Carol's Reflections

Journal of a Solitude

Ask me about the meaning of life, and I’ll have tons to say. Ask me if I’ve come to terms with mortality, and you’ll get a thoughtful answer complete with sub-texts. But the other day, someone asked me something that left me speechless. “Are you happy?” I wish I could

From Peter Pan to Sergeant Pepper: Revisiting 1969

Hello Fierce Ones! My blog today is an excerpt from the recently published Are You Still Listening? 1969 Stories & Essays by eight of us who were witnesses to this transformative year and who survived to tell the tale. Below is an excerpt of my contribution to the book. To

On the Brink of Everything

Ten years ago, at the age of 63 when I was fraught with the challenges of growing old in our ageist, dysfunctional society, I vowed to transform myself from victim to explorer. I viewed the far side of midlife as wild territory, full of dangerous unknowns, and saw that my

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

“The Measure of My Days”

“As we age we are more alive than seems likely, convenient or even bearable.” –Florida Scott-Maxwell, The Measure of My Days : Conscious Aging Book Club Selection May On the eve of my 70thyear I found more than a guide to hold my hand across the threshold—I found a soul

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

Time for Us to Face(book) the Music?

For 14 years, our generation has stuck with Facebook: invested our hearts and souls in it–while younger generations have largely bailed. For many of us as we’ve aged, Facebook has increasingly become a lifeline to the world. At a stage in our lives when our work and social communities are