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 […]
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Finis
This is the last regular issue of Your Good Life; thanks for your support. Thank you for “picking up” this story and thanks […]
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 […]
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.” […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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. […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Home
Home can be many things. “It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it home, … It don’t make any […]
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 […]
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 – […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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?” […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Quarantine
Definition: isolation imposed to prevent spread of disease. It remains a large part of our COVID – 19 defense. Quarantine has been a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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”. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]