Loss Is So Complicated… By Laurel D. Rund My feelings of grief and loss are complicated and intertwined within my very being. After my husband Marty’s death in 2009, I wrote a poem called “Grief’s Cloak. An excerpt from that poem came back to “haunt” me recently. “But wait! Was I also trying to outrun grief? No hide and seek here, it was up ahead ~ my mourning was not complete. Grief’s cloak is a harsh reminder that loss is real ~ it cannot be pushed away! And, if not accepted, even honored, it will clip my wings and leave me unable to fly. With this... Read More

Father\’s Day By Natalie Caine, M.A. NABBW’s Empty Nest Expert None of these photos are my dad. They are my dad\’s imaginary best friends. I loved seeing him, just home from a match, club bag on arm and clicking sounding shoes, coming across the floor. Not his profession, his weekend obsession. If he wasn\’t in a game, as he grew frail, he and I would curl up, TV on high volume, cheering about something that I never did figure out, except when the white ball rolled on the green and into that circle. He wasn\’t into teaching. The match was his relaxation time.... Read More

Organize a Mid-Life Zest Fest By Georgian Lussier We all know middle-aged women who are talented, funny and wise; they are our friends and colleagues. Surrounding ourselves with good souls helps us keep our feet planted and our hearts open. Aging experts also recommend we consciously schedule time with people who make us laugh –it\’s good for our bodies, minds and spirits. Gathering a handful of women together, however, can be tricky. Experienced women are magnificent at multi-tasking, making their calendars changeable. For example, four of us friends, including a few who live forty... Read More

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement If you haven\’t seen “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” I\’d recommend you get yourself to a theater and luxuriate in this gem of a film. It\’s the perfect movie for Boomer women (men, too – my husband really liked it). In addition to impressive acting by such notables as Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and Judi Dench, it explores the concepts of challenge, transformation, hope, and resilience through humor and drama. I visited exotic and memorable India a few... Read More

The Thrift-Mobile By Barb Tobias NABBW’s Thrifting Expert Years ago, I thrift shopped with complete abandon. Little thought was given to equipment, packing material or how I would get my new-to-me treasures home. Today, as garage sale season approaches, I plan, and turn my vehicle into a well-stocked machine…the “thrift-mobile.” The extra coat, the bags of sand and the collapsible snow shovel (I live in the mountains) make way for an assortment of thrifting essentials. I\’ve always been fond of big, over-the-top items, so transporting monstrous finds was always a... Read More

Safe, Effective, Non-toxic Sunscreens Protect Against Sunburn & Skin Cancer By Diane MacEachern NABBW’s Going Green Expert Sunburn season officially kicked off Memorial Day weekend. Are you prepared? After all, you don\’t want to get skin cancer like me, do you? To be protected, you need to reduce your exposure to two kinds of sun rays: 1) UVA, which causes wrinkling and ageing, and 2) UVB, which can cause basal cell (what I got) and squamos cell carcinoma. Most people rely on some kind of sunscreen or sun block to keep them safe. But according to the EWG Sunscreen Guide compiled... Read More

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 7 Not So Simple Steps By Jed Diamond, Ph.D., LCSW NABBW’s Male Menopause Expert As we reflect on those who have died in support of the American way of life, I think about what it takes to be truly happy. Too often we live in fear or anger and it contributes to heart problems, relationship breakups, and conflict with other nations. We all want to be happy and are looking for simple steps to getting there, yet scientific evidence makes it seem unlikely that you can change your level of happiness in any sustainable way. Sad people don’t become... Read More

Fresh Veggie Pita Pocket Sandwich (With Hummus — The Perfect Sandwich Filler To Jazz Up Those Veggies) By Janet Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN NABBW’s Healthy Heart Lifestyle Expert It’s Monday and you plan on participating in the National movement to go meatless on Mondays. (Meatless Monday is an international campaign—started by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health—that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet.) You’re short on time, need a quick and tasty vegetarian sandwich filler—so you reach for the prepared... Read More

Drinking Wine – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly By Jan Cullinane NABBW’s Expert on The New Retirement Friend or foe? Pleasure or poison? There has been a lot of discussion about wine over the past decade. Let\’s take a look at how this “nectar of the gods” affects adults over 50. Studies are based upon “moderate” consumption of wine, defined as no more than one drink per day for women, and two drinks per day for men. A drink is defined as five ounces of wine. The Good (assuming wine isn\’t contraindicated because of medications, disease –... Read More

Country French Green Bean and Potato Salad By Pat Sinclair NABBW’s Cooking for Two Expert Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. Time for lazy days, easy cooking, less baking and lots of icy beverages. Easy cooking means more cooking on the grill, a method that produces great tasting food and doesn\’t heat up the house. When I don\’t know what to fix for dinner, my husband is always ready to cook something on the grill. The problem with that is someone still has to figure out the rest of the meal, that would be me. One of my go-to side dishes is an easy potato salad... Read More