Carol's Reflections

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 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

The Tethered Boat

A few years ago, Dan and I bought a little houseboat. Dan sees it as a vehicle for adventure, captain of the high seas, although with an old engine that burns hot, we don’t go far from shore. Because of the boat, we have transformed Nashville’s humid summers from something

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

Caring–Intensively: 10/26/17

When we come into age, we aspire to be accepting of change, but it’s complicated. I write this from first-hand experience, several months after an incident that landed me in the ER. I’m fine now—but acutely distrustful of anything at my age that reeks of excessive vitality. It is as