"The goal is to die as young as possible, after having lived a great many years." - Author Unknown

Q & A

What skills and techniques can you learn that would make your life easier, more peaceful, and more fun?

Sadly, this concept is very alien to many in the 50 & Better age group.  Many of us grew up with the belief that we’ve only got the hand we were dealt; so we had just better live with it.  However, in poker, you can get some new cards, if you choose.  And, once the hand is over, then you get a brand new hand!  There is so much more that is available to us if we are willing to risk trying new ways of thinking, feeling, and living.  It takes courage, but the rewards can be terrific!

How can wisdom and life experience help you with what’s being challenging in your life?

I just love pointing out what you already know and how that can help you with what’s in front of you.  It can be wonderfully effective to borrow skills and experience from an area that is strong in you and use it in an area that is not working so well.  I promise that I will take full advantage of your wisdom and life experiences; I’ll help you use them to have success in the areas that are challenging.

What roles do humor, fun, and play have in increasing your quality of life?

There is a strange cultural belief that self-improvement and self-change must be hard, difficulty, unpleasant work.  “No Pain, No Gain!”  However, my experience is that change is more easily attained with a light touch than with a club.  Humor, fun, and play can be powerful agents of change.

How do you modify and creatively adapt your old strategies (of relationship, self-care, pain management, etc.) to be a better match for who you are now and how you work as you age?

Change happens.  All the time.  Within us and all around us.  And yet, some human part of us feels safer hanging on to the “known” from our past.  Unfortunately, this often means that we are using strategies that are “out of date” or “stale.”  With a little help, you’ll find it’s easy to upgrade to strategies for self-care, pain management, relationship, etc. that are more effective and are easier on you.

How can you have a better relationship with aging, diminished capacity, and death?  How does this improve your capacity for joy and your quality of life?

The most common relationship with aging, diminished capacity, and death … is to just ignore it; maybe if we pretend it’s not there, then it won’t happen!  My bias is that being passive with these topics is the worst possible choice.  Facing the truth about our journey through life, including our ultimate death, can be deeply empowering.  It can free us to experience so much more genuine living, regardless of our physical situation.

Case Studies

Total Knee Replacement

Audrey had been struggling with a moderate to severe disability stemming from a major knee injury suffered 35 years earlier. In response to this accident, Audrey had had surgery to remove the medial portion of the cartilage in her left knee. Read more...