Category: Life Lessons

What’s the most acceptable way to address men and women these days?  At seventy-nine I’ve found it a bit of a challenge. In everyday conversation I talk about playing golf or poker with the boys.  I never say men.  The same was true for Ruth.  She was going to play cards or going shopping with …

About a week ago, a man came by to discuss painting the exterior of my house. Whether it was coincidence or not, I had already been considering some maintenance tasks in Florida, with painting on the list. After nine years, the hot sun has faded the original color, and I thought it could use a …

A couple of months ago, Barbara and I attended two sessions of the CHQ Dialogues during our visit to Chautauqua. Chautauqua is best known as a historic center for lifelong learning, thoughtful dialogue, the arts, religion, and civic engagement. If you google it, you’ll find something like this. The institution’s mission emphasizes exploring “the best …

I’ve reached an age where I’ve begun losing friends. I remember when my parents’ social life included attending funerals for those who had passed, and now that’s happening to me. The hardest losses are always the ones you’re closest to. My first big loss was my friend, Jim.  He died on his sixty-fifth birthday.  Way …

Several months ago, I spent the evening with four women and one guy.  The women all live in The Villages and the guy was visiting his sister. We met to have a “game night”.  If you’ve never been, it’s simply an opportunity to play cards or some sort of board game. On this night we …

September’s a tough month.  Back when Ruth and I were teaching, she hated September because she hated going back to school.  She was good at her job, but she didn’t love it.  She liked the kid part but not the paper part.  The longer she taught, the more paper there was. One year, about two-thirds …

I came across one of those short videos on my smartphone the other day. It showed a woman walking along the beach, talking about losing her first husband and finding a new partner. She mentioned that some people call finding love again after losing a spouse a “new chapter,” but she saw it differently. She …

I have a friend named Mike in my memoir writing group. He’s from Oswego, New York and goes back there every summer. He’s probably there now. When he’s in Florida, we sit near each other in class and share a similar outlook on life. He’s ten years younger than me but, like me, is a …

I’ve been exploring some of my stories from prior years.  I’m looking for two things: stories I can use in the new book I’m assembling and stories I can use with my work with my Singles New Beginnings group.  Barbara and I have learned that some of the things I’ve written are helpful with our …

I’ve been thinking and talking about singing karaoke for decades.  While I made three public performances over my seventy-nine years, I’ve been too chicken to move forward.  I talk a big game but haven’t followed through.  I took a karaoke class last fall and sang three songs: “Let It Be Me”, “And I Love You …