When you envision your deepest hopes for the future, do you ever stop short? Do you belittle your dreams, thinking that they are too “unrealistic” or too “silly?”  Does the judging voice inside your head ever say, “It’s too late to try something different” or “I’m too old to start anew”?   I’m hoping that…

Writing a blog post every week isn’t always easy. Some weeks the thoughts and words just flow. Other times, not so much. Writing this week’s post was one of those—a not so much. Actually, it was a real struggle.   I ended last week’s blog with a promise for a Part Two, a continuation of…

Like most people, I like to play around with Google. Put a few keywords into that baby and see what comes up. A few days ago, I Googled “Women in Their 50s.” I wasn’t surprised by what I saw. The top 10 hits included articles about health, sex, and fashion—in that order. I was surprised,…

I’ve known Sue Matthews for many years. We both raised our kids in Edgemont, New York, and our oldest daughters were in the same grade. Life was good. Then, when Sue’s middle daughter Taylor was eleven years old, every mother’s nightmare became Sue’s reality: Taylor was diagnosed with cancer. Sue, along with her sister Andrea…

Sometimes, when I look through the paper, I come across articles that may be loosely related to many people but feel deeply connected to me. In his month’s book/article post, I’d like to share three such articles. They are all about women, older women, one of whom is much older than I imagine most of…

Do you believe you can change? Really believe you can change? Do you want to? Really want to? These are critical questions, and the answers hold the key to why we so often self-sabotage and to why we don’t keep our resolutions, whether we’ve made them at the New Year or at any other time.…

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Feel fully committed on New Year’s Eve, believe in your heart of hearts that “Yes! This is the year!” only to watch, by late January or February, the commitment train roll away without you, leaving you, along with millions of other would-be travelers in the dust? Are you jaded,…

Today is December 28th—my birthday! I have officially turned 58! I’m writing this from Florida, where I’ve been since Christmas, and I cannot express how much the sun and warmth this time of year always lifts my spirits. What New Gifts and Challenges Will the Coming Year Bring? In just a few days, we will…

I first learned of Alison Taylor-Brown from reading one of Dan Blank’s newsletters: http://wegrowmedia.com/choosing-the-writers-life/ (Dan, of WeGrowMedia.com, helps “writers and creative professionals share their stories and connect with their audience.” I have taken one of Dan’s MasterMinds, and Dan has helped Alison clarify her platform as a writer and get her message out on social…

So …I’m in California right now, smack in the middle of my 10-day residency for my Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction at Antioch University, Los Angeles. It’s wonderful! There is so much learning and inspiration taking place here, and my program is filled with wonderful, eager writers of all shapes and sizes, all…