Monthly Archives: October 2012

Reflections on gratitude

Posted on October 31, 2012 by stillalife

“Use the supports available to you.” This quote came from my instructor in a movement class called Feldenkrais.  The supports she was referring to included the ground, our hips, our shoulders and other body parts that help us roll over, … Continue reading →

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Black cats and good luck charms

Posted on October 29, 2012 by stillalife

If you go out on Halloween night will you avoid black cats? Stay away from streets with the number 13 in them?  Avoid walking on a crack for fear you’ll break your mother’s back?  Yesterday, in the course of looking … Continue reading →

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“Shades of Water”: blue not gray

Posted on October 25, 2012 by stillalife

I’ve spent most of my life writing.  For much of my career I churned out letters from the superintendent and school board, news releases, and newsletters. Long ago these made  their last journey to the recycling station, occasionally stopping first … Continue reading →

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Zumba anyone?

Posted on October 22, 2012 by stillalife

Are North Americans really becoming more isolated, less civic-minded, and less socially engaged?  That’s the premise of an article, “Bowling Alone,” by Robert Putnam, which I read many years ago. In the year 2000 it became a book.  The title … Continue reading →

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Lessons from a chance encounter

Posted on October 20, 2012 by stillalife

Have you ever hit it off with someone the moment you first met?  I’m not talking about a first encounter between two people where sparks fly, romance ensues and they live happily ever after, but rather a chance meeting and a stimulating conversation … Continue reading →

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Customer service on steroids

Posted on October 15, 2012 by stillalife

The elderly often report that store clerks ignore them. I guess I’m not yet old enough to  become invisible in the eyes of retailers. In fact, quite the opposite. I sometimes feel smothered by solicitousness. Last week at a hair salon a … Continue reading →

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Travel alone or in a crowd?

Posted on October 12, 2012 by stillalife

To travel alone or in a group? Choose your own hotels or let someone else select and book them for you? Go with a guide who maps out plans for every day you’re on the road and arranges for most of your … Continue reading →

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“Open in 1,000 years”

Posted on October 10, 2012 by stillalife

‘Young’ and ‘old’ are ways to characterize any number of living things; they can also describe cities. About ten years ago I co-chaired a time capsule project, which was one part of our city’s fiftieth anniversary celebration. The capsule instructions … Continue reading →

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Eye- and mind-opening experiences

Posted on October 8, 2012 by stillalife

Sunday, my minister said that in growing  older he was becoming less judgmental and slower to make assumptions. For those of us who feel that aging isn’t making us wiser, perhaps travel can step in and help us achieve the … Continue reading →

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Cultural exchanges

Posted on October 4, 2012 by stillalife

How much can we learn about the culture of a country when we spend one night here, two nights there and pass through many towns and cities in the space of a few weeks? That’s the question I’ve asked myself … Continue reading →

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