Observations of an Octogenarian Optimist — 1 — Start positive. Finding one hopeful thing to focus on can kick-start anybody’s day, especially when there’s not a lot of hopeful going around. Finders keepers. 2 — Pay attention to Mother Nature. The planet needs help: turn off the water, turn the thermostat down if it’s winter and…

The sky is falling! Breaking news! Our fragile democracy in peril!! Life still feels shaky. Even without those constant, frenetic tweets threatening to alter the course of world events in moments, truth competes with fake news. Long-established rights and laws are questioned — or disappear before our eyes. …

This essay appears on the blog page of End of Life Choices CA, a nonprofit which I am proud to serve as a volunteer and board member. Perhaps you’ll visit the site, or at least find a little food for thought here. When is being comfortable and pain-free not a…

Nearly 70 years ago I survived an amateur abortion. On a kitchen table in a drab house in a down-at-the-heels neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. On a dreary February morning, the loneliest day of my life. Victim of workplace rape by a prominent man who had enormous power over me, I…

Early Friday morning — OK. But after, say, 11 AM, either convince yourself you’ll be fine until Monday or just go ahead and drink the hemlock. It will save untold humanoid hours. Medical providers provide only sketchily after Friday noon. By Saturday morning, forget it. They’ve all gone to the…

A story of unlikely intersections — The young stranger was covered with tattoos: arms, legs, neck, almost every available inch of exposed skin. He sat across the room from Lynn, a painter, podcaster and member of an upscale senior community. Because she never got his name (this is an un-embellished true story) we’ll call him Joe. …

Ummm, what do we really believe? — “Surefire cure for erectile dysfunction!” “Lose 10 pounds this week!” “Lower your A1C!” “XYZ Brand cured my (fill in the blank)!” The ads bombarding you 24-hours a day via the internet, TV, social media and every known pathway all have one goal: to get you to buy their product. Some…