Category Archives: inspiration

Cobwebs are not Halloween decorations

Posted on April 26, 2011 by stillalife

Who is responsible for doing the household chores? This is not a small question at any stage of life.  I had a conversation this week with my Iranian email friend Saeide about the pro’s and con’s of having a roommate.  Saiede … Continue reading →

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Boost your brain, kill your pain

Posted on April 10, 2011 by stillalife

In the middle of my second piano lesson after a six-year hiatus, my teacher said, “You’re playing really well; you’re so much calmer now.”  It’s nice to know someone is noticing a change in my post-retirement behavior, but I never knew that … Continue reading →

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Traveling in reverse

Posted on March 30, 2011 by stillalife

A friend told me that her mother just retired from her long-time job as a prison guard and didn’t know what to do with herself.  She hadn’t wanted to retire, but apparently had reached mandatory retirement age.  Luckily I never … Continue reading →

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Treat yourself right

Posted on March 27, 2011 by stillalife

Thanks to the blog Daily Good, I regularly find topics to write on that interest me and will likely be of interest to others.  Today’s is self-compassion.  New York Times writer Tara Parker-Pope summarizes the big ideas in a book coming … Continue reading →

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Second childhood

Posted on March 20, 2011 by stillalife

It’s only been a few weeks since I celebrated the end of a two-month stretch immersed in a nearly-1500 page book, which I have since donated to the library to be suffered through by some other compulsively stubborn reader.  And … Continue reading →

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Penning with purpose

Posted on March 2, 2011 by stillalife

I feel so inspired after just having finished the book 365 Thank Yous — The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life.  Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m interested in the research on the … Continue reading →

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Cha-Cha-Changes

Posted on February 17, 2011 by stillalife

When is acceptance of a situation better than changing it?  As a product of the sixties, I remember well my generation’s belief that just about everything, not only the Vietnam War, but conventional norms and OUR PARENTS, needed to change. … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, inspiration, personal reflections | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Without music, life would be a mistake. — Nietzsche

Posted on February 13, 2011 by stillalife

We were treated to two musical performances this past week.  In one, friends who came to dinner, including our former piano teacher, performed several piano-clarinet duets in the comfort of our living room.  For the second concert we bought tickets … Continue reading →

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Issa, poet for ordinary people

Posted on February 3, 2011 by stillalife

I’ve been reading poems by Issa lately.  He is my current poetic hero, not just for the words he produced, but for the fact that he could produce any poetry at all given the life he lived.  In case you … Continue reading →

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Trying to live gratefully

Posted on November 14, 2010 by stillalife

During the election campaign I heard a radio interview with a Tea Party candidate — one of the angry Americans we heard from during the last few months (about as frequently as telemarketer’s calls) — who told her listeners about … Continue reading →

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