Carol's Reflections

The Grace in Aging

Getting lost in your emotional reactivity isn’t where you want to be. –Ram Dass I want to apologize, right off the bat, for all those years and years of lunches, phone conversations and long walks in parks together in which I complained endlessly about my mother. When she passed, my

The Force of Character

Thanksgiving week: turkey in a bubble, loved ones on Zoom and despite hope for the future, still having to turn the news off most of the time. And yet, there is so much to be grateful for. Of course, there are friends and family, a roof over our heads and

The Friendly Mirror

I woke up this morning and the mirror was not friendly. There was an old woman staring back at me. So I pulled out every jar, stick and tube and applied every trick in the book. Ah hah! I said when I was done. And there she was, an old

My Next Breath: Blog and Discussion

Hello Fierce Ones, Fall is seriously underway—the cycle of seasons providing a natural opportunity for introspection. For those of us who value turning inward, we find inspiration in what Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” But at our age and stage in life, it is also

The Gift of Years: Blog and Discussion

Hello Fierce Ones, I’m pleased to announce the next selection of the Conscious Aging Book Club: The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully by Joan Chittister. The discussion board opens today in the comment section below and culminates September 6 both online and in-person at 10:30 a.m., Parnassus Books, Nashville.

The December Project: Blog/Discussion

Hello Fierce Ones, I’m pleased to announce the next selection of the Conscious Aging Book Club: The December Project: An Extraordinary Rabbi and a Skeptical Seeker Confront Life’s Greatest Mystery by Sara Davidson. My blog inspired by the book follows. The discussion board opens today in the comment section below

The Examined Life: Blog and Discussion

Hello Fierce Ones, I’m pleased to announce the next selection of the Conscious Aging Book Club: Living an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey by James Hollis, Ph.D. The discussion board opens today in the comment section below and culminates July 5 both online and in-person

Personal Note: Angelica’s Last Breath

“Try to live with the part of your soul which understands eternity, which is not afraid of death. And that part of your soul is love.” –Leo Tolstoy Dear Friends of Older, Wiser, Fiercer, Over the past few years, many of you have given me valuable feedback on several of

Moses–Benched

When I speak before audiences, I often ask them to picture an old woman sitting alone on a park bench. Then I ask them to share the first image/thought/impulse that pops into their mind. The younger the audience, the more likely they are to feel sorry for the lonely woman

Seventy is Different*

Seventy is different than the sixties. How do I know? Because just two months ago, at the tender age of 69, the outcome I’m about to describe would have been very different. And the young nursing student who had been eavesdropping on my conversation with old friends at lunch may