the juicy years

Recently I developed and facilitated two Writing Groups for Elders in my local community.   I believed it was important for them to  explore topics and emotions that might normally remain hidden, for healing in their 3rd Chapter. To  hear others' stories and realise that they are not alone.   beginnings . . . I set about creating a safe container for these feelings and stories to flow, in a non-judgmental way, where they could feel safe in sharing their life if they chose to.   T hey also had the opportunity to practise writing more creatively. The feedback from participants has been encouraging, and positive. And I am grateful for their trust in me, in each other, and their own process.   One said she "liked the topics and themes that you suggested for us and the quotes and poems were a bonus...I loved the warm feeling that was created in the group and I think one of the reasons for this was the way we were led into some deep little recesses of our lives tha

I shared a memory with a friend recently, on Facebook. It was a photo of us 20 years ago that evoked a feeling of shared joy. But she also commented that she'd like to "turn back the clock". That started me thinking about how life would be, even if we turned the clock back 10 years, to pre FB.  How might we be using these hours in a way that nurtures us more deeply? The time that social media has snatched from us? And who would we be without our technology? Michael Harris, in his book “ The End of Absence ” suggests that soon enough people will struggle to remember life before the Internet.  Would we be more engaged in our local community? Be more able to churn out that book, or paint more pictures? So how do we extract ourselves, even a little, for fear of losing our seemingly community of 'friends'. Many would have withdrawal symptoms. The longest offline time for me was a week.  Michael goes on to say "And today’s rarest

In these winter months it's an opportune time for reflection.  What makes your life meaningful in your elder years? As our lifespan is greater than any generation before us, we can shape ourselves into the kind of elder we want to be.  It's an extraordinary time to be alive!  We now have a smorgasbord of activities and experiences to delve into. Waking up feeling optimistic about your day is a sure sign that your life has meaning.  For many, this time is for re-defining oneself.  Perhaps  mourning the loss of our younger self, or identity?  Letting go of one's former identity can be difficult for some. In our quest to live meaningfully, I believe it’s to live authentically, in alignment with our values and personal ethos. With renewed confidence and a “so what” attitude, our 3 rd  chapter  can be the most joyful and meaningful time of our lives. Have you ever asked yourself "Who am I ?" During our early years we may have searched

Your heart is like a compass, it speaks to you moment by moment. It is your wisdom bank, and is much more than an efficient pumping machine.   S cience has shown us that the heart possesses its own intelligence, has its own brain. In fact, the HeartMath Institute has identified that the electromagnetic field of the heart is 5,000 times stronger than that of the brain. And the heart and brain work together. It's believed that our emotions play a huge role in the health of our hearts, and they can positively impact our state of health more than all the vitamins, exercise and organic food combined. So feeling and expressing all of our emotions is good medicine! By intentionally attending to them we can rewire the neural circuitry of our nervous system, and the stress pathways begin to atrophy.  In our culture women have been socialised to keep the lid on their anger which then gets internalised, causing stress.   Yes, its OK to be angry!   But as heart disease

I 've been lacking a good dose of oxytocin lately!   That feel good hormone that primarily reduces stress and makes one feel loved.  A woman's vitamin pill! In writing up this blog, it's become clear that friendship and loneliness can be explored together, so I began researching how other women felt, and had long phone conversations with a couple of these 'old' friends on this topic. Had they ever lacked deeply meaningful friendships at one time or another? How did they feel re the ending of some? And others they may have avoided contacting in case another flare-up happened. I don't think there's a woman alive who hasn't experienced a challenge with a female friendship. In a Melbourne writers group, the following writers and academics - Maya Linden, Christie Nieman, Maggie Scott, Natalie Kon-Yu and Miriam Sved, also discussed female friendships, and discovered that they had all been "dumped by a female friend" at one stage in their li