WOW: Women's Older Wisdom
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March 2024
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Family

Debunking “Successful Aging”

I rankle whenever I hear the term, “successful aging,” which has become the Boomers’ mantra.  I take issue because it implies there is a right and wrong way to age.  Successful aging is defined in terms of a self-centered wellness regime as opposed to a compassionate focus on the elder’s wisdom years, where giving back to society [...]

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My Family Drama

Ram Dass: “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” This quote came back to haunt me after spending Memorial Day weekend with my family. As my plane descended into Chicago’s O’Hare airport, I was filled with anticipation for my granddaughter’s high school graduation and for our first family reunion after [...]

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The Pleasures of Age

GUEST POST by EDWARD MOONEY Age is a time for looking back— on a life, on a family; on a vocation, a profession. It’s a time for pleasant memories from the past and also for present day by day enjoyments— enjoying a community orchestra, a choir, an invitation to lunch or dinner. It’s a time to phone family, to walk for a cappuccino, [...]

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Coping with COVID Anxiety

Truth-telling time:  I don’t always follow (some days barely at all) the COVID coping suggestions I’ve offered in recent WOW blogs. When this happens it’s because pandemic anxiety gets the upper hand, casting me into an irrational mind set. Here’s a sampling from this past weekend when I fell off the wagon, or when my anxiety had [...]

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Adventure with My Father-in-Law

GUEST POST by JANET WEIL “You’re taking your walker, right?” I kept my voice low-key, but I really wanted my 98-year-old father-in-law to use his “Cadillac” four-wheeler for our short walk. “I guess so,” Bob replied, and we set out for our lunch date, the monthly gathering of Yale alumni in Portland, Oregon. Knowing my interest [...]

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The Trap of Being a Strong Woman

A neighbor, an elderly woman, who’s been through the mill caring for a husband with Alzheimer’s is referred to as a “strong woman.”  I know several Maine women, well into their ‘70’s and ‘80’s, who have carved out self-sufficient rural lifestyles, including chopping their own wood. They too are called “strong women.”  [...]

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Coming into My Own at 60

GUEST POST by TONI KIEF The day I turned sixty I collided with a shocking revelation. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up! I was single again, living alone and on my way to meet my women friends for vodka and cake. The thought wouldn’t stop; it kept repeating. I drove to the party, and took inventory.  At eleven I wanted [...]

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