From Shakespeare to Jay Leno, lawyers are the subject jokes. According to the jokes, lawyers are unprincipled, lawyers over bill and lawyers too often tell clients what the client already knew. The truth is that some lawyers fall within this stereotypical characterization. Run away from these attorneys as fast as you can! There is another group of attorneys, however, who you need. These lawyers are advocates for you when you are in trouble, counselors for you when you have difficult decisions to make and experts who know the intricacies of the law. These lawyers are ones you should seek out and hire... Read More

Once there was a young woman who didn\’t like her job. Everyday when she came home from work, she told her husband how terrible her day had been, how tiring the work and how unreasonable her boss. “Leave that job,” her husband told her. “Oh I will” she said. “But not yet. I have too many friends there for me to leave just yet.” And so she complained until the days became years and her family grew to five. “Leave that job,” her children told her. “Oh I will” she said. “But not yet. I have seniority and four weeks vacation I... Read More

…by Prill Boyle While leading a Defying Gravity workshop last month, I asked the women in the group to share a few of their fears. Lynn, a 50-something divorcée, didn\’t hesitate. “I\’m afraid to grow old without a companion,” she said. The irony is that if Lynn remains single, she\’ll soon have plenty of company. As we baby boomer women age, more and more of us will find ourselves alone. Some of us will never marry. Others will divorce. Statistically speaking, the majority of wives will end up widows. If all this sounds depressing, keep in mind that being single isn\’t... Read More

…by Julie Clark Robinson “Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.”  -Langston Hughes Yesterday, I was strangely excited. The sky stayed dark all day and my battered wind chimes worked overtime. “Clang, clang….the weatherman wants to tell you something…” I stopped working for a minute and let my senses drink it in. “Clang, clang…get off your ass and turn on the TV”. After months of frosty air, I cracked open my office window and felt actual warmth seeping in. “Clang, thump! Rumble, rumble,... Read More

Recently I conducted a seminar called Creating Sacred Space. I want to share a few tips with you.. You would be surprised how little effort it takes to instantly change the energy of your home. Are you ready? The first thing we want to do is to define ‘Sacred Space.\’ What does it mean to you? When I asked our class participants this question, they told me a Sacred Space is one where you feel safe. It\’s calm and peaceful. There is no clutter, they said, and the space ‘feels\’ different. I like all of those ideas. What would you add? Isn\’t your home meant to be a sanctuary... Read More

Who doesn\’t love the circus? At The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (www.ringling.org) in Sarasota, Florida, you\’ll see the genius behind “the greatest show on earth.” John Ringling was not only a circus entrepreneur, but also an art collector and financier whose estate now includes the Museum of Art, Circus Museum, and Ca d\’Zan mansion, all located on 66 acres overlooking the sparkling Sarasota Bay. Ringling\’s art collection, which included paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Velazquez, Poussin, Van Dyck, and other Baroque masters, was left to the people of the... Read More

What if you\’ve decided you\’re among the 50 percent of Boomers who say they are planning to relocate after they retire, and, after doing some investigating, you\’ve narrowed your list of locations to several possibilities. Of course, there really is no perfect place, but there are likely many locations that will mesh with your priorities. Remember, too, that moving doesn\’t have to be a permanent decision – you may decide you want to live in a place for several years, and then relocate again. Now, assuming you\’ve done your homework and narrowed your list to several... Read More

…by Julie Clark Robinson “Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens.”  -Frank Herbert. A person expects it to some degree, whether they are aware of it or not. You squeeze through the aisle — trying not to bonk anyone in the head with your carry-on –mumble words of appreciation to the flight attendants, and step down the ramp into another city\’s version of an airport. Change is literally in the air, albeit institutional and somewhat stuffy. You pick up your pace and follow the overhead signs to your final destination. But when the month is March and... Read More

…by Suzanne Falter-Barnes Five years ago a psychic in Key West, FL told me something I\’m only just now beginning to understand. As I sat there in front of her, in a darkened room all full of incense, she intoned: “You\’ll have the success you want, Suzanne… but only when you open your heart.” I wasn\’t sure what this meant, exactly, but I did what any good self-help devotee would do. I set out to crack the code on what ‘opening your heart\’ meant. My first stop was the aromatherapy store, where I spent a good hour sniffing this and that until I\’d... Read More

First we couldn\’t have any. Then we could have it all. Then we realized we didn\’t want it all. So how come we\’re still doing it all – and feeling guilty about it to boot!? Welcome to the “Sandwich Generation”! So much has been written lately about the “Sandwich Generation” – those caring for both their children and their aging parents. It\’s an important subject, especially because, while Baby Boomer men are also members of the sandwich generation, the overwhelming impact is on Baby Boomer women. Why are women bearing the brunt of eldercare? Because we\’re... Read More