All the world’s a stage,” Shakespeare famously observed, “and all the men and women merely players.” (Or, as Sean O’Casey amended it,”All the world’s a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.”) Acting is one of Shakespeare’s favorite metaphors for life – after all, he was a playwright and actor – but he gives … Read More
I am married to a Marie Kondo nut. Ten years ago, he took a week off work and went through the house top to bottom, in what we decided to call a “crap-ectomy.” I was under the gun at work that week (and even if I hadn’t been, I would have pretended to be), so … Read More
I’m trying to stay upbeat. I really am. I take long walks every day if the weather is at all inviting. I video-chat/call/exchange texts with several friends almost every day. I enjoy living in my cozy nest of a house with a funny, sweet guy. Given that so many people are out of work and … Read More
In the world as I expected it to be, I am packing my chic new suitcase for two weeks in England. My book group leaves tomorrow – tomorrow! –for a week-long, small-group tour of Jane Austen country. A week later, my husband will be meeting me in London. Friends from Yorkshire will visit museums with … Read More
In our back yard, the hellebore and crocuses are blooming. The days are getting longer and warmer. But there’s no getting around it: I’m sad. Like many of my age cohort and economic bracket, I had travel plans for this spring. My book group was going to England for a tour centered on Jane Austen. … Read More
Some writer – I wish I could remember his name – tells a story of accompanying an elderly aunt to the hospital in an ambulance. It was night-time, and she noticed dark forms on both sides of the road. “What are they?” she asked. “Trees,” he answered. “Well, I’m tired of them,” she said. I’ve … Read More
In International Living, I’ve read about people who spend much of the year house-sitting. They rent a room or small apartment somewhere to store the stuff they can’t take with them, they often work online for their primary income, and they travel light. They move from Amsterdam to New York City to Granada with just … Read More
When we stand on the edge of retirement and gaze over the precipice, some of us get a little dizzy. Several questions loom large. Here’s one I’m still chewing over: How will I spend my ordinary days? I retired because I wanted time to travel and visit the grandchildren. I wanted to slow down and … Read More
Here’s a problem for my retirement. Left to its own devices, my mind does not spin out charming stories. It does not reminisce fondly on happy times of the past, or dwell happily on my wonderful family and friends. It does not ponder great philosophical conundrums or invent creative solutions to social problems. Left to … Read More
When I was young, my mom was one of the few mothers I knew who worked or went to college. In the year I started elementary school, she started her BA; as I was graduating from high school, she was graduating with her MA in Speech Pathology. After that, she ran the Speech and Hearing … Read More