A Crone’s Quest Fifteen years ago a cyst consumed most of my right ovary. I had it removed. Not long after, I saw a new doctor who looked at my records and said, “I see you are missing an ovary.” “Not really,” I said. “I hardly ever think about it.” Nor do I miss my uterus and the other ovary, both of which departed ten years ago. When Nora Ephron said to “cut out all
Older Women’s Stories: It’s the Creative Age Life slows down, just a little. Family and work aren’t as demanding. More time, more space, and you might discover yourself again. It’s a journey. There are definitely left turns, some detours, sometimes a one-way street, on the road to back to yourself, but each brings possible discovery. A therapist for many years, I’ve also long been a writer—seven books and counting—but I’d never written a novel until
Over Fifty? The Diet Industry Wants You. If you are not yet following Debra Benfield at Aging with Vitality and Body Liberation, you’re missing out. Deb is a trained nutritionist who offers sage advice about loving our bodies as they are. In her July 2025 newsletter she breaks down the ways our natural increase in body size protects us: “What If I Told You Body Changes in Midlife+ are Protective, Not a Problem? One of
Age is not Just a Number One of the things that distresses me about ageism is the insidious ways it finds to undermine and disrespect the natural process of human ageing. Western culture, with its deeply embedded ageist thinking, conjures up platitudes and catchphrases that any slick advertising agency would be proud of having penned, almost always sugar-coated to appear benign and encouraging: a grandparent is ‘80 Years Young!’, or a mother turns 95, and
Grow Radical with Me, The Best is Yet to Be Women grow radical with age. One day an army of gray-haired women may quietly take over the earth. —Gloria Steinem I wouldn’t call us “quiet,” but we Crones sure are busy. That gathering of millions for No Kings Day was mostly olders, and the olders were mostly women. While those demographics aren’t getting much play, the fact is, five million old women is just too
Retirement is Another Lifetime When I announced my retirement there was a distinct divide in the reactions from my colleagues. Some were happy for me and a little jealous, while others told me I would be back to work in six months. This last statement puzzled me until I dug deeper. For a start, all these comments were made by men. When I queried why they thought I would return to a job I loathed
