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You get a medical report with troubling results. A friend gets very ill or dies or has a life-changing accident. You hear that someone close to you has been blindsided and is getting a divorce. You learn that a neighbor made a major financial mistake and will need to move and change their lifestyle fast. These are all wake-up calls.  Life does not go in a straight trajectory; it can meander and change in a nanosecond, as Joan Didion wrote in her book, The Year of Magical Thinking, after her husband’s sudden death.  It happens all the time, and sometimes...

As we begin to plan late spring and summer trips here, there, and everywhere that are exotic, adventurous or beautiful, what about staying put and exploring all we can do in our own city, suburbs or even neighborhood? Each of us can be a tourist in our own backyard. It’s close, easy to get to, less costly and conveniently right under our noses!  Recently, Barbara, new to Baltimore, went to see the blooming cherry blossom trees by Ft. McHenry and within view of the former, now damaged, Key Bridge. There weren’t as many trees as in Washington, D.C., but there...

Spring awakens our senses. Many of us step out into the longer, brighter days with greater enthusiasm. We spend less time on our phones or watching the oft-depressing news. We find good reasons to get up and get outdoors. The smell of flowers and freshly cut grass is intoxicating. The sight of trees with buds, shop doors flung open to let in fresh air, people on park benches reading articles, talking or drawing, people eating outdoors after long winter hibernations and taking longer strolls or even running, the jingle of an ice-cream truck and the sound of water trickling in...

"MOM. How could you?" We hear it all the time from our kids when they are upset with some Mom-ism we've said or something we've done. We might answer with this Mom-ism, "I do not need you telling me what to do!" But we try not to get defensive and reply that way. We put on our armor, try to smile and suck it up as we’ve learned the best Moms do.  Why do such sayings spill forth so readily like emotions after years of silence? It may be because we heard our aging mothers say this retort when we...

Are there days when you feel your brain is on vacation? Welcome to the club. On those days, we might do some foolish things. You forget whether you brushed your teeth or took your morning meds. You walk into your closet, forget why you’re there and emerge with nothing. You constantly drop stuff, like your makeup or pills, then crawl around on the floor to find them and hope you can see whatever you’re looking for.  Do you forget the name of something and use vowel sounds and grunts or worse expletives to help you remember? Does it help or...