About Me

I am a 66-year-old woman looking to maximize the next phase of my life, to experience vibrant aging, in other words.  I decided to write this blog for two reasons:  because I think I have something to say about the process of getting older for women, but also because I am interested in hearing from other older women about their experiences in making the most out of their lives as they age.  I am interested in remaining as young, vibrant, and healthy as possible for as long as I can, to experience the "new aging."

So who am I?

I retired from the School of Social Work at Arizona State University a couple of years ago after being a professor of social work there for five years following 28 years as a professor at the State University of New York at Albany.  My years as a professor  were productive and satisfying for me, providing me the opportunity to teach new generations of social workers and to do research on domestic violence, child abuse (both physical and sexual) and substance abuse in women.  I have been in recovery from alcoholism for 19 years myself, which has shaped the person I have become as well as my worldview.

But as satisfying as those years of being a professor were, they were so all-encompassing that work overwhelmed other aspects of my life.  Work was the first thing I thought in the morning when I woke and the last thing I thought of before dropping off to sleep at night.  I am grateful that retirement has brought me the gift of time.  I have been finding other ways of experiencing life that are very rewarding.  My goal each day is to be happy, joyous and free and to be of use to others.

I am married to a wonderful man, also a retired professor, and we live in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona.

Although I have no children myself, my husband has three adult children and we have seven grandchildren and two step grandchildren.  Sadly, none live nearby so we don't get to see them as often as we'd like.  Not having been a parent, I especially enjoy those grandkids.

And of course we have our pets:  Juniper, a totally spoiled 6-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who really thinks she's a person, and three cats (Dax and Harrison and Sierra).