My recent trip was both a nostalgic return to Paris and London, places I had first explored as a college student in 1966, and a first visit to Southern Ireland. Three women friends and I planned two weeks in Paris and London, with two of us continuing on to Dublin and a five-day small group tour of Southern Ireland. This will not be a travelogue filled with details about every day. What I’d like to share instead are the lessons we learned as experienced travelers, older now, a little out of practice, […]

As we gather with families and friends this holiday season, we may be with those who are grieving the loss of a loved one or some other challenging situation.  How do we connect in a loving and effective way with those struggling and not make their challenges our own?  I found some answers in the chapter of  Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart  where she defines and examines the emotions compassion and empathy.  By learning what these emotions mean and how to express them with more skill and ease, we can be […]

Since this is International Coaching Week, I thought I’d share my responses to a question often posed – “Why work with a retirement coach?” Retirement coaches help clients clarify what their retirement vision is and guide and support them as they plan and implement this. People may be able to figure this out on their own, but a coach makes the transition easier, smoother, and more efficient. It’s the difference between moving through a major change in your life alone or with a knowledgeable and caring partner.  Here are some more specific […]

Since this is the season when we tend to gather more as families and friends, I was intrigued by a series of articles by author and master facilitator Priya Parker on developing “better guesting skills.” My initial reaction was to dismiss the topic as irrelevant since I’m more likely to be concerned with hosting skills and don’t have that many invitations.  As I read on, however, I realized that the overarching topic was how to establish priorities and make conscious choices about how you spend your time and with whom. This becomes […]

The San Diego Union Tribune dedicated a recent OpEd page, “Retirees’ Road Ahead,” to how San Diego County is preparing for the nearly 1 million residents over 60 expected to live here by 2030.  After reading about current and proposed programs for older San Diegans, I was encouraged by the positive differences they could make and started envisioning  more improvements. If you, like me, plan to be here just eight years from now, join me  in appreciating what already is available, and imagining what could be, in an  age-friendly San Diego. The […]

  Starting conversations with strangers, whether on a plane, in a class, at a party, or even a networking event has been difficult for me most of my life.  This is probably true for most introverts, and, as psychologists have concluded, talking to strangers is cognitively demanding and stressful.  Of course, I’ve gotten better at it with Dale Carnegie’s help, years of watching others more skilled at it, and practice. Recently I came across an article by Joe Keohone, author of The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious […]