Category: Savvy Senior

I hope he learned a lesson.   An unforgettable event happened several years ago while I was parallel parking. I was with my wife looking […]

“It is easy when you are beaten, he thought. I never knew how easy it was. And what beat you, he thought.” Ernest Hemingway, The […]

  You may have read about a miracle drug that improves appearance in the aging face … as Paul Harvey used to say, “Now, you […]

  Doing the right thing quietly   It was August in 1958 and I was visiting Barbara who was teaching 2nd grade and living at […]

  Before the secret was out   Thirty years ago I was invited to lecture at the annual meeting of the West Virginia Academy of […]

  Once you’re in, there is no getting out   I never get in line for curbside service remaining in my car if there is […]

  Ah, where’s the restroom?   A white clapboard hut sits at the edge of a green space a block away from the center of […]

  She enjoyed the challenge of finding a new house.   Born and raised in a small town, Barbara lived in the same house until […]

  A senior perspective on COVID-19.   The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on seniors has been discussed widely. Most of the reporting is about […]

  You don’t have to be a cook to prepare a delicious full-course meal.   For someone living alone, a crockpot can be useful. I […]

  A weekend not soon forgotten.   It was a Friday in September, three days before I would be leaving for Istanbul to attend the […]

  Off to a good start…   The initial meeting of Your Good Life Storytellers was a success. Beginning at 1:30 in the afternoon, the […]

  Home can be many things.   “It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it home, … It don’t make any […]

  A great force held together by a fragile framework.   Seven thousand years ago, the banks of the Nile were protected by substantial stone […]

  This fulfilling activity is open to anyone who will try. Read on and learn…   A journal is defined as; a daily record of […]

  A ready smile and lots of answers   Arriving at a hotel, the first person you are likely to meet is a bellman. He […]

  Sometimes it is the only thing you can do.   The newly acquired ORBIS DC 10 widebody aircraft debuted in 1994. This refurbished plane […]

  A tale of lousy time management.   In the fall of 1989, I promised my younger daughter, Lisa, a trip to the Rose Bowl […]

  Telling a story is fun and a great way to connect with people.   I enjoy telling stories—and have for a long time. Several […]

What is your handicap?   Home from church, I immediately changed into work clothes and headed to the yard. It would take a full afternoon […]

It didn’t succeed. There are breakthroughs in medical care and there are promising programs that do not work as hoped. I will share a genuine […]

This is mostly for gents who have a stove and wonder why.   Chances are you live in a community where meals are served. There […]

There have been profound changes in how people work in an office.   My introduction to “office work” was in tenth grade typing class, behind […]

  We have faith we will remain confident and are confident we will retain faith.*   In the fall of 1962, I was driving from […]

  You get it from your mother, and it is not that bad!   Which is better, one or two? Anyone who has had their […]

  You may be teaching more than you realize!   A teacher is defined as a person who instructs others, especially in a school setting. […]

  Sometimes it is in the fine print.   In May of 1962, I was twenty-seven years old and starting my first real job. As […]

  COVID-19 a threat to all.   At home we all know the drill for dealing with COVID. We should wear a mask in public, […]

  There are no rules for being a grandfather.   What is a grandfather? Searching for an answer, begs the question “What is a father?” […]

  Something all seniors should have on their minds.   As part of a routine visit with my doctor, I completed and turned in a […]

  Definition: isolation imposed to prevent spread of disease. It remains a large part of our COVID – 19 defense.   Quarantine has been a […]

  “The group is so tolerant of people just learning the game.”   Most of us like to play games. A popular way is to […]

A tale of grandparents and family dogs   It was summer and we were at the family’s lake cottage when our younger daughter developed a […]

Sometimes the effort is more important than the result.   Have you ever undertaken a task and thought, Wow, I can figure out a better […]

Two faces of a small town.   The pandemic has changed our lives. Along the way, this may have led us to new discoveries, or […]

Homeschooling has traditionally been pursued by highly motivated parents. COVID-19 has required this to be done by unprepared parents who would rather have their children […]

Things nature teaches.   For the last seven months, I have been looking at the wind and waters of Lake Michigan. This is because my […]

Special moments across time.   There are some things about growing older that take getting used to. One of them is the relative nature of […]

This is one person’s story, but you could have something like this on your wish list. Maybe you should go for it!   A bucket […]

Creatures surround us   Most of us enjoy creature comforts whether we live in urban, suburban, or even in rural settings. We have ring doorbells […]

A treasure in our own backyard.   I have had a lifelong love affair with the Great Lakes while growing up on Detroit’s east side. […]

You could become your grandparent.   Growing up I spent lots of time in a multi-generational household. Both of my grandmothers were widowed, one in […]

  One family’s story of life with a storage unit.   I rented a storage unit three days ago. No, I rented two! The first […]

Awaken your muse?   COVID-19 has provided more than ample time for reflection and writing; especially for seniors who live in residential communities and may […]

Covid-19 and virtual meetings.   This is about how modern technology kept a long-standing group together. But how did we get here? In 1970, a […]

Dad got this one wrong. In November of 1976 I was invited to a professional meeting in New York. I would be working during the […]

Recommending entertainment options for others can be a dicey proposition. Most wisely skirt this issue. Excuse me for the audacity of taking it head-on.   […]

  I bet I am not the only one who had a terrible year at school.  Here is one I remember.   I spent eight […]

It is happening now. What are the affects and how long will it last?   Seated in my room with the door ajar I hear […]

Going there can be better than getting there. In these long days of COVID-19, there are times when a person needs a break from the […]

Sometimes a picture tells it all.   About fifteen years ago I got a call from my friend Al Ueltschi, the founder of Flight Safety […]

Recollections of the past and a look at today.   The Straits of Mackinac bridge, also called “The Mighty Mac” is a magnificent structure connecting […]

Sometimes the thought is bigger than the gift.   Sometimes a gift is so precious it is too good to be used. Maybe this makes […]

  Bureaucracy (bu-reauc-ra-cy): A system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials. I believe in following the rules […]

  For those of you who want to enjoy some entertainment as a break from “all day news”, try some classic country music. Traditional country […]

It is easy to take an event for granted until…   For the past 35 years I have spent summers in northern Michigan. Since I […]

  We face a unique health risk and how it affects us can depend on us.   Yesterday I observed a festive occasion on an […]

Real ID is not a national identification card. It does not create a federal database of driver’s license information…the purpose of Real ID is to […]

We never know when a seemingly small event can have a life changing effect.   In October 1952 I was a 17-year-old freshman at the […]

  In your memories some things stick out and you wonder why. Here is one of mine.   Did you have an Aunt Peg ?  […]

  The start of a lively family discussion.   In mid-November, while attending a convention in Chicago, Barbara and I decided to do some Christmas […]

  Some things that happen on the spur of the moment become lifetime memories The place was Puerto Rico. It was 1984. The event was […]

This new way to see your doctor could be just the thing for you.   After more than 30 years working with Telemedicine, including supervising […]

  Not everything loses viability after a century.   The past 50 years have witnessed unprecedented change; especially in communication, transportation, and technology. Computers and […]

  Are there risks when you give someone your email address?   Email is a wonderful way to connect with friends and family. The immediacy […]

  An alternative to the traditional four-year college experience is available.   These days, much is said about higher education, with a lot of emphasis […]

In his acclaimed book, The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell illustrated how time of birth can predict a life of good luck and success. This is an […]

Stress can summon feelings that find refuge in words. COVID-19 came a-calling COVID-19 came a-callingDr. Fauci called the score’U S Mailman wouldn’t enterTwo staff members […]

Ever wish you could snap a picture of that memorable sight? If you have a smart phone you can. You may have noticed that Your […]

The only action we can take now to lessen the effect of the COVID–19 pandemic is to practice social distancing and personal hygiene.     […]

We are dealing with a disease new to all of us and it is affecting not just us but the world’s population. The following is […]

  When things get tough, we can all pitch in. This is one of those times.   I was dressed at seven. It was time […]

  Our world, yes, our world! Is experiencing an unprecedented crisis – a pandemic. It is caused by COVID-19 a new virus more virulent than […]

  Your Good Life has a Poets’ Corner and Recollections for memoirs and journaling. This week’s blog combines these two so we are putting it […]

  Our age can be described with a label. What should ours be?   The required age for entering a retirement community, especially one that […]

We haven’t seen the sun in days so…?   It’s winter. It’s depressing. A lot of gray skies and very little sunshine. We stay indoors […]

  We love to hear from readers and here is a great example. Last December 20th, Your Good Life began sending email notifications to 150 […]

  There are six generations in our society represented by those from 95 to 6 years old: Greatest, Silent, Boomers, X, Millennials, and Z   […]

Some new things are good, but only if you learn how to use them.   A modern roundabout in the U.S. is a circular intersection […]

  Recently we attempted to put a spin on prevailing negative attitudes about a hospital experience. It was possible to counter with a list of […]

An interview can be a terrifying experience. A poor performance can overshadow a stellar academic record, lay waste significant accomplishments, and derail a promising career. […]

  The new electronic wonders we encounter today are like the gift that keeps on giving. There seems to be no end.   The drive […]

Two important things about a portable humidifier and you purchasing one are, do I need one and if so, what kind should I get? I […]

Movies continue to play an important part in the lives of many and few films have had a bigger impact than Star Wars. I had […]

  We are all familiar with comfort food. How about a comfort game? It takes a table about 42 inches square and 30 inches high. […]

The Your Good Life team, after more than a year in preparation, held its final meeting Saturday before the official kickoff. On Monday morning approximately […]

More than a year in preparation, the team responsible for Your Good life is proud to invite you to make this site a regular on […]

  How often do we use a term or describe an act and wonder why? Black Friday is just four days away. This day officially […]

Have you purchased or ridden in a new car lately? If so, you may have heard about or experienced sticker shock. But that is not […]

  People 65 years and older represent nearly 40 percent of hospitalized adults and are said to account for nearly half of all health care […]

After a little over a year, it is time to take stock of our online book club and invite readers to join us as an […]

People have lots of questions about retirement communities and I get my share. Now past my 84th birthday, alone for the past year and a […]

There are things in life that you derive pleasure from, or maybe better said, admire as an example of what things ought to be. Each […]

  People can do strange things in their lives making them ask the question, “did I do that?” Around 1971, the Indianapolis Sailing Club hosted […]

Most of us spend time, or wish we could, in a comfortable chair to read, watch TV, or simply visit with another person. There are […]

  Heads up fellas. This is mostly for you. If you ever think you did something stupid making you the biggest dumb head on the […]

  The word downsize is heard a lot in families when we approach the seventh decade or come close to it. Don’t be alarmed by […]

  People have lots of questions about retirement communities and I get my share. Now past my 84th birthday, alone for the past year and […]

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a thoroughly enjoyable event. It was scheduled by the talented and hardworking activities department at our retirement facility. […]

Where there’s a will there’s a way. Jack had the will and found the way. I received an email with a picture from a friend […]