A small thing can make a big difference In the fall of 1957, I was in a pickle. Because of summer school, I had limited […]
See All Topics
Journaling with Haiku
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 […]
Scatting
An interesting take on a singing style popular with entertainers in our youth that we rediscovered in the senior years. As Brenda Williams […]
What Are We Called?
Our age can be described with a label. What should ours be? The required age for entering a retirement community, especially one that […]
Writing your Own Memoir
After being prompted by a friend, I went online searching for a way to self-publish a memoir and I found lots of options. For […]
My Role in the United States Air Force
I was a project engineer and the sky was the limit. In July 1963, after graduation from The Ohio State University, I was […]
Cabin Fever Anyone?
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 […]
On 9/11 Mexico City Flight Diverted to Indianapolis
Recollections of a Red Cross Mental Health Volunteer After the attacks on Sept 11, 2001, the FAA ordered all planes in the air to […]
Telling It Like It Is
We love to hear from readers and here is a great example. Last December 20th, Your Good Life began sending email notifications to 150 […]
While Dad Went to War
A heartwarming story of a little girl’s time in a safe idyllic setting while her dad served in the Navy. My children, for a […]
The Silent Generation
There are six generations in our society represented by those from 95 to 6 years old: Greatest, Silent, Boomers, X, Millennials, and Z […]
Hospice
Dying is the biggest event in one’s life. A person, aware of their imminent death, must be afforded the opportunity to do this with dignity. […]
Going in Circles?
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 […]
Romantic Period of English Poetry (Session)
On the Poets’ Corner Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth take center stage. Together they launched the “Romantic Period” of English Poetry. Wordsworth and […]
Come Fly with Me
Recently we attempted to put a spin on prevailing negative attitudes about a hospital experience. It was possible to counter with a list of […]
Fire and Ice – Iceland
Pingvellir National Park. This national park in Iceland is where the Althing, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 […]
National Native American Heritage Month (Session)
In the Poets’ Corner, during November, we are celebrating National Native American Heritage month. Beginning with President Calvin Coolidge in 1915, presidents of […]
The Interview
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. […]
Medical Memoir of an Irish Catholic
A powerful personal statement kicks off this Chapbook companion to Your Good Life Weekly. Born in 1935 in a middle-class family in Dayton, Ohio, […]
The 21st Century
The new electronic wonders we encounter today are like the gift that keeps on giving. There seems to be no end. The drive […]
Raising Humidity Without Getting Soaked?
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 […]
The Rise of Skywalker
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 […]
Christmas Blessings
“I don’t want a tree this year. Our apartment is too small. We’ve had so much stress in the last year and a half. […]
What Is This Game?
We are all familiar with comfort food. How about a comfort game? It takes a table about 42 inches square and 30 inches high. […]
Your Good Life
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 […]
Introducing Your Good Life
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 […]
Black Friday
How often do we use a term or describe an act and wonder why? Black Friday is just four days away. This day officially […]
Overcoming Computer Fear
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 […]
So, You’re Going to the Hospital
People 65 years and older represent nearly 40 percent of hospitalized adults and are said to account for nearly half of all health care […]
Poetry of James Whitcomb Riley (Session)
James Whitcomb Riley is also known as the Hoosier poet (Hoosier is a term of unknown origin describing a native of Indiana). He is best […]
The Online Book Club
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 […]
Do You Like it There?
People have lots of questions about retirement communities and I get my share. Now past my 84th birthday, alone for the past year […]
The Good Hart Store
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 […]
Becoming an Ice Boat Dealer
People can do strange things in their lives making them ask the question, “did I do that?” Around 1971, the Indianapolis Sailing Club hosted […]
The Lift Chair
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 […]
Did I really do that?
Heads up fellas. This is mostly for you. If you ever think you did something stupid making you the biggest dumb head on the […]
Downsizing? Why not Resizing?
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 […]
A Country Morning
A reflection on the beauty of a country morning celebrates a pristine time that can be a metaphor for life itself. “Stop! Help!” I hear […]
Do You Like It There?
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 Readily Accessible Retentive Memory
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. […]
The Pants
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 […]
A Traveler’s Tales
It was the end of our second week as full time campers, when I made the call to the RV repair service. We were concerned […]
To be or not to be…Not necessarily
Most readers I have met have a strong opinion about which is best, an e-book or a traditional print book. This usually results in […]
Water
Some health tips are simple others are important. Here is one that is both. “Be sure you are drinking enough water.” Trekking across the […]
So, You Want to Write Poetry…. (Session)
Let me say right away…It’s not just making rhymes. Lines of words with a rhyme dangling at the end is just one kind of poetry. […]
Being There
There are things we can’t explain. These can have so much meaning it is hard to believe they are only imagined and without a […]
She Died of Thirst
Katie Watson, from Duke University, provided a thoughtful analysis of how it is possible to communicate with gallows humor as it relates to medicine: […]
My Name is Sophie
Pets can be a healthy addition to a senior living community both for the owners and for other residents who may not be able to […]
One Hundred Year Old Doll
Treasures, sometimes of high value and others whose main value is sentiment and memories, pass through families over generations. They affect the people involved […]
Poets’ Corner at Marquette
Poetry can unlock the soul and bring new vistas to our being while enriching life. At Marquette Senior Living in Indianapolis, poetry lovers […]
A Tribute to Betty Olsen on Her Centennial
In life there are noteworthy accomplishments we all recognize that only a special few achieve. How about pitching a no hitter, winning an academy award, […]
Mom Met Dad
The girl from Valeene rode sidesaddleWith style and with graceIn a black riding habitAnd a smile on her face. She rode like the windOn […]
She Would Have Loved It
I didn’t wait long, but that’s what Barbara would have wanted. Barbara died May 29, two weeks short of our 59th wedding anniversary. On […]
Balcony gardening, or it must be 5 o’clock somewhere
Congratulations Jackie for successfully mastering the Grow Box and for sharing your experience. Now we look forward to a lush garden that was promised […]
The Gardener that Could be Any of Us
There are different ways enjoy your garden. There is no right way; just the best way for you. Just about anywhere in the country […]
Hall Haven
My Mom named our house “Hall Haven”.When the Hall kids grew up and went out into the world,she wanted us to know we could […]
“My Dog”
A 93 year-old woman in a moment of intense grieving reveals her choice between her dog and her husband. It was noon and the […]
Again?
If you could repeat your years of marriage, would you? Again? Time has dimmed your sight, my love, That I might always […]
An Indelible Memory
My father confirmed a strong memory that I have of an event prior to the first grade. It is my first memory from childhood. […]
Full Time Camping in Retirement
Life as a senior does not march in lock step. There are alternatives and the following describes one. After thirty years of camping experience, my […]
Too Early or Too Late?
A question that lingers but is seldom confronted I have some advice for answering the question “when is the best time to move into a […]
Poets’ Corner
At Marquette Senior Living, poetry lovers meet twice each month to share poetry. We call it Poets’ Corner. Some of us write poetry (not always […]
Haiku: Spring
Snow people once stoodWhere green spikes pierce thru damp soilSand shifts endlessly Spring paints with blossomsBursting forth on stem and treeGrief remains inside By […]
A Lion on my Street
My friend yelled at me “There’s a lion on our street”!Best we kill it now ere we become its’ meat.Grabbed my gun and joined […]
Ode to Dandelions
Dandelions! Harbingers of spring!Delight to the eye, warmth to the soul!Promise of sunny days , they bringHappy thoughts with golden glow.Childlike, hold them to […]
Lord Byron
I first met Lord ByronIn Miss Moore’s Literature classWhen in High School I was in love with loveAnd may still beLord Byron Touched my […]
My Favorite Exercise Machine
Choosing the right fitness equipment can be a challenge. In this case, one size fits all does not apply. I have tried every training […]
Corntoss, A Fun Sport for All
Also known as cornhole, baggo, beanbag, corntoss has gone from being a tailgate event in the Midwest to a nationwide pastime with championship games […]
Starting My Own Memoir
Inspired by Rosemary and Bruce Hume and remembering my wife lamenting that she never got around to asking her dad all the questions she had […]
Who Does She Rescue?
My wife and I kept a boat at Harbor Springs for more than twenty years. We spent much of our time cruising, mostly in […]
The Vonnegut Name
In business for more than 100 years, the Vonnegut Hardware, a fixture in Indianapolis, was a vibrant business with talented team, members like the man […]
Golden Wedding Anniversary
This poem was written in 2005 as my gift to my husband after fifty years of marriage. Perhaps I had better start working on a […]
Before You Start an Exercise Program
Exercise is one of the pillars supporting good health. What you can do and how you do it should be decided with the help […]
Chief Medical Examiner
People are wired differently. “The things that make us who we are should not be what we expect in others.” My job after being […]
Music Lessons
Practice doesn’t always make perfect when it comes to becoming the next Mozart, a new study suggests. Researchers compared pairs of identical twins and found […]
Peep Show
Accompanying your husband on a medical trip to Brussels can be a memorable experience. What occurred at the time of the Brussels’ World’s Fair […]
Should I use a walker?
There is no “one size fits all” answer to this question. When it arises all the pertinent factors should be considered, and a decision […]
Should I Write a Memoir?
There will be a time when your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will lament the fact that they don’t know as much about you […]
The End of Awe
Yesterday I saw a little girl hold a puppy for the first time.Her eyes sparkled as it’s tiny tongue tasted her cheek.As I watched, I […]
Your Stories Are Worth Sharing
All too often we seniors miss the opportunity to share important facts about our lives. These include many things our children and grandchildren would […]
Overcoming Computer Fear
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 the Enemy
There are 46 million seniors in the United States today, 15% of the population and the number is growing. According to the Pew Research […]
The Bag
Communication is important or more accurately, clear communication is essential. A message that is misunderstood can be comical, concerning, disruptive, hurtful, annoying, and even […]
Faces at the Airport
The people are everywhere. They have color, shape, clothes, but mostly they have disposition. Anger, fear, anxiety, dread, depression, Enthusiasm, confusion, hurry, impatience, Arrogance, […]
Senior Stripes
A ten-minute walk in the parking lot of a senior residence revealed an interesting finding. The cars were clean, older but not ancient and […]