September 11, 2022
by Dr. Dale V. Atkins Aging is part of life—so we are wise to embrace it. We are fortunate to be aging at a time when so much is known about what can help us age well. As you probably are well aware, there is strong scientific data that supports […]
June 30, 2022
A friend’s mother died. Not suddenly; she had been ill. But still, he was not “prepared.” Not exactly sure what “prepared” is. Even when the mind knows what is coming, the heart and the gut have a way of putting on the breaks. And upon hearing that a loved one […]
March 19, 2020
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), I am “old.” Not only that, I am “elderly.” WOW! I have spent my entire life keeping my mind, body, and spirit as healthy (and youthful) as possible. And I am still convinced that was (is) the right decision. These days, however, […]
November 4, 2019
Learning new things is good for our emotional and physiological health. Novel experiences stimulates the release of the chemical dopamine, and causes the brain to build connections among neurons. This is important as we age, for we can replace and activate some connections that we lose over time. The brain […]
October 2, 2019
Recently I visited Greece and was mesmerized by the amazing shapes and the knots formed over time in the olive trees. People have been cultivating olive trees for thousands of years BCE. As I walked through (and travelled beside) multiple groves I saw them as a metaphor for parenting and […]
April 30, 2019
Not long ago I lost a friend. And then another. And then…another. Still shaken by these losses, I was informed that a cousin had died. It was quite a five-day streak. The impact of this news left me so full of fear that I would receive more news of a […]
February 1, 2019
There is much wisdom that can come to us from those that live a long time. We each have the opportunity to observe elders and learn from them. In a culture that is so focused on youth it is possible to miss these significant life lessons. In most cultures around […]
November 30, 2018
“You’re not out of the woods yet.” said the doctor to the recovering patient. “You need to take things a bit slower for a while. Listen to your body; it will guide you to where you need to go.” Being “in the woods” is an experience unlike any other. […]
July 31, 2018
New Friends? There are many who believe that the friendships formed later in life are the ones that are truly the deepest. It certainly is not a competition between lifelong friendships and those made in the latter chapters of our lives, but developing new friendships as we age is […]
July 2, 2018
Finding Resilience as a Witness. Many of us have experienced trauma in our lives. When we witness other people who are experiencing trauma, our ability to be present for their situation may be heightened or compromised. Either way, we are often (whether for a moment or longer), thrown back into […]