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October 17, 2021October 17, 2021

Reboot Haiku

  Several Haiku Poems were sent in this past week.   The first are from a reader, Julie Sutton, using 5-7-5-syllable count: How are you […]

Haiku and Tanka, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on Reboot Haiku
October 17, 2021October 17, 2021

Finis

  This is the last regular issue of Your Good Life; thanks for your support.   Thank you for “picking up” this story and thanks […]

Savvy Senior9 Comments on Finis
October 16, 2021October 17, 2021

Family Trip to the Galapagos Islands

Sharing a memorable family vacation.   Our family Christmas celebration in 2008 was our most extraordinary and exciting. We were aboard a yacht in the […]

Chapbook3 Comments on Family Trip to the Galapagos Islands
October 3, 2021October 10, 2021

Session 12: Minimalistic Tanka

  This final tanka session will examine a form of tanka developed after tanka became popular for English speaking writers. There are very few “rules.” […]

Haiku and Tanka, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on Session 12: Minimalistic Tanka
October 3, 2021October 3, 2021

Being a Cook’s Helper

  It was a big part of college life for me.   September 1952 was a big time for me starting school at the University […]

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Being a Cook’s Helper
October 3, 2021October 3, 2021

I N F I N I T Y

  The English professor assigned,“For next Monday, write a poem on infinity.”Me! Infinity?Whatever could I write?Generating ideas, my mind was as tightAs a miser withholding […]

Poems by Readers, Poets' Corner2 Comments on I N F I N I T Y
September 26, 2021October 3, 2021

Session 11: Tanka Three Ways

  Trying triple tanka   These three poems tell a similar story conveyed in different poetic forms. These are #1 traditional tanka 5-7-5-7-7,#2 minimalist tanka […]

Haiku and Tanka, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on Session 11: Tanka Three Ways
September 19, 2021September 19, 2021

Arlene’s Chair

  Sometimes memories only get better.   My daughter was moving into a condominium, downsizing from a larger home. I was helping, but mostly just […]

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Arlene’s Chair
September 19, 2021September 19, 2021

Tales on the Trail

  Full exposure in the Canyon!   Picture this. We’re in the bottom of the Grand Canyon in four small rafts (with four passengers and […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on Tales on the Trail
September 19, 2021September 19, 2021

Trip to Costa Rica

Both a wonderful memory and being recognized as a “good sport”.   In 1997, when our daughter invited us to join them for a Christmas […]

Chapbook2 Comments on Trip to Costa Rica
September 12, 2021September 12, 2021

I’d Have Liked to be a Bird

  And the urge never waned.   As a child, I always wanted to be an airline pilot. I made model airplanes of all types […]

Chapbook3 Comments on I’d Have Liked to be a Bird
September 12, 2021September 13, 2021

A Sad Day in Chicago

  A tragic shipwreck and the boat never left the dock.   It was Saturday morning July 24, 1915. While light rain was falling, 7,000 […]

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on A Sad Day in Chicago
September 12, 2021September 12, 2021

It Took a Village

  To save me from myself.   When I was nine, my home was Tuckahoe, New York, 16 miles from New York City. At one […]

Chapbook3 Comments on It Took a Village
September 6, 2021September 12, 2021

“I built that…”

  Every worker, who does a vital hands-on job counts.   I said “I built that” many times, referring to my job in the summer […]

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on “I built that…”
September 6, 2021September 12, 2021

On Taking Your Own Advice

  Maybe it’s you speaking, listen!   In my world of geriatric therapy, I would often suggest to clients that writing or journaling about a […]

Chapbook2 Comments on On Taking Your Own Advice
September 6, 2021September 12, 2021

The Big Fish

A personal story about catching a big fish!   At the Your Good Life Online Book Club we discussed Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on The Big Fish
August 30, 2021September 5, 2021

An Important Discovery – or Not

  Things can happen by chance.   As a fourth-year medical student at the University of Michigan, working on the wards while on the urology […]

Savvy Senior1 Comment on An Important Discovery – or Not
August 30, 2021September 5, 2021

Fear to Flavor

  Remembering the “sweet” part of my trip to the doctor.   In August 1951, mother and I again took one of many Greyhound bus […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on Fear to Flavor
August 30, 2021September 5, 2021

Session 10: More Traditional Tanka #2

  Last time you were introduced to tanka poetry with examples of the two main groups of tanka in the English language – Traditional and […]

Haiku and Tanka, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on Session 10: More Traditional Tanka #2
August 23, 2021August 29, 2021

Everything Went Wrong

  But it was the best vacation we ever took.   My granddaughter Erin and I love to travel and when she suggested a trip, […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on Everything Went Wrong
August 23, 2021August 29, 2021

My (Short) Career as a Centerfold

  But, alas, it never happened!   But first, before we get to the unveiling, a little background. Lou and I were in New Zealand. […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on My (Short) Career as a Centerfold
August 23, 2021August 29, 2021

Old Friends

  Things can be what you make them.   You can meet and befriend another person any time. It is called making a new friend. […]

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August 16, 2021August 29, 2021

Session 9: Traditional Tanka – #1

    Tanka means short poem. It is an ancient Japanese poetry form well over a thousand years old. It, like haiku, is unrhymed and […]

Haiku and Tanka, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on Session 9: Traditional Tanka – #1
August 16, 2021August 29, 2021

It Started Out to be Fun

  We were prepared but…   Recently we returned to one of our favorite getaways, Charleston, SC. It had been over a decade, and we […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on It Started Out to be Fun
August 9, 2021August 29, 2021

I Saved James Whitcomb Riley

A little boy’s thoughts revisited.     My father was a Methodist minister which meant I was a PK or preachers kid, which meant I […]

Chapbook2 Comments on I Saved James Whitcomb Riley
August 9, 2021August 29, 2021

Lines to a Summer Cottage

  Submitted by her daughters.   Our mother, Eloise Wayne Jones, was a resident at Marquette for four years in the Health Center after breaking […]

Poems by Readers, Poets' Corner2 Comments on Lines to a Summer Cottage
August 9, 2021August 29, 2021

A Small Town Honors a Pioneer

  A treasure comes home.   Harbor Springs, a small town in northern Michigan, in June 2021 honored the memory and achievements of a celebrated […]

Savvy Senior1 Comment on A Small Town Honors a Pioneer
August 2, 2021August 8, 2021

How Long is Long Ago?

  It depends.   How many years does it take for an event to be a “long time ago”? This question doesn’t have a ready […]

Savvy Senior3 Comments on How Long is Long Ago?
August 2, 2021August 8, 2021

A Story of Lives Crossing

  Two families touch over half a century.   In the late 1920s, my father, recently graduated from medical school, had joined his father-in-law to […]

Chapbook2 Comments on A Story of Lives Crossing
August 2, 2021August 8, 2021

Session 8: Long Verse in Haiku Meter

  Haiku is elegant and meaningful in three lines of strict pattern in English, or it may be the inspiration for short poetry that adheres […]

Haiku and Tanka, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on Session 8: Long Verse in Haiku Meter
July 26, 2021August 1, 2021

Session 7: Trying to Figure Out Things

  A long period of study and practice with haiku is evident in these first two examples compared to a beginner.   What is Now?by […]

Haiku and Tanka, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on Session 7: Trying to Figure Out Things
July 26, 2021August 1, 2021

Who Was That Man in the White Suit?

  You never know who you will be seeing.   I grew up in West Baden Springs, a small town in southern Indiana. We were […]

Chapbook1 Comment on Who Was That Man in the White Suit?
July 26, 2021August 1, 2021

Parallel Parking Anyone?

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Parallel Parking Anyone?
July 19, 2021August 1, 2021

Defeat?

“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 […]

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Defeat?
July 12, 2021August 1, 2021

A Double Life or From Poison to Pretty

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on A Double Life or From Poison to Pretty
July 5, 2021August 1, 2021

The One Room School House

….and there were no “snow days”   Starting school is a memorable day for any child. Having started as a first grader in a one […]

Chapbook1 Comment on The One Room School House
July 5, 2021August 1, 2021

Best “Buy” I Ever Made

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Best “Buy” I Ever Made
June 28, 2021August 1, 2021

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Easy to do, but easy to forget.   This subject was addressed two years ago, but it is important and deserves a re-visit. Water: How […]

Chapbook2 Comments on Are You Drinking Enough Water?
June 27, 2021July 14, 2021

Lecturing in a Bunker

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

Savvy Senior2 Comments on Lecturing in a Bunker
June 21, 2021August 1, 2021

Dragonflies and Damselflies

  Exquisite nature   In our second summer at Marquette, I was in the yard when a bright blue bug with large transparent wings flew […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on Dragonflies and Damselflies
June 21, 2021August 1, 2021

Lining Up at the Drive Through

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

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on Lining Up at the Drive Through
June 14, 2021June 20, 2021

A Place for Seniors

  Seniors living at home can find community and engagement at PrimeLife Enrichment   PrimeLife is a place where friendships are made, creative outlets are […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on A Place for Seniors
June 14, 2021June 20, 2021

A Job in Retirement

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

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on A Job in Retirement
June 7, 2021June 20, 2021

The Woods at Marquette

  A local treasure… There are times when we need to open our eyes and let in the beauty around us. Then with willing hearts […]

Chapbook1 Comment on The Woods at Marquette
June 7, 2021June 20, 2021

A House, A Home

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

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on A House, A Home
May 31, 2021June 20, 2021

Jackie’s Downsizing Hints

  Downsizing? Re-sizing? A Challenge by any name.   Remember: It is a process!! You don’t downsize all at once. You do what you can […]

Chapbook2 Comments on Jackie’s Downsizing Hints
May 31, 2021June 20, 2021

The Performance of Spring

The daffodils are bloomingprofusely ‘neath the trees.Their Golden heads are held erectall swaying in the breeze.Forsythias abundant bloomsdance lively as a lassLike ballerinas dressed in […]

Poems by Readers, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on The Performance of Spring
May 31, 2021June 20, 2021

Bending to Covid

  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 […]

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Bending to Covid
May 24, 2021June 20, 2021

Essence of a Field

  Keeping memories and filling my heart.   Seven years ago, an adjacent 76-acre horse farm and cornfield were sold and divided into housing subdivision […]

Chapbook4 Comments on Essence of a Field
May 24, 2021June 20, 2021

Slow Cooker

  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 […]

Savvy Senior3 Comments on Slow Cooker
May 24, 2021June 20, 2021

A Memorable Evening

  It cost more than expected but was worth every penny.   In our early married years with daughters one and three years old and […]

Memoirs2 Comments on A Memorable Evening
May 17, 2021June 20, 2021

What a Way to Start a Trip

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

Savvy Senior4 Comments on What a Way to Start a Trip
May 17, 2021June 20, 2021

Therapy by Hummingbird

  A very good day   One day in the nineteen seventies I was seated at my desk in my office in the Department of […]

Chapbook1 Comment on Therapy by Hummingbird
May 10, 2021June 20, 2021

Where AA History was Made

  The story of a beginning ..   Our family lived in a home where the Indianapolis area chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous first started in […]

Chapbook4 Comments on Where AA History was Made
May 10, 2021June 20, 2021

Your Good Life Marquette Storytellers

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

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on Your Good Life Marquette Storytellers
May 3, 2021June 20, 2021

Home

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Home
May 3, 2021June 20, 2021

Journaling with Haiku

  A new way of expression for journaling.   Journaling differs from keeping a diary in that you express your deepest, most personal feelings and […]

Haiku and Tanka, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on Journaling with Haiku
May 3, 2021June 20, 2021

Look But Don’t Touch

  As told at the YGL Storytellers….   One of my earliest memories was of me, likely 3 years old, sitting on someone’s lap – […]

Chapbook1 Comment on Look But Don’t Touch
April 26, 2021June 20, 2021

The Gabion Wall

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on The Gabion Wall
April 26, 2021June 20, 2021

Lost Words from Our Childhood

  When this arrived, this was a hoot! So why not share?   Mergatroyd!…Do you remember that word? Would you believe the spell-checker did not […]

Chapbook2 Comments on Lost Words from Our Childhood
April 26, 2021June 19, 2021

Journaling Can Be Easy and Rewarding

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

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April 19, 2021June 20, 2021

Rosie the Welder

  A “riveting” memory of WW II   I’m more familiar with Rosie the Riveter who, along with other women, were instrumental in producing planes […]

Chapbook1 Comment on Rosie the Welder
April 19, 2021June 20, 2021

The Concierge

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on The Concierge
April 12, 2021June 20, 2021

Pandemic Hair

  An unexpected bright spot   In March 2020 I went to a beauty salon and got a haircut. I never thought that now, a […]

Chapbook1 Comment on Pandemic Hair
April 12, 2021June 20, 2021

A Lesson Learned

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

Savvy Senior2 Comments on A Lesson Learned
April 5, 2021June 20, 2021

A Father-Daughter Trip to the Rose Bowl

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on A Father-Daughter Trip to the Rose Bowl
April 5, 2021June 20, 2021

A Jog Down Memory Lane

A good memory to share   While reading an article about Elaine Pagels, renowned scholar and author, a memory kept dangling at the edge of […]

Chapbook1 Comment on A Jog Down Memory Lane
March 29, 2021April 4, 2021

Growing Up As An Only Child

  Memories shared and experienced   This story is based mostly on hearsay. My mother told me about the kinds of things I did and […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on Growing Up As An Only Child
March 29, 2021April 4, 2021

Storytelling

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

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on Storytelling
March 22, 2021April 4, 2021

A Year Like No Other

Each of us manages the hand we are dealt.   It’s a stretch to think of anything good derived from the COVID-19 pandemic we have […]

Chapbook1 Comment on A Year Like No Other
March 22, 2021April 4, 2021

The Trophy That Wasn’t

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

Savvy Senior2 Comments on The Trophy That Wasn’t
March 15, 2021April 17, 2021

It Seemed like a Good Plan

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 […]

Savvy Senior2 Comments on It Seemed like a Good Plan
March 15, 2021April 4, 2021

The Year I Turned 12 Years Old

An eventful time in my life   The year I turned 12 years old is very fresh in my mind because there were several very […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on The Year I Turned 12 Years Old
March 8, 2021April 4, 2021

Thoughts on My Year in Isolation

  Looking back on a rough time. When I first heard about COVID-19, I told myself that except for losing so many near and dear […]

Chapbook3 Comments on Thoughts on My Year in Isolation
March 8, 2021April 4, 2021

Home Cooking?

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Home Cooking?
March 1, 2021March 7, 2021

Association of Ideas

An indelible memory   I guess I must have been about 7 or 8 years old because my twin brothers had been born already for […]

Chapbook3 Comments on Association of Ideas
March 1, 2021March 7, 2021

The Typewriter

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

Savvy Senior2 Comments on The Typewriter
February 21, 2021March 27, 2021

A Day in Todos Santos

A special place   After an hour driving north from Cabo San Lucas on highway 19, we arrived at the quiet town of Todos Santos. […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on A Day in Todos Santos
February 21, 2021March 7, 2021

Confidence and Faith

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

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on Confidence and Faith
February 14, 2021February 14, 2021

I Got My Second Shot

  So Happy     Today, 9 Feb. 21, I received my 2nd Pfizer vaccine shot. I was told that I would be immune in […]

Chapbook1 Comment on I Got My Second Shot
February 14, 2021February 14, 2021

Color Blindness

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

Savvy Senior2 Comments on Color Blindness
February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

When Do You Stop Being a Teacher?

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on When Do You Stop Being a Teacher?
February 7, 2021April 24, 2021

Where Has He Gone?

  A lament.   WHERE HAS HE GONE?The man who swept me off my feet.The man who made me feel secure.The man who listened to […]

Chapbook, Poems by Readers2 Comments on Where Has He Gone?
January 31, 2021January 31, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccination First Dose

  In the words of one of the first to be there.   On Jan. 19, 2021 I received my first of two vaccine shots […]

Chapbook4 Comments on COVID-19 Vaccination First Dose
January 31, 2021January 31, 2021

8 x 11

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

Savvy Senior5 Comments on 8 x 11
January 24, 2021January 24, 2021

In This Together

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

Savvy SeniorLeave a Comment on In This Together
January 24, 2021April 17, 2021

What About Being a Child Do You Miss the Most?

  This is a wonderful example of a rich memoir to be enjoyed by future generations. When I think about my childhood, the following come […]

Memoirs3 Comments on What About Being a Child Do You Miss the Most?
January 17, 2021January 17, 2021

Being a Grandfather

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Being a Grandfather
January 17, 2021January 17, 2021

A Place Called Home

  It’s a place. A dot on a map—metropolis, village, city, town, and it has a name. A name that is as different as there […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on A Place Called Home
January 11, 2021June 26, 2021

Oops, I thought it said…

  Our perception can play tricks.   I drove on Fall Creek Parkway twice a day for ten years passing both ways under a railroad […]

ChapbookLeave a Comment on Oops, I thought it said…
January 11, 2021January 17, 2021

Avoid Falling

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

Savvy Senior4 Comments on Avoid Falling
January 4, 2021January 17, 2021

Quarantine

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

Savvy Senior1 Comment on Quarantine
January 4, 2021April 11, 2021

Feather Beds, Chifforobe, and Secrets from the Register

  WHAT WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD BEDROOM LIKE? We lived in a German Victorian two-story brick house built in 1862. Our bedroom was upstairs through a […]

MemoirsLeave a Comment on Feather Beds, Chifforobe, and Secrets from the Register
December 30, 2020April 18, 2021

What Do You Know?

What do you know old girl?I know times are hard, but I can always choose hope. What do you know?I know in this isolation bubble […]

Poems by Readers, Poets' CornerLeave a Comment on What Do You Know?
December 28, 2020April 11, 2021

The Best Job I’ve Ever Had?

  This was a tough question to answer when this senior was writing his StoryWorth memoir.   There are two “best jobs I’ve ever had”. […]

Memoirs2 Comments on The Best Job I’ve Ever Had?
December 28, 2020January 17, 2021

Senior Pickleball

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

Savvy Senior2 Comments on Senior Pickleball
December 21, 2020January 17, 2021

A Gift at Christmas

There is hope. Call it what you will…fate, karma, coincidence—-for me, it’s that unexplainable power of God, the Holy Spirit, working to help me be […]

Chapbook2 Comments on A Gift at Christmas
December 21, 2020January 17, 2021

What Goes Around…

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 […]

Savvy Senior3 Comments on What Goes Around…
December 14, 2020December 14, 2020

Halo Towels

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

Savvy Senior2 Comments on Halo Towels
December 14, 2020December 14, 2020

From Wolf to Woof

  A talk given at the Indianapolis Women’s Club.   Dogs are surely man’s best friend, and dog history goes back generations. While each individual […]

Chapbook1 Comment on From Wolf to Woof

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