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 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.

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

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

Growing Through Life Together

For Dan on His Birthday My husband Dan and I have been together since we were twenty-one. That’s a lot of years and a lot of growing through life side by side. We have stood together through all manner of life stage, from building careers, raising children and welcoming grandchildren,

On Turning 70

Older, Wiser, Fiercer: 1/30/2018 Over the years, I’ve come to embrace aging as a gift and privilege: the growing freedom, the welcomed lessening of ego, the early signs of wisdom. Then turning 70 snuck up on me. Things began simply enough, making plans to celebrate my milestone birthday. But it

At the Gates

The soul “judges itself by choosing, in accord with the character formed during its life on earth, which sort of an afterlife it shall have.” –Aldous Huxley The old woman stood before the guarding angel, so many tears welling in her eyes that she could not read the letters

Stumbling towards Thanks 11/21/17

In light of the relentless parade of daily headlines, this passing year has been one of disappointment, regret, revelation, righteous indignation and painful moments of truth. And yet, here comes Thanksgiving again, making seemingly impossible demands on us this time around. At least, unlike last year, this time there isn’t