My Surroundings, My Life
Although geography isn’t a cure, surroundings can have a profound effect on us. They can be transformative. Watching these women and their dogs on the beach created an oasis of calm and joy in the middle of a conference. What works for you? What surroundings will you need to support your life choices? I’ve been spending more time traveling this year and find that I’m increasingly drawn to quieter places than my New York City home. On the other hand, a friend exchanged her peaceful suburban life for mid-town Manhattan when she retired. While I find that, after 40+ years, I’d like a break from the hustle and bustle, she’s found all this activity energizing. Autumn i

The Magic of Friendship
Lucy and Ethel; Rachel, Monica and Phoebe; Betty and Wilma. What do they all have in common? They were – are – lifelong friends. Somewhere out there almost any day you can find a rerun of these great friends supporting each other, sometimes annoying each other, but always there in the end. Over the course of our lives, our friendships with other women become increasingly important. Illness, divorce, the empty nest, our parents’ deaths, loss of a spouse or other significant relationships are inevitable as we age. “It is our friends who keep us anchored and grounded amid the sea of changes within us and around us,” says Patricia Gottlieb Shapiro in her book Heart