Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary died at 72 a few weeks ago. The group’s version of Forever Young has always seemed like a prayer or blessing to me, moreso as the decades pass. This song/prayer is dedicated to Mary… Read More ›
observations
Special ballad for sixty somethings
When I’m Sixty-four When I get older losing my hair, Many years from now, Will you still be sending me a valentine Birthday greetings bottle of wine? If I’d been out till quarter to three Would you lock the door,… Read More ›
Prayer, sort of
Some minister once facetiously defined four types of prayer: Thanks, Gimme, Wow, and Oops. Sometimes, though, sixty-somethings need a different sort of prayer to get them through the night. Hope Old spirit, in and beyond me, keep, and extend me. Amid… Read More ›
Optimist or Optimist
In her recent book Bright-sided, Barbara Ehrenreich objects to the culture’s dogged attempt to change all lemons, no matter how sour, into the most saccharine of lemonades. She points with disgust to the cockeyed optimists who refused to allow her to… Read More ›
New Friends
There’s some consensus out there that it’s hard to make new friends in your sixties: friendships have already been established and family responsibilities are legion. However, if new activities and an open mind invite a new friendship or two, the… Read More ›
Old friends, old friends
Old friends grow especially important in our sixties. They remember us and value us for who we were as well as who we are today. As Paul Simon put it: “…memory brushes the same years, Silently sharing the same fears.” While… Read More ›
Whistling Past the Graveyard
There are good obituary days and bad obituary days. The good ones are when most of the people who pass away are 90+ with grandchildren and great grandchildren, with names of progeny spilling into the next column. On the bad obituary days … Read More ›
Grok-ing as much as I can
As I proceed through my sixties, I seem to become better at grok-ing. To grok something is to understand it so profoundly that its nature is intuitively clear to you. When you grok someone you truly “get” them. You can grok… Read More ›
Happiness Is…Getting Older?
Apparently, advancing years often bring increased contentment. An article in the NYTimes of 7/14/08 summarizes the results of 50,000 interviews with Americans to see how they have changed over time. “One important finding was people who were biologically older are… Read More ›
Secret of Life
James Taylor is 61, born the same year I was- 1948. His mop of long hair and soulful eyes were featured on the cover of his first album. His eyes are still soulful but his hair is pretty much gone. … Read More ›
Now we are Sixty 