You’d think I’d be having a heat-related crisis today—it’s the third day in Chicago of heat indexes over one hundred—but instead I’m having my second identity crisis of the year. The first was in May when, after fifty years, I could not give up my registered nurse license and, at the last minute, clicked myself …
Tag: retirement
A Late Onset Identity Crisis
May 31st is the deadline for renewing my license as a registered nurse, a license I’ve held for fifty years. For two years, I’ve been preparing myself that my golden anniversary would be a memorable time to let it expire. After all, I retired from working full-time twelve years ago and haven’t even volunteered to …
Calling All Elders, Seniors, Oldsters, Geezers…!
I'm happy to offer my older friends an opportunity to submit your words via written interview for consideration for a new book being edited by one of my writing teachers, Carol LaChapelle. Here is a blurb from her blog: ON THE GEEZER BEAT: Tales from Elderville a forthcoming book by Carol LaChapelle, author of Finding …
Continue reading Calling All Elders, Seniors, Oldsters, Geezers…!
Growing Older in “Style”
One thing I know as a nurse is that wearing white can become boring. I worked for years to graduate from the stripes of student to the white of graduate, but after another forty years of white uniforms or lab coats, it really is time to move on. That brings me to my topic today. …
Have you met AGNES yet?
If not, I met her just the other day in the newspaper, and she’s so true-to-life. In fact, she’s so much like me that I liked her immediately. For one thing, she looks to be about my age—on the eve of seventy—and has the outward signs of infirmities that are starting to visit me—those bodily …
“I am now my own classroom,”
wrote Robin Jennings on ElderChicks recently. A former teacher, she has no time to sit in the rocking chair given to her when she retired. Rather than face a classroom each day, she now sees herself as her own classroom. As a retired teacher myself, I loved the way she phrased this stage of her …
An Update on Skipping Sugar
Well. A few of you have held me accountable this past week by asking how the no sugar deal is going. Fine, thank you! Marv is loving every piece of the pie he bought last week, and he doesn't have to worry about me inhaling every sweet he brought home from his office Christmas party. …
Lose Weight Over Christmas?
Walking past a Fannie May shop this morning, I remembered those days when Pixies™, eggnog creams, and chocolate covered cherries covered the counters of nurses’ stations at Christmas. So, I want to challenge you, especially nurses, to skip the candy, in fact, to skip sugar altogether, over the holidays. But, you say, there are too …
Say Something Nice to Someone Today
Caring Lessons Now #4 Yesterday, on my way to the radio interview in Elgin, I took the bus to Union Station where I presented my Reduced Fare (seniors) CTA card, sporting a photo ID, to the ticket agent. He looked at it, glanced up at me, and said, "You pickin' this up for your ma?" …
Friendship – A Thanksgiving Gift
Caring Lessons Now #3 In your rush to thaw the turkey, find the family's favorite pecan pie recipe, and email your address to your guest list for their GPSs, have you taken a second to name what you are especially thankful for this year? It's easy about this time to get enmeshed and overwhelmed with …
Write Along with Me 