If this December you are feeling anything but merry and bright, it’s perfectly okay. There is no requirement to be “in the spirit,” or peaceful or joyful. And by all means, if you don’t feel like it, don’t deck the halls or hang the stockings with care…

Have you ever started the year with a sizable list of goals to complete by the next time the ball drops in Time Square? Goals are great. They are hard work and take repetition. If you don’t have a goal, you tend to live life haphazardly…

I began my downsizing journey many years ago. I found that it is more of an ongoing process than an event. Even though there were many events within the process, it was always focused around the removal of things. All of those cherished possessions…

You may think that most of your challenges are behind you, but the natural progression of life dictates that unexpected things will happen to you as you age. Few people are ready, as they reach 60, for the onslaught of physical and neurological…

It’s nearly December. Around this time of year, I start thinking about what planner, and therefore planning system, I’ll use in January in order to appear organized in the new year. But I hate planners. They’re too confining…

I’m intrigued by the mythical land of Shangri-la – that magical location that symbolizes perfection. James Hilton talked about it in his 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, and song lyrics have referenced that idyllic place where you experience a perpetual…

When you ask women over 50 what it means to be “creative,” you get a treasure trove of insight. When you use Julia Cameron’s book, It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and Beyond, as a roadmap…

When was the last time you genuinely expressed love and gratitude for the people and experiences in your life that have shaped you into who you are today? It isn’t easy to take time out to express what you are truly grateful for, especially during…

Life can feel like a litany of lessons learned. I bet I could fill a library with my lessons. A lot of what I’ve had to learn came wrapped in suffering, fear, uncertainty. I resisted hearing the messages because of the hurt and sadness that accompanied…

How many times a day do you give gratitude for your gifts, for your family and for the blessings of your life? I’ll admit it. Some days I forget to make my gratitude intentional, and then when I realize I haven’t done so, I understand why my day is off balance…