Couples with unrealistic expectations of their partners. Addicts unable to stop using drugs, eating food or watching porn and a populace that has seemingly lost its’ purpose. Recently, a teenager told me… Read more
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RANDOM OR RIGGED?
My neighbor saw this hole in my tree and thought I drilled it. I explained a woodpecker made it. When he still looked at me quizzically, I replied, ‘I watched him do it.’ Sometimes the conclusions we draw have no connection to the truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that if you said, ‘rabbit rabbit,’ the… Read more
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TO DREAM PERCHANCE TO SLEEP
I used to think of sleep as ‘nothingness,’ and a waste of time. I never even napped for fear of what I might be missing. Now I’ve learned that I was missing a lot. I also thought 8 hours of sleep was just fine. However, after using my Oura sleep-tracker, I found I was only… Read more
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OUT OF THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT
In this uncertain time, transparency-not invisibility-would be prudent. Yet, I feel I’m living among shadow people: those who share so little of themselves that they barely seem there as if I could pass my hand right through them. They are afraid to express their opinions, trust no one, monitor their doorbell cameras and phones, and remove their… Read more
AGEFULLY AGING 