The challenges are only going to get bigger As my birthdays ticked by, I decided my goal was to “age gracefully.” Little did I know how hard it would be to achieve that goal. Years ago, my best friend, Helen, was twenty years older than I, and when she retired…

First Among Many Because of Her Honesty Once upon a time, a noted social platform announced a writing contest that drew more than 10,000 essays. Days after entering, I decided to join the platform and write there. Thus, I began an unexpectedly arduous learning curve. …

Lawn, pasture, ocean, desert… all speak to our primitive selves — I never go barefoot anymore; my feet are too tender. It has been decades since my feet had that end-of-summer toughness from many long days of going barefooted everywhere. As a child I practically lived outside. My mother taught me names of birds, trees, and wildflowers; Dad gave me a…

So Many Apps, So Many Options These days even Microsoft gets into the act; the software recently reminded me of photos stored on its cloud. Heck, I did not know I had put photos out there (up there?) on its cloud. When did I do that? Of course, Facebook has…

Capturing Views with My iPhone Often on Saturdays, I meet a friend, and we stroll along the boardwalk that parallels the low dunes that front our beach. We take a few steps and stop and talk; we walk a little way further and repeat. We take the path leading up…

Discrimination is Real, And It Hurts — It was a long time ago on a perfect June day in sunny southern California. Four of us left the office and set off for a bittersweet goodbye lunch. We had chosen a newly opened, upscale restaurant for the occasion. As we parked, it was clear that it was a…