The quality of retirement establishments varies greatly.  Some insist that difference depends on whether or not a company is non-profit or for-profit.  Years ago, my mother moved into a retirement center run by the Catholic Church.  Later it was sold to a for-profit organization. 

Recently, I shared research that compared the benefits of meditation to other activities that focused the mind.  That research found mediation had no significant advantage over other relaxation techniques, like listening to music.  (Blog 5/7/15)  Despite that report,  I ended the

There’s a line in the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam that, in flowery language says,  it would be great if we could remake the world nearer to our heart’s desire. I think it’s a fair objective, particularly as Nature’s design often diverges from my ideal.   If I ruled the world,

In a recent celebrity interview, actress Candice Bergen, when asked if she had a motto in life, answered, “Eat dessert first.” (“Proust Questionnaire,” Vanity Fair, May 2015, pg. 174.)  I laughed because hers was a philosophy I could espouse.  Yes, I know pleasure as an end

Sometimes I feel guilty for needing so much time alone.  Will my acquaintances think I’m standoffish, I wonder. Then I remind myself, they probably don’t think of me at all.  Either way, to write, I need solitude.       About solitude, Darya Zabelina of Northwestern Univer

Barbara Ehrenreich’s recent article about mindfulness gave me a laugh.  “…in the Bay Area, I learned that rich locals liked to unwind at Buddhist monasteries in the hills, where, for a few thousand dollars, they could spend a weekend doing manual labor for the monks.” (“Min

There’s a war going in  the United States against mothers and children.  This remark may pop a few eyes but let’s be honest, the model for the workplace in this country is based on the needs of men, not women who, according to writer Rebecca Traister, represent 47% the workforce

When I was in college, several of my dorm mates played the recorder.  I loved the melodious sound of that wind instrument and thought I’d like to learn to play it one day.  I never found the time. The nearest I came to a recorder was listening to pan flute music by Gheorghe Zamfir

Recently, an acquaintance approached me for advice on how to proceed with a book he wanted to write.  The subject was non-fiction and on a topic I knew little about, but I agreed to meet him for coffee and listen to his ideas.  He’d researched his subject and had so many thoughts,

In February, my mother turned 99.  We celebrated, of course.  There was cake for lunch and cake for dinner, any flavor but it had to include a lemon filling.  The nurses and doctors who care for my mother are amazed at her vitality and wit, not only taking her age into account, but