Why You Will Not Live Forever… and Probably Shouldn’t Anyway
It seems that 2018 was my year to discuss immortality with a host of people – and if not immortality, the expectation of living to be 120 years old. The issues came up in routine conversations and in my multiple book talks, Q&As, and interviews for radio and podcasts. I doubt if 2019 will be […]
Forest Bathing on the coast of Maine
Sam and I have a new expression: forest bathing. We use it daily as a signal for calm and clarity. “Where are you going?” I’ll ask as he steps out the door. “To take a forest bath,” Sam replies. We learned the term from our daughter Eliza but it’s Japanese, a translation of shinrin-yoku. Shinrin […]
Truth-telling through Island Women Speak
2018 has been a busy year, marked by the publication of Sam’s book and his unofficial speaking tour. For my part, I created, produced and directed a women’s storytelling event at the Stonington Opera House that has turned out to be a big hit. It’s called Island Women Speak and features seven or eight local […]
The year of AT PEACE and what comes next
The year of AT PEACE is coming to a close. For those of you who hope this means I will be changing my email signature promoting my book – think again. No, it means that I will not be scheduling small group talks at churches, libraries and senior living centers. I will be open to […]
Back to France for Memory, Murder and Mystery
Sam and I fly to France tonight to make a second pilgrimage back to the boarding school I went to half a century ago. But it’s more than a trip down memory lane. This time, I am aiming to make sense of the extraordinary history of the French village of Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon, especially as it […]
Bad Blood: Worse than deception is false premise that more blood tests prevent disease and death
Debbie and I recently devoured the audio version of this summer’s hottest read: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal reporter John Carryrou. It’s a mesmerizing business thriller about the rise and fall of blood-testing startup Theranos, a Silicon Valley unicorn with a one-time value of […]
Déja Vu All Over Again: Three Physicians:
Yesterday I had one of those déja vu all over again moments. That’s a joke, of course. But there’s a good bit of truth to it when you’re over sixty-five and have a lot of memories AND you’ve specifically recalled certain of the most special memories over and over. Let me illustrate: 1973: Sam and […]
Granite foundations bridging the divide between Stonington and Brooklyn
{Update from Sam} In case you think that I am only concerned with old age pensioners, death, and dying, here’s a thought on a different subject. I can’t look at, drive over, or walk on the Brooklyn Bridge without remembering that it is built with granite from Carver’s Harbor on Vinalhaven, a small island community […]
Getting to Your Happy Place: How Long Does It Take?
This stretch of months, this time, this moment right now is the happiest I’ve ever been. It’s taken five years to get here. I’ve crossed, separately, and together with Sam, some dark canyons since 2013. We left D.C. five years ago with the intention of reinventing ourselves. Yes, for a final act. When you start […]
First Dispatch From My “Book Tour”
Sorry for the radio silence since publication day on Feb. 6, 2018 of At Peace: Choosing a Good Death After a Long Life. I’ve been on my “book tour” (please note the small letters and quotation marks). This was not a Book Tour with red carpets, black limos, personal assistants, and the exchange of pleasantries […]