Category Archives: personal reflections

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 →

Posted in current events/themes, personal reflections | Tagged | 1 Comment

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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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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Cultivating flexibility

Posted on September 8, 2012 by stillalife

Many of us lose flexibility as we age. We know that unless we stretch, our spines become more rigid. But what about flexibility in our attitudes? I’ve  been thinking about both kinds of flexibility lately.  I’m working with a Feldenkrais … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, inspiration, personal reflections, travel | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Blame our brains

Posted on September 3, 2012 by stillalife

Tomorrow, the day after Labor Day, marks the beginning of two months of political-campaign assault in the form of simple messages– often half-truths, exaggerations, or just plain lies —  repeated over and over until, in desperation, we turn off our … Continue reading →

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Pasta + sangria = winning combination

Posted on August 30, 2012 by stillalife

Buddhists call it dukkha, or the state of mind that makes us cling to our possessions and want more when we quickly grow dissatisfied with what we have, or always wish our circumstances were different from what they are. Psychologists … Continue reading →

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No more back-to-school blues

Posted on August 27, 2012 by stillalife

Everyone else’s year may start in January and end in December, but mine begins in September and ends in August.  I still run on the school calendar, which is why I am now reflecting on the past year and planning … Continue reading →

Posted in changes after retirement, exercise, memories, personal reflections, writing | Tagged | 3 Comments

Making connections with the past

Posted on August 26, 2012 by stillalife

Why does history matter, especially local history if you are living in a relatively young community, i.e., one less than a hundred years old, with few visible artifacts from the past?  And why am I bothering to ask this question? … Continue reading →

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Where do they send the bodies?

Posted on August 2, 2012 by stillalife

Who gets the cat if we die before he does? Why am I leaving money in my will to a theater that produces outdated plays for outdated people? Why are the deceased still on my list of inheritors? And would … Continue reading →

Posted in changes after retirement, personal reflections, travel | Tagged | 6 Comments