Aging well
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Summer memories: “The Art of Collecting Beach Stones”
“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” ~Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty Summer is in full swing. Some of you will be heading for the beach or hitting the highway for a road trip. With that in mind, I’ll revisit a previously published post while I take a short break from Life Lines. Here’s a favorite essay I wrote for Michigan Blue magazine on the art of collecting beach stones. To read it online, please click here. Wherever you live, I hope the sun is shining! ~CL
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Who’s in the driver’s seat?
“I don’t want to be a passenger in my own life.” ~Diane Ackerman I love driving on the expressway, especially on beautiful summer days. When I’m heading north, for instance, I often recall my childhood vacations. My father always drove on those trips; Mom was a passenger and I had the back seat to myself. I loved watching the landscape change as we escaped the cities and suburbs. Metaphorically speaking, it’s often easier to let someone else do the driving. Sometimes we just want to sit back, roll down the windows, and enjoy the ride. And there’s nothing wrong with that — unless we’re always dodging responsibility or letting someone…
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Are you stuck in stubborn habits?
“I need to take an emotional breath, step back, and remind myself who’s actually in charge of my life.” ~Judith M. Knowlton Are you following patterns or routines that aren’t serving you anymore? Creatures of habit, most of us stay on the same-old beaten path, rarely stepping away from our comfort zone. We keep buying the same brand of coffee, hanging out with the same people, walking the same route with the dog, wearing the same clothes, watching the same news station … or continually putting up with the same disrespectful treatment from others. It’s time to shake things up. Time to hit the reset button and reclaim your personal…
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The road ahead
“People ask me to predict the future, when all I want to do is prevent it. Better yet, build it. Predicting the future is much too easy, anyway. You look at the people around you, the street you stand on, the visible air you breathe, and predict more of the same. To hell with more. I want better.” ~Ray Bradbury, Beyond 1984: The People Machines As we age, we map out the course of our own future. We plan for retirement, organize our personal finances, and reevaluate our healthcare plan. At the same time, we consider the bigger picture. What will be your legacy? What will you leave behind for your…
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New year, old baggage to unpack
“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.” ~Cesare Pavese Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays. A slightly different version of this column ran previously in The Oakland Press.… Traveling Light in the New Year By the time we reach our wisdom years, most of us have accumulated way too much stuff. We need to weed out or pare down — whether we’re inclined to overpack our suitcases when we travel or stuff our bedroom closets with outdated clothing. It also occurs to me that I’ve been dragging around a trunk-load of pet…
