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Most of us own too much. On top of that, we usually have distinctive taste. So, it’s inevitable that while we appreciate receiving gifts, we don’t always like or need everything we receive, especially as we age and are trying to downsize and get rid of lots of stuff!  What can we do? It’s simple. Regift (or in some cases donate). However, there is a downside to this ploy. We worry the recipients will find out. Yet, heh, heh, we do it anyway.  Fortunately, we have in our inner circle a top pro who shares tips on how to do so...

Grief seems to be the topic de jour. It’s everywhere. Anderson Cooper’s new podcast, “All There Is” touches on his grief from the deaths of his father when he was 10, his brother who committed suicide and his famous mother Gloria Vanderbilt who died not that along ago. Her passing inspired the podcast as he sorted through her belongings and had to decide what to keep and what to let go.  Stephen Colbert, comedian, writer, producer, political commentator and television host, counseled Cooper, who said he is still trying to understand his grief. Colbert, whose own father died when he was...

We hear stories all the time; some might even call them gossip. This is defined as “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.”  Michelle (Obama) who writes an entire chapter on friendship and her valued Kitchen Table (of friends) in her new book, The Light We Carry, isn’t really as good a friend as she claims, says one friend of ours who lives in Chicago where Michelle grew up. How does she know, we ask? She replies that one of her friends knows her well and said so. It...

  Right now, it’s tough to be positive with so many existential stresses affecting us. In our personal lives, we have control over how we feel, what we choose to do and how we relate to others. That’s why we are campaigning for more “yesses” in our lives.   This doesn’t preclude the fact that there are times when a “no” is highly acceptable and better for us emotionally, financially or logistically. Barbara cites an example when someone she barely knows asked if she could have one of her free gym passes. She was surprised and quickly replied, “I’m sorry,...

We know you’ve heard us loud and clear talking about the delicate matter of hearing loss.  We each have our own way of dealing with this deficit. Most of us are in complete denial. We avoid dealing with it because: We despise the look of hearing aids stuck behind our ears. Hearing aids shout loudly to those who see us—there’s an old person. The price tag sends our blood pressure soaring.  The reality is we must face our aging demons and hearing is a biggie.  It’s hard to pinpoint how our hearing went south. Often these kinds of things happen...