Aging

Fast Cars and Freedom

It sat there, big and red, and I could almost hear the 375 horses under the hood stamping their hooves and snorting. It was a new Dodge Challenger, and it sat in the President's Circle section of the Hertz lot at the Burbank Airport between Nissans and Toyotas. My wife and son were some yards behind me, but I didn't st......... more »

Brain Tip #3: Eat Smart, Decrease Dementia

Is diet related to dementia? For a long time, researchers have known two things: (i) poor dietary habits increase the risk of getting heart disease, and (ii) having heart disease increases the risks of dementia (1). The next question followed naturally: Does poor diet itself increase the risk of dementia? Researchers n......... more »

“Try a Soft Hackle”

For the last three years my wife (Jane), our golden retriever (Poppy), and I (Tim) have spent the month of September camping and fly-fishing primarily in Montana. While doing so we have also taken a few sorties into either Wyoming or Idaho. This year we have taken our current reach down into Henry’s Fork (of the Snak......... more »

Crossings:  Negotiating Change

Transition: Leaving the Known for the Unknown To live is to come to what the Irish call the ‘thin places:’  the places between this world and the next, between what has been and what will be.  At such times, whether it is the first day of school, the start of a new relationship, the end of an old one, the begin......... more »

Brain Tip #2:   Socialize More, Improve Cognitive Performance

We humans are living longer. That’s the good news. The bad? After we turn 65, dementia rates double every five years in developed countries. And in developing ones, dementia rates double every seven years. (1)  The conclusion seems unavoidable. The longer we live, the more likely we are to suffer dementia. All the m......... more »

Why Robert Plant is The Boss:  (and 5 Ways That You Can Be, Too!)

I saw Robert Plant in concert a few days ago.  I love live music, especially outdoor concerts and  this one was really special because he was vibrant and because the crowd was so awesome. How can a “rock” crowd be awesome if their average age was in the mid-60’s?  Most people had gray hair (and those of us ......... more »

Brain Tip #1:  Use your Body, Benefit your Mind

Want to improve your chances of avoiding mild cognitive decline as you age? Or even of getting Alzheimer’s?  Researchers have identified several things we can do. Among them, is this strong recommendation: Get off your couch. And get active.           This is not new advice. Those of us 55 and older have ......... more »

Consistency…Oh What a Drag

I continue to be shocked about how easy it is to “deteriorate” in SO many ways when I am inconsistent, especially now that I am older.  Oh let me count the ways… Eating one double scoop ice cream cone and gain 5 pounds   Go to the opera in the big city, and return home at 1:00 a.m. End up drag......... more »

Planning a Wedding After 50:  Lawyers, Botox, and Tombstones

I am 53 now and will be 54 by the time I get married this summer.  No, this is not my first rodeo.  My first “rodeo” took place when I was 21.  It was a different place, a different time, and I was a different person then.  I married a very nice man and we were married for over 20 years, but it ran its course, ......... more »

More Fun than the Olympics

The opening event was due on the same day as the opening of the 2018 Winter Olympics. My wife and I flew from Washington to Yucca Valley, California. We were greeted with nice 77-84 degree weather and a big hug from our young “Olympian” Kay. At age 14, Kay was both excited and anxious about her dance recital tha......... more »

Two Sides Of The Coin

Being 70, I expect to have some body parts wear out, but yesterday was another story. Please note, this is not simply some old guy’s “organ recital” (aka, whining about health issues). Some how I ended up with 4 medical appointments yesterday. Somehow…well I guess we all know how… I made four appointments in ......... more »

Jumping Through Hoops

Thursday morning we left Port Townsend for a long getaway weekend in Walla Walla, Washington. As we were traveling East on I-90 we began to make our way up the rain soaking mountain pass (please contain your shock at us having rain in Washington) when we came upon a military caravan. The vehicles appeared to be much......... more »

A Letter to Grandpa Jack

Dear Grandpa Jack: My finger-tips still whence with the blazing memory of watching you snuff out the used-up Marlboro butt with your bare finger tips. I still hear myself scream silently in horror at the nonchalant act of my real Marlboro Man hero. I know I didn’t have that many years to actually be with you, b......... more »

On “Making a Difference”

Do I make a difference? For men, facing this question at some point in life seems almost inevitable. More so, perhaps, when it’s time to retire. Inevitable, yes, but also understandable. Because many men still feel a subtle pressure to measure their value by success at work—what is accomplished, and how much is ear......... more »

The Anthropology of Aging: Biking Across Kansas

“Miles later and the heat is just ferocious. Sunglasses and goggles are not enough for this glare. You need a welder’s mask.” Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974) by Robert M. Pirsig.   In our culture, as we grow older the process of negotiating transitions with ourselves and others is a cons......... more »

‘SEENAGER’

I just discovered my age group! I am a Seenager (Senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 50-60 years later.   I don’t have to go to school or work. I get an allowance every month. I have my own pad. I don’t have a curfew. I have a drivers license and my own c......... more »

Life in the Middle

An accordion. That’s what my life feels like right now, with pressure from two sides. I reflected on this in my first “Fine Winer” article, that I’m feeling the “middle” in “middle age.” My wife, Joy, and I are dealing with the growing pains of our young adult kids, and with aging parents. We worry a......... more »

MY FRIDAY MARTINI: A Play In 3 Acts-Act Three

Act Three – Ingestion, and Postlogue Raise the glass. Inhale. What you smell is cold, with a light scent of lemon, and maybe, maybe, a little sharpness from the alcohol. Your mind, in a conditioned response, sets off on its journey even before the chemistry catches up with it. My soul is past the point of no retur......... more »

War Stories

In Erich Maria Remarque’s 1931 novel, “The Road Back” (sequel to “All Quiet on the Western Front”), he follows a group of German soldiers home, as they try to reintegrate into civilian life after Germany’s surrender. They find everything changed—themselves, their friends, their family. When pushed to tell......... more »

MY FRIDAY MARTINI: A Play In 3 Acts-Act Two

Act 2 - The Ritual  5:30, post-meridian. Home, going nowhere. The coat comes off. The shoes come off. The fireplace goes on, or the breezeway door is opened. Settled. A chair. A view. No TV, no phone, no computer. A friend/family/lover. Or not. An empty stomach. More about that in a minute. My Friday martini is ......... more »

The Anthropology of Aging

With this blog I am hoping to provide a comparative perspective on aging, using my own experiences, my research and the work of others on the anthropology of aging. I plan to explore how other cultures approach the task of growing old, the statuses and roles of older members in non-Western societies, and ultimately, ho......... more »

MY FRIDAY MARTINI: A Play In 3 Acts-Act One

Act One – Prologue There are certain sins that one can only appreciate when one reaches a certain maturity. An ice-cold, straight-up, gin martini is one of them. The question is, can one forgive oneself? Can God? I was raised in a church where I was taught that one drink of alcohol would send you to the fires o......... more »

Never Too Old To Face Our Fears

At the moment I am sitting about 30 miles north of Kona, HI. It is a beautiful afternoon with the temperature about 80 degrees, a mixed-cloud sky, and a soft breeze blowing the palm trees. I feel very privileged to spend some time in this wonderful State during the winter. Even with all the laid-back mojo here on th......... more »

The Power of Philanthropy to Change the World

Every year I look forward to receiving the annual report from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation because it is always full of encouraging and energizing facts concerning recent trends in the world we live in. This year is no exception. The recent report is in the form of a progress report to Warren Buffet concern......... more »

69…70…100

February 8, 2017 It is 9:38 pm. Moments before sitting in my chair I was laying on the floor nose to nose with our 2-year-old golden retriever, Poppy. I have just completed 40 pushups and planked to the count of 80. I feel weaker than I did before my kidney surgery last October, but at the same time feel that I am slo......... more »

Seventy!

Having just completed my 70th year on this planet, I find myself in a reflective mood. What has mattered the most all these years? Can I offer anything useful to an 18-year-old about what lies ahead? Not that I’ve been asked, of course. But then, I don’t recall asking 70+ year-olds to answer that question when I wa......... more »

Simply Perfect

I recently went to our local food co-op in search of some apples. Not only did I find myself confronted with about ten large baskets of different varieties, but also within each basket were various shades and sizes of that same variety. With so many choices what is a guy to do? Without much conscious choice I found ......... more »

Extend Your Life by Enjoying Your Life

An important four-year longitudinal study done by a group of scientists from England, and reported in the esteemed BMJ, found that subjective (perceived) wellbeing and enjoyment has the positive effect of extending our life on an average of 7.3 years. Mortality was inversely associated with the number of occasions on w......... more »

Reflections in the Quiet



This month began with my 55th birthday. I anticipated this milestone with some anxiety, because it was at Christmas, 1970, that my grandfather died of a heart attack while on a business trip to Galesburg, Illinois. I was 9. That Christmas morning, I opened his final present to me, a beagle puppy that we named “Mitzi.......... more »

Better Mental Health With Aging

Like good wine and cheese, one's mental health improves with age, new research suggests. The following information was reported in Medscape Medical News. What the researchers found may surprise you. In a study of more than 1000 adults, people in their senior years were found to be happier and more content with their......... more »

Good News For the Very Old Agers

As reported in the December 2014 journal Psychology and Aging, over 500 non-demented seniors participated in the so-called Berlin Aging Study. The subjects were 70-100 years old and were measured for memory performance 4 times over the course of 6 years. The researchers were measuring the complaints of the seniors abou......... more »

Oh To Be Young Again!

You’ve thought of it too, I know you have. “Man, wouldn't it be great to know what I know now – and have the body of a 20-something!” More often than I care to admit, I have found myself introspectively thinking of myself as a 30 something, only to look in the bathroom mirror of a morning, and wonder, “Who th......... more »

Moving In With Dad

It’s the time of life when responsibilities reverse and the parents who raised us now need our care and consideration. For many this means either moving one or both parents into a home of one of their children, or finding a suitable retirement or assisted living situation for them. My family’s chosen another sol......... more »

Staying Razor Sharp With Age

In this video we will see how staying sharp can affect our performance.

Healthy Brain Aging—Part 3

In Part 1 of Healthy Brain Aging, I shared material from Glenn Smith, Ph.D. of the University of Florida, who wrote the lead article in the May-June 2016 issue of American Psychologist. His article entitled, Healthy Cognitive Aging and Dementia Prevention will continue to be the basis of the Part 3 in this series. I......... more »

Healthy Brain Aging—Part 2

In Part 1 of Healthy Brain Aging, I shared material from Glenn Smith, Ph.D. of the University of Florida, who wrote the lead article in the May-June 2016 issue of American Psychologist. His article entitled, Healthy Cognitive Aging and Dementia Prevention will continue to be the basis of the Part 2 in this series. I......... more »

Healthy Brain Aging—Part 1

Hating Dementia For those of us mere mortals who missed it, Glenn Smith, Ph.D. from the University of Florida, wrote the lead article in May-June 2016 issue of American Psychologist. His provocative and hopeful article is entitled, Healthy Cognitive Aging and Dementia Prevention. I would like to share some of his find......... more »

Balancing Balance

Balance can be defined as mental stability or emotional stability. In the field of physical therapy balance is defined as a state of bodily equilibrium where the body's center of gravity is within the base of support. Many complex systems must function correctly and interact precisely to remain upright. If any portion ......... more »

This is What 52 Looks Like!!

Early Sunday morning, I was standing in line in a field near Sequim.  I was waiting my turn to pick up my race number to participate in my first ever duathlon (3 mile run + 22 mile bike ride + 3 mile run).  As I glanced down at the registration list, I found my name and next to it was a number under the “age” col......... more »

Confluence of the River

I am standing in cold knee-deep water. While I am easily able to maintain my balance, the flow of the river is ever pressing to topple me over and sweep me down stream. My fly rod is positioned securely under my right armpit. I am holding the tippet of the 9 foot tapered leader in my mouth, while I tie on a new fly usi......... more »

Beginning to see some improvement…

Came across a great article on Huffington Post's Facebook feed. You can read it here.......... more »

If I Only Knew Then…

It is within my body, and having been set in motion, remains alive in me. I have an almost do-or-die obsession to have outlets for my playfulness and discovering the territories of resiliency, adaptability, and movement. With a liberated emotional intelligence, I can now lead with my heart. With a sharp eye th......... more »

Why bodybuilding at age 93 is a great idea: Charles Eugster at TEDxZurich