WOW: Women's Older Wisdom
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November 2024
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“Can’t we all just get along?”

This was Rodney King’s plea in 1992, when he was physically assaulted by the LA cops during that year’s race riots. Thirty-two years later American society still struggles to “get along.” Now it appears that Trump’s re-election [...]

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Spiritual Practices10

Listening to Elders

The passing down of elder wisdom is an honored tradition among cultures like the Natives Americans and the Japanese where elders are sought out for their sage advice. Unfortunately, this intergenerational exchange rarely happens in America’s youth-obsessed culture, which devalues elders and their lived experiences. But as more Americans [...]

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Facing My Fears of  Death

About seven months ago my beloved younger brother phoned to inform me he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  He assured me he was accepting of his diagnosis, adding that he and his wife had applied for companion-assisted suicide at the point when his memory loss makes it difficult for him to function. Once I got over the shock of my brother’s [...]

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Moving Out of My Funk

I was in a week long funk brought on by the starvation in Gaza, procrastination over filing my taxes, and a stalled writing project.  As I sat brooding, a little voice whispered that I should visit the Portland Art Museum.  As an art lover and modest collector, I often find art museums restorative. Fresh out of other ideas, I obeyed that [...]

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Aging Like A Wise Woman

Over coffee, a friend suggested that I write a blog offering guidelines for meaningful aging.  This week I’m taking her suggestion to heart. Here’s what I came up with: Honor Your Failures Reframe your “failures” as risks you took where you stuck your neck out.  Examine them for the lessons they presented and move on where you promise [...]

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Autumn Is My New Year

While New Year’s Eve is the traditional time for making resolutions, autumn is my new year.  Autumn’s entry into the darkness of winter beckons me to soul-search and reset my compass for the coming year.  This call is reinforced by having a fall birthday–one I proudly share with Jimmy Carter. This year I decided to do more than [...]

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Easing into Old Age

My grandmothers and mother lived well into their 80’s, transitioning into old age with only minimal complaints. While they followed healthy diets and exercised moderately, they didn’t obsess over their daily routines, or fret about their extra pounds or wrinkles. They simply didn’t stress about aging. Granted they lived at a time [...]

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Death Journaling

GUEST POST by FRANCESCA LYNN ARNOLDY* My Death Journal is a gift for my beloveds that I have been lovingly creating for many years. It’s meant for my end of life—whenever that occurs. My family members know of its purpose and where it lives. My Death Journal contains mementos, messages, song lyrics, poetry, quotes, wishes for care if and [...]

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Remembering Tina Turner – Beyond Suffering

GUEST POST by JORINDE VAN DEN BERG As I climb the three flights of stairs up to our condo, I think to myself, “Neither dragging up my groceries nor my weary old bones is something I will miss when we move into our single-level home in the 55+ community next month.” Recently, I have started feeling as if my powers are waning  and I can [...]

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How I Learned to Embrace Poetry

Because of the way I was introduced to poetry, it took me awhile to develop an appreciation for poetry. In middle school I was forced to memorize classic poems like Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” I remember standing in front of my 8th grade class, woodenly reciting the poem, then sitting down and that was that. Frost’s poem wasn’t [...]

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