Two incidents came into view this week that concern our cultural perceptions of aging, behavior, and limitations. Both stories were meant to be humorous examples of old people acting inappropriately. But who decides the definition of “old,” and who decides what is inappropriate? The first story was in the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper under the “News of the Weird” column…. Read More

Booker, in the midst of an exuberant puppy leap, tackled a milkweed plant. The plant’s pod, which had been swaying in the breeze, burst open and released its fluffy down-like seeds to the world. Booker pounced again, took a bite, and shook his head in a killing frenzy. When he lifted his face it looked like he had a white… Read More

A reader asked me to write about the end of life paperwork my husband has been getting together “just in case.” Here are some of the general items we have lined up to make the surviving spouse’s situation a bit easier:  There is a list of names, addresses, and contact numbers. Somebody will need to get in touch with… Read More

One of my teachers told a story in class that has meaning to me. My teacher’s friend—I’ll call her Ann—was testing the faith waters. Ann felt somewhat alone in this world, and scoffed at the notion of a greater power interacting with her life. “If there is someone out there show me a sign and I’ll believe,” she said. “I’m… Read More

My husband and I were discussing the passage of time the other day as we walked Booker. We agreed that there comes a moment of jolting revelation—you realize you have lived more days than you probably have left—that alters one’s thinking. Of course nobody knows how much time they have on this earth, and the common sense approach is to… Read More