The Marathon Swimmer and Her Trainer Bonnie Stoll Launch EverWalk
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The Truth About Aging MESSAGE from the editor
Our mission at 3rd Act Magazine is to champion aging and encourage navigating this life stage with con dence. Ageism is rampant and damaging in our society and calling out and combatting ageism is vital.
Yet, in doing this, in promoting positive aging and countering the narrative that this life stage is all about loss and decline, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we are mortals—that most of us will experience decline before our life ends. All the exercise, brain engagement, healthy eating, and social engagement we do, and should continue to do, may delay age-related changes, but will not stop them.
Age-related changes were undeniably evident during the rst debate between President Biden and Donald Trump. Time eventually takes its toll on all of us—even the best. It is not ageist to acknowledge age-related changes in ourselves and others. But it is ageist to base judgments on just a number—23, 53, or 83—and make stereotypical assumptions of capabilities. e truth is that we all mature and age at di erent rates.
Given the ages of President Biden and Trump and the public conversation around whether their chronological ages should disqualify them from running for the Presidency—Biden stepped aside just before we went to press on this issue—I asked our writers to explore age in politics. Should age be on the ballot? at’s the question Jeanette Leardi asks in her essay titled with that very question (page 40).
Two prominent gerontologists she interviewed for the story point out how many of us mistakenly equate normal age-related changes as signs of diminished cognitive ability. Instead, they say, we should focus on competence, not chronological age. Again, this suggests that we look beyond age.
We are all familiar with the saying, “All politics are local.” at may or may not be true, but what is true is the degree to which older adults drive local politics. We are the ones who make things happen in our local communities. is is not because of or despite our age, but largely because we have the time to get involved. In our story “Kyoko Matsumoto on Why We Should All Get Involved in Local Politics” (page 28), we meet a 74-year-old foreign-born woman who has embraced public service in her third act and is a force for positive change in her city of Mountlake Terrace.
Launching and growing 3rd Act has been one of my greatest joys and achievements.
this body of work. But a er nine years at the helm, I’m ready to scale back my workload to have more time to explore my third act. I will be staying on board as editor at least through 2025. My partner and husband, David Marshall, is happy that he will now be fully retired.
I deeply appreciate the support of our readers and subscribers and, especially, our amazing writers, contributors, advertisers, and sponsors for helping us make 3rd Act Magazine a leading voice in positive aging these past nine years. It all started here in the Puget Sound. And very exciting, Nemetz is growing the
Speaking of change, did you notice the change in the title of my column? It’s now “Message from the Editor.” 3rd Act Magazine has a new publisher, David Nemetz! Launching and growing 3rd Act has been one of my greatest joys and achievements. I’m immensely proud of
magazine with a new Los Angeles edition launching this fall!
I look forward, dear readers, to continuing to age together with con dence.
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FEATURES
Nyad Wants to Get the World
COVER: At 64 Diana Nyad swam
110.86 miles from Cuba to Key West, Florida. Now 75, she and friend/trainer Bonnie Stoll want to get us walking with their new venture, EverWalk. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
24 DIANA NYAD AND BONNIE STOLL WANT TO TAKE YOU FOR A WALK Diana Nyad swam 110 miles from Cuba to Florida at 64. Her new goal has to do with walking and she invites us to join her.
ANN HEDREEN
28 KYOKO MATSUMOTO-WRIGHT : WE SHOULD ALL GET INVOLVED IN LOCAL POLITICS
Kyoko Matsumoto, 74, models how we can make our community, and people’s lives, better.
ANN HEDREEN
32 BRAVER ANGELS
Tired of divisiveness? Braver Angels teaches us how to build bridges.
DON GOLDBERG
40 SHOULD AGE BE ON THE TICKET? When voters focus on how old (or young), rather than how competent political candidates are, everyone loses.
JEANETTE LEARDI
42 THE BEST LAST WEEK With Death with Dignity, my dad’s last days were a celebration.
ELIZABETH SHIER
COLUMNS
8 AGING WITH INTENTION What’s age got to do with it? LINDA HENRY
10 NAVIGATING GRIEF
Raging at the world after the loss of a loved one.
MARILEE CLARKE
12 VIEW FROM HERE
A trailblazer reflects on the transformative power of women’s voices.
FLORENCE KLEIN
14 MIND THE SPIRIT
Navigating the family Sunday dinner during a fraught time.
STEPHEN SINCLAIR
Wet
What the conversation around aging presidential candidates can teach us about
Curtain
LIFESTYLE
We
Channeling
50 RUN? OR RUN AWAY? Is it time to get involved in local politics?
LARRY MOSS
52 THE DREAMS OF YOUNG ACTIVISTS The idealism of our youth evolves with the insights we gain as we age.
MICHAEL C. PATTERSON
54 FINDING TREASURE IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD Geocaching is a treasure hunt that encourages exploration and outdoor recreation.
JOHN OWEN
WELLNESS
18 A TRACTOR TALE OF A ‘LAST’ RIDE
“What can I do to help?” Supporting a loved one from a distance.
HARRIET PLATTS
38 KEEP MOVING
No pain, more gains—the best work out is the one you will stick with.
MIKE HARMS
58 NOURISH YOUR BODY Preserving fall’s end-of-season bounty.
REBECCA CRICHTON
62 BOOKS
The Women’s Revolution— How We Changed Your Life by Muriel Fox REVIEWED BY VICTORIA STARR MARSHALL
64 BRAIN GAMES
Challenge your brain with these word puzzles. NANCY LINDE
LETTERS
Consider Your Audience
I was disappointed reading your article “Your 7 Forever Exercises” by Mike Harms (Summer 2024). is magazine is purported to be for PNW folks in their 3rd Act. is article suggests that these people should be trying to do pushups, pullups, walk more miles every year, li 30 pounds, and perform Turkish get-ups! He encourages pushing yourself to do more every year, rather than adjust to your own abilities. As a board-certi ed emergency physician, now 67 years old myself with multiple medical and orthopedic issues, this is really bad advice. He could describe what he does, but his wording suggests it is what we all should be doing. Your magazine is a favorite of mine and your writers are usually much more discerning of their audience.
—Marni Bonnin, Seattle ank you for your feedback, Marni. e article suggests that we each gure out our own seven forever exercises and then the author lists his. I agree that this could have been clearer. And giving some less strenuous examples would have been appropriate. —Editor
Time to Stress Fall Prevention is is my rst subscription year, so I was wondering if you plan any fall prevention articles? Or have addressed this vital health and aging issue in the past? Or plan to again?
I retired from DC/National Council on Aging (NCOA) and moved to (the Seattle) area in 2017. We remodeled our home with lots of evidence-based safety ideas in mind and now that I’m turning 75, it’s become more important to me to get the word out.
Washington state has an aging coalition addressing falls. It was one of 46 states (with CDC, NIH, professional and academic organizations) joining the Falls Free Coalition at the NCOA. As VP for healthy aging and a physical therapist, I was pleased to develop and lead this national coalition responsible for naming and promoting annual activities in fall prevention awareness linked to the rst day of fall. Recently the NCOA focus has shi ed to brain health but lots of evidence-based fall information is still available and as relevant as ever. e problem of falls for older adults, families, and caregivers is only growing.
For more information, readers can go to www.ncoa.org/older-adults/ health/prevention/falls-prevention, the Washington Department of Health (www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/home-andcommunity-services/falls-prevention) or the CDC site of Still Going Strong (www.cdc.gov/still-going-strong/olderadults/index.html). ey are all chock full of evidence-based, easy to use information.
— Lynn Beattie
ank you, Lynn, for providing this information for our readers. We have published articles on fall prevention in past issues. You can nd them by searching for “falls” on our website. —Editor talk
by email: info@3rdActMag.com by mail: 3rd Act Magazine, 2522 N Proctor Street, #495 Tacoma, WA 98406
Please include your name, city, state, and phone number when possible. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
OUR VISION
Now, more than ever, older adults are viewing their retirement as a “Third Act” in their lives: A time for reinvention, connection, and engagement. 3rd Act Magazine is a bold, fresh, lifestyle magazine for older adults. Our stories and articles challenge the worn-out perceptions of aging and offer a dynamic new vision: Let’s celebrate and embrace this stage of life, and age together with confidence.
PUBLISHER
David Nemetz
EDITOR Victori a Starr Marshall
COPY EDITOR Tina Potterf
ART DIRECTOR Philip K rayna
WEBSITE Philip Krayna
ADVERTI SING Dale Bohm, Pat Sylvia
SOCIAL MEDIA Pat Sylvia
DISTRIBUTION & CIRCULATION
David Nemetz
COVER PHOTO
Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix
3rd Act Magazine wants to hear from you! Email your comments, ideas, and questions to info@3rdActMagazine.com.
3rd Act Magazine is published quarterly by Armogan Media, LLC. The opinions, advice, or statements expressed by contributing writers do not reflect those of the editors, the publishers, or 3rd Act Magazine.
Armogan Media, LLC 2522 N Proctor Street, #495 Tacoma, WA 98406
For subscriptions, advertising rates, and additional information, visit us at www.3rdActMagazine.com
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What’s Age Got to Do With it?
BY LINDA HENRY
Linda Henry writes regularly on topics related to aging, health care, and communication, and is the coauthor of several books, including Transformational Eldercare from the Inside Out: Strengths-Based Strategies for Caring. She conducts workshops nationally on aging and creating caring work environments. Her volunteer emphasis is age-friendly communities.
inking about the overarching theme of this issue, I found myself singing Tina Turner’s biggest-selling single, “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”—only substituting the words age for love.
Well then, what does age have to do with it?
Perhaps the better question is when doesn’t age matter? It de nes when we go to school, get a job, drive a car, enter the military, be viewed as an adult, marry, or retire. And now, age has taken center stage as a quali er in the upcoming election. Should age be on the ballot? Is age the sole denominator of one’s tness to function in high-level endeavors?
Bonnie Wong, director of the neuropsychology program at Massachusetts General Hospitalist’s frontotemporal disorders unit, studies “super agers.”
the House. As the issue of age ramps up given the age of the two leading presidential candidates, noted writer and activist Aston Applewhite considers calling either of them “old” is not ageism. “ ey are old,” she states. However, she notes, calling someone too old for a job is ageist. “Plenty of younger people aren’t up to a given task. Plenty of olders are.” Instead, she suggests the conversation should center on capacity.
When we set work limits based solely on age, we risk premature loss of talent and opportunities for individuals and society, believes geriatrician and award-winning writer Louise Aronson, MFA, MD, thus exacerbating the dilemma of demanding older workers retire, while lamenting the economic burden of unemployed elders.
Aronson suggests developing evidencebased guidelines that can be used to create employment standards across industries using data and expertise from leaders in economics, geriatric medicine, gerontology, and elsewhere to optimize work in older ages despite the considerable diversity in health and function across the decades of elderhood. She cautions that voting should be based on more than age.
She believes that assessing someone’s mental or physical capabilities from brief observations of speech, memory, or motor function is not reliable. “When it comes to cognitive ability, things are much more complex,” says Wong.
Our xation on age as a quali er of ability is becoming more important considering that the current median age in the U.S. Senate is 65 and nearly 58 in
Stuart Jay Olshansky, a professor of health at the University of Illinois Chicago who analyzes the longevity of presidents, argues that since not everyone ages at the same rate, it is important to distinguish between chronological age and biological age that considers genetics and lifestyle choices.
So, should age be on the ballot? e reality is for some, it will be a key factor. However, it does not have to be the predominant factor. Whether we agree or not, we choose what factors will in uence our vote. Consider evaluating a candidate, presidential or other downballot candidate, by their truthfulness, consideration of others, position on crime, environment, or other issues. While age a ects many things, it is not the sole indicator of competency. Elections matter and as an educated voter, our vote counts.
Misplaced Anger
Raging at the World After the Loss of a Loved One
BY MARILEE CLARKE
After losing her husband in 2021, Marilee Clarke began writing her book on navigating grief. Excerpts from the book (still in progress) often appear in this magazine. Her passions include mixed media creations and traveling the world every chance she gets. She currently splits her time between Issaquah and the California desert, enjoying the best of two very different and beautiful locales.
Most of us are familiar with the construct of the stages of grief. is idea was rst brought to the world’s attention by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969, who outline ve stages—denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance—that are part of the grieving process. In the years since her groundbreaking research, experts have concluded that not every person will experience each of these phases and not necessarily in any prescribed order. I’m going out on a limb, however, to say that I suspect anger will always be one of the stages a person goes through a er a signi cant loss.
When we lose a loved one, there is inevitable anger: Anger at God, at the universe, at the doctor who gave us too much hope, or at ourselves for missing something or saying/not saying the right thing. ese are all expected within the anger phase.
But I’d like to delve into misplaced anger in the grieving process. A er exhausting the obvious targets, I found myself getting cross at senseless, inane things at a disproportionate level. I am not by nature an angry person, so this blindsided me. Little things completely unrelated to my husband’s death could work me into an irritable froth. A good psychologist would probably say it is easier and healthier than beating yourself up in a period of deep sorrow. In the end, I concluded that this was what was happening.
Looking back, I now know there is nothing I could have done—or even the doctors could have done—that would have changed the course of my partner’s illness. But that anger at the universe had
to go somewhere and I wished I could apologize to every innocent bystander on the street, in a store, or on a dreaded customer service line that had to put up with me when that rage was loosened.
Eventually, like all things, the anger phase subsided and I crossed into acceptance. I’d like to o er hope that your anger will wane and give you a free pass to allow the release of this vexation for a few months or however much time you need. I gave myself a free pass for about a year. It meant that I could be irritable, cancel social engagements, or crawl into bed when the sadness overwhelmed me. I think it is a grace that a grieving person deserves, a time when we will be forgiven for almost everything. If you are grieving, I recommend you set a deadline on your free pass. It is easy to get used to people o ering to help at every turn and being allowed to let a lot of things go, but be careful not to settle there.
Finally, the corollary is that if you nd yourself on the receiving end of someone’s outrage, remind yourself that this probably isn’t about you, but rather about a person who may have recently experienced some signi cant loss and is su ering from misplaced anger.
At AARP Family Caregiving, we’re here to help you get answers, connect with other caregivers and nd local resources close to home. So you can take care of what matters most. To learn more, visit aarp.org/caregiverswa
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How Far Have We Come? An Unstoppable Trailblazer Reflects
on the Transformative Power of Women’s Voices
BY FLORENCE KLEIN
Klein was born in 1934 in Philadelphia, and graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She published her first book, Under the Hat—Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer in 2023, at age 89. She has three children and lives on Bainbridge Island, Wash.
As I re ect on the strides toward gender equality, it’s essential to acknowledge the trailblazers who paved the way for today’s progress. My journey as one of Philadelphia’s rst female stockbrokers and America’s rst woman real estate developer— converting old factories into historic condos— stands as a testament to the transformative power of women’s voices and the ongoing ght for equality.
Growing up during the tumultuous years of World War II, I decided early on to take charge of my destiny. I challenged the status quo in male-dominated elds, while raising a family and pursued my dreams no matter how unconventional they seemed.
Some of my foundational principles come from books. As a child, I would sneak into the adult section of the Logan Library to nd more exciting reads. ere, I discovered e Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. At 10 or 11 years old, I had no idea how radical and controversial the ideas were.
e author’s goal was to present the ideal man and she emphasized the importance of being an individual, which was revolutionary at that time. And even though the hero was a man, I never once questioned that the principles she espoused would apply equally to women. A quote from her book, “ e question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me,” became my lifelong mantra.
Another woman who deeply in uenced me is Maggie Kuhn. She fueled my passion for intergenerational housing. Kuhn was a passionate activist and feminist who founded the Gray
Panthers movement in 1970 to combat social injustice, racial and gender inequity, and elder discrimination. Later she started the National Shared Housing Resource Center to encourage intergenerational housing.
Like Kuhn, I am an activist at heart. I usually do not wait to be called when I see a need. I move forward to see if I can make a di erence. I started one of the rst websites to assist seniors in need and continued to break barriers well into my 80s, such as writing and publishing my rst book.
As we age, the most important thing is to keep going. Age is just a number—it does not de ne anyone. at’s why I keep moving—to renew my energy, passion, and desire to be who I now know I am. And there is still more to me.
Women’s voices, once marginalized, are now at the forefront of advocacy and change. e ght for equality has seen some victories—from greater representation in corporate boardrooms to leadership roles—and some recent setbacks. e journey is ongoing.
Our stories underscore the importance of perseverance and the collective power of women’s voices in shaping a more equitable future. We each have the power to create change. As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, let’s carry forward the lessons and continue the ght for a world where equality is not just an aspiration but a reality.
Florence
Where’s the Beef?
Navigating the Family Sunday Dinner During a Fraught Time
BY STEPHEN SINCLAIR
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I was eight years old sitting on a booster seat in the barber chair at Frank “Penny” Rich’s barbershop in Spooner, Wis. While my dad and mom waited, he gave me a quick haircut and then took out a “Kennedy for President” button and pinned it onto my shirt.
Mr. Rich was the county Democratic Party chair and we had gone to his shop so my parents, who were Democrats, could talk with him about the upcoming presidential election. Most of the families in our farm community were Republicans and it seemed that the county and state would be won by Richard Nixon.
In hindsight, what was remarkable about this is that just the weekend before the barbershop meeting, my extended family had probably gotten together for Sunday dinner— our grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. During the meal there would have been no talk of politics or the election. Everyone knew that we all held various views and had di erent political a liations, but what was most important was that our family remained united so we could continue to look a er one another. erefore, talk centered on the harvest, cattle, and the general goings on in the community and church.
How di erent things are today when families are torn
apart by partisan politics and rigid allegiances to political viewpoints.
Disagreements in families are as old as time. In the Hebrew book of Genesis, the sons of Adam and Eve engaged in a long quarrel that ended up with Cain murdering Abel. Later, it is written that Esau and Jacob were already at one another as “the children struggled together” in their mother’s womb.
In both the Mishnah and Talmud (two of the Jewish oral traditions) there is the term machloket l’shem shamayim, which refers to an argument or debate “for the sake of heaven.” It’s a principled struggle where people are honest, direct, and compassionate with each other, while striving for something greater than themselves. e goal is to reach a conclusion that aligns with religious ideals and ethical principles, and to deepen understanding of the divine. e rabbis believed that arguments for the sake of heaven will endure, while those that are not, won’t.
Using this concept as an inspiration for how we might best enter conversation over contentious issues with friends and family, I suggest the following:
Don’t engage in an argument via texting, email, or social media. Do it in person or if necessary, a phone or video call. Nuance and
Thanksgiving Shenanigans
BY ANNIE CULVER
Annie Culver developed a knack for unearthing oddball characters and improbable events as a staff writer for various newspapers. In the early 90s, she went to work for websites where she wrote sassy essays aimed at women. In recent years, she morphed into a writer for several universities in the Northwest. She retired in 2016, yet still enjoys freelancing.
We rode—my boyfriend and I—in a bouncy, two-door Toyota, destined for anksgiving dinner in Racine, Wis.
He did the driving. I was busy balancing our contribution to the big dinner on my knees. ere, covered in foil, was a warm 9-by 12-inch pan brimming with Cajunstyle sweet potatoes smothered in butter, orange juice, and maple syrup. It was a recipe my old friend Jane Peterson, the daughter of our hosts Sylvia and Willy Quadracci, gave me years ago. I still make these sweet potatoes, especially for new opportunities to tell this story.
As we cruised our way from Milwaukee to Racine, the smell was divine. With Jane and Sylvia—two of the nest cooks I’ve ever known—in charge, we knew this would be a mouthwatering anksgiving feast. e Quadraccis owned and operated Willy’s Sentry Food Store in Racine from the 1950s to 1993. Jane and I became good friends when we worked for competing newspapers in Madison, Wis., in the 1970s.
Jane loved to cater and took that role on for about 20 years, dubbing it Anything But Plain Jane a er she and husband Jim returned to Racine. So many people asked for her recipes that she was prodded into writing a homespun, spiral-bound cookbook named a er her catering business.
Her dad’s vintage quote in the cookbook is priceless: “You know the Kennedys have better houses than we do, drive better cars than we do, and wear better clothes than we do, but they don’t eat any better than we do.” ere’s also a picture of Jane and Sylvia, arms around each other’s shoulders with the caption: “Me and ‘My Inspiration.’”
All that expertise in the kitchen turned this particular anksgiving into a new adventure and an honor—to be embraced by the Quadracci family in their home on Turkey Day with all the trimmings.
As we neared their home, we le the highway and were on a side street. At rst, I didn’t notice when we took a particularly sharp turn. Suddenly, my pants felt warmer
DISCOVER THE JOY OF LIFELONG LEARNING
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Photo: Keith Brofsky
A TRACTOR TALE OF A ‘LAST’ RIDE: ‘What can I do to help?’
STORY AND PHOTOS BY HARRIET PLATTS
“Are there other ways to get the tractor to town besides driving it yourself?” I asked Dad before going to bed.
The late hour and residual jet lag were not optimal conditions for meaningful discussion but I asked anyway because I was anxious. For months, we had discussed, long-distance, his decision to sell the tractor and now we were at the point of disposition. How was “it” going to get to town? One more decision.
“Yeah, it would cost about a hundred bucks to tow it,” he offered, with a resistant, ‘I don’t want to pay it,’ tone in his voice.
My “Pop” is wired for doing things himself and when he can save a dime, well, it’s like winning a lottery bet. Equipped with mechanical engineering “know-how” and a good measure of initiative and devotion, he thrives on his list of projects. A selfdescribed tinkerer, he is always up to something, especially around taking care of the house he and Mom built together. She’s been gone for seven years, now.
While “know-how,” initiative, and resilience have served him well, he’s managed to get himself into a few injurious situations in recent years resulting in hospitalizations and rehab stays. His journey to honesty and awareness regarding his (evolving and devolving) physical capacities has been fraught at times with stubbornness, injury, frustration, and
sometimes, a touch of foolishness. This weighs on me, living so far away.
“Dad, I know you love driving the tractor, and I just don’t feel comfortable with the idea of you doing this.” I worried about the unpredictable impacts of a 10-mile tractor ride exertion on a person with chronic spinal limitations.
He acknowledged my concern with a nod, but no words. We retired for the night.
On some level, I knew he had already mapped this whole trip, the route, the rest stops, and the contingency plans in the event the old ’64 International tractor might take its last gasp on the way. This project had become a dream, imagining a “last ride” out on the road.
Chowan County countryside is beautiful in springtime, with farm fields tilled and being made ready for planting. Farmhouses, barns, and small family graveyards of extended relatives would mark the route. Driving in the country is a spiritual experience. You can go slow.
We met at the kitchen table the next morning. His breakfast of choice, a bowl of runny instant cheese grits, a side of sausage links, and a cup of instant coffee, all prepared in the microwave, awaited him.
“Morning, Pop,” I plopped at the table beside him.
“Morning sweetie,” he returned.
We sat together, quiet moments passing. Both of us being introverts, it’s a relief to not have to fill the space between us with words so early in the day.
It had been five months since our last visit. Sizing him up, he appeared relaxed, and less achy in his body and mood. Having my husband and I around for the last few days already seemed to be “refilling” his reservoir. Getting up to nuke his coffee again, he moved with ease.
Before coming down for breakfast, I rehearsed my very good reasons why Dad should not drive the tractor to town himself. To be honest, I didn’t know if I had it in me to extend emotional support and advocacy once again (across the miles) because of a bad choice made. Besides, what responsible daughter lets her 89-and-a-half-year-
(CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)
The Truth About Long-Distance Caregiving
Harriet Platts has been providing long-distance, caregiving support tracking for both her parents for more than 15 years, with episodic, increased involvement, and over-the-phone and in-person visits driven by need, medical crises, and transition. Her mother died in 2017, and she lost her only brother and sibling in 2020. She currently lives in Seattle and her father is aging in place (at this time) on the Chowan River, outside of Edenton, North Carolina. They are 2,500 miles apart. Platts remains connected with her father by phone/texting most days, and in-person visits two to three times a year.
“From a distance, I had a practice of writing and mailing cards with hymn lyrics written in them of some of their favorites. Dad and Mom sang at the dinner table, as was a family custom. I also often sang to them on the phone,” she says. Platts can continue long-distance care because of the robust circle of extended family, neighbors, and local support near her father. Other long-distance caregivers are not so lucky.
According to the Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 study by AARP and the National Alliance of Caregiving, 11 percent of family caregivers live an hour or more away from their aging or ailing family member, with many living hours away. Long-distance caregivers spend nearly twice as much on care as those with family members nearby because of the need to hire help. If you are a long-distance caregiver, check out aarp.org/caregiving for a wealth of resources.
old parent get up on a tractor? My reasoning seemed very sensible and justified.
Finishing breakfast, I lingered at the table, waiting for any cues from him about our exchange the night before.
“I’ve decided I want to try driving the tractor to town ... I feel up to it … you and Fred will be there if we need to make adjustments along the way … I want to try.”
Initially, the clarity of his declaration was disorienting. I was all prepared to do another round of pros and cons with him, but obviously, he had already sized me up and determined it best to make the call for himself.
“So having it towed is really off the table?” I ask.
“I want to try,” he repeated himself.
I felt my exhale, all my reasoned thoughts and exhaustion give way like water that finally gets to tumble over a cliff edge, set loose. I was slowly realizing that he didn’t just want to do this, he needed to do this. Further, the power of his need would also require me to relinquish my own urgent need to protect him.
Instinctively pivoting, searching for a new inner footing, I heard compassion arise from within: “You can persist with your protecting, raining on his parade, or you can yield and let be.”
“Well, okay,” I turned, looking directly toward him. “What can I do to help?” Things moved swiftly from there. Having my nod of “blessing,” Dad collected himself, calling out signals for the next steps to be ready to leave around 2 p.m.
He climbed up on the tractor, his spirit and body moving slowly but with lightness and assurance. He pressed the ignition button and the old motor turned over once again on the first try, a good sign.
Cinching the chin strap of his straw hat, he called above the engine noise.
“I’ll see you at the farm,” he said with a smile, and off he went with a wave, clutch smoothly released, deftly shifting to second and then third gear before reaching the first curve down the road. We followed him at a just-right distance, meeting him at his rest stops with the water bottle and hoots of enthusiasm. He looked so strong, relaxed, and SO very happy. And I felt so relieved and joyful, joining him in exhilaration for the fulfillment of his dream. We were all in all the way to town.
Agency is the freedom to choose and to act. To support (allow) this free choice in one we care for is an act of love.
Your Vote Needed to Keep Long-term Care Benefit in Washington
AARP, the Washington State Nurses Association, labor unions representing home health care workers, doctors, grocery workers, teachers, and organizations like the MS Society representing Washingtonians living with preexisting conditions are all urging a “no” vote on I-2124. (CONTINUED
Rev. Harriet Platts, 62, retired hospice chaplain, describes herself as an urban contemplative, seeking wholeness and balance in the “everyday” of life. Her creative outlets include iPhone photography, particularly portraitures, and writing urban field notes about what she experiences in relationship to the natural world. She loves walking, reading historical novels, and cultivating her community of friends and family.
Working Washingtonians, and especially those caring for loved ones who are sick or aging, should be on the lookout for an important vote this November. If passed, Initiative 2124 will increase costs for working people, including nurses, teachers, and firefighters by eliminating Washington’s long-term care insurance program. I-2124 will send more people into debt when faced with expensive long-term care bills and private insurance premiums they can’t afford. And more than 820,000 family caregivers in our state will lose important support and benefits that help them take care of their families and loved ones.
Family caregivers are the backbone of our longterm care system, helping with everything from buying groceries and managing medications to bathing and dressing. Caring for a family member or close friend is one of the most important roles we are likely to play in our lifetime. However, the emotional, physical and financial toll of caregiving can be profound.
Washington’s long-term care insurance program provides some important relief. For instance, funds can be used to help pay family caregivers to offset lost income while they are providing care. Funds can also be used to hire homecare aides and pay for home safety modifications, meal delivery, or assistive technology. If passed, I-2124 will strip away these critical services.
An Age Old Question
What the Conversation Around Aging Presidential Candidates Can Teach Us About Our Aging Selves
BY DR. ERIC B. LARSON
is political season’s biggest debate has centered on presidential candidate’s ages and if they are too old for the job. President Biden withdrew from the nomination but there is much we can still learn from our early summer “freakout,” as some have called it.
President Biden’s general demeanor and lapses during the June debate attracted attention and alarm, followed by calls for him to withdraw. Donald Trump has not been spared criticism about his general health and tendency to ramble, sometimes somewhat nonsensically. If he hadn’t withdrawn from the race, the president would have
been 86 by the time he completed a second term, Trump 82.
e great unknown for the future of any U.S. president is to what extent their general health will be a ected by the stresses of the job. Serious illness or accidents can strike at any age. But when it comes to the likelihood of age-related declines, we do have some data. Average rates of dementia start to increase sharply from unusual to increasingly common a er about age 75. Other agerelated declines and risks rise with every passing year. ese include walking speed, falls and injuries, heart attacks, strokes, and other common conditions
like cancer and Parkinson’s Disease.
As many of us enter and march through our third act I think there is a more general issue facing all of us and our aging society—the tendency to deny aging and its accumulative e ects. We pay a lot of attention to so-called active aging, the importance of staying engaged, exercising regularly, and maintaining—and ideally improving— our general health and well-being. We emphasize keeping up healthy habits such as hiking, participating in book clubs, volunteering in ways that help others, promoting things we believe in, “making a di erence” and making our lives meaningful. And this is all good and important. We want to avoid or minimize age-related decline and loss of abilities for as long as we can. But we are not immortal. Eventually, we all will experience loss and decline before we die.
In my book Enlightened Aging: Building Resilience for a Long Active
Life, we emphasize building reserves to stay healthy and active longer, but also the importance of accepting and adapting to changes we wish we weren’t experiencing. I was on a sabbatical in Cambridge University in my late 60s when I began writing the book to summarize what we’ve learned about aging from our research, caring for patients as they aged, and my family’s experiences.
Now, 10 years later at age 77, I’m faced with the reality of the age-related changes I wrote about and the more di cult task of accepting changes I didn’t want to experience and thought I might avoid. Rather than just building reserves to combat aging changes, I try to nd ways that I hope will minimize the e ects of the accumulating declines I am experiencing. Like others, I hope to preserve high levels of functional well-being and happiness, engaging in the world and especially family, friends, and activities in ways that add meaning to my life for as long as I can.
We talk a lot about aging well, but what about the importance of acceptance and adapting? Time will tell how this plays out for President Biden, Trump, and the future of the country and the world. We know the implications of the U.S. presidentia l race and its outcome for the global stage are colossal and unknown. We also know that for individuals like me and you, it is both challenging and a wonderful opportunity to accept, adapt, and carry on with meaningful, ful lling, and happy lives as we get older. Aging well and accepting aging itself is a victory worth celebrating.
Dr. Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington. He was Co-Principal Investigator of the SMARRT trial and formerly Vice President for Research and Healthcare Innovation at Kaiser-Permanente Washington. He co-founded the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study in 1986. He continues research through the UW Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and other projects. He has participated in The Lancet Commission on Dementia since its inception. With co-author Joan DeClaire he wrote the well-received book, Enlightened Aging: Building Resilience for a Long Active Life.
DIANA NYAD AND BONNIE STOLL WANT TO
Photo courtesy of Diana Nyad
When marathon swimmer Diana Nyad was 64 years old, she stood up and walked on her own two feet onto Smathers Beach in Key West, Florida, after swimming 110.86 miles from Cuba in 52 hours and 54 minutes.
She had rst attempted the crossing from Cuba to Florida 35 years earlier, three years a er astonishing New Yorkers and the world by swimming around Manhattan. Nyad sped through the 28-mile New York swim in a mere seven hours and 57 minutes.
e Cuba swim became the goal of a lifetime. It took her ve tries—in 1978, 2010, 2011, 2012, and then triumphantly in 2013— to nally step out onto that Florida beach.
“ e epic Cuba swim touched my soul,” wrote Nyad in her 2015 memoir, Find a Way. “ ere is no other ocean crossing that would move me to dream again, to train like that again. Now it’s my challenge to live that same erce way out of the water.”
TAKE YOU ON A WALK
BY ANN HEDREEN
Continuing to live with the erceness it took to swim from Cuba to Florida is no puny task. For most of us, this kind of equation works the other way around—we need a pep-talk and promises of treats to get us to step up and do the hard things in our lives. Sometimes we need to plead with ourselves just to get out of bed and seize the day. But all her life, Nyad has had the opposite problem. She is addicted to pushing herself, to setting the next challenge so that her steely will can get to work. I write this with admiration. Because what’s astounding about Nyad, who is now 75, is that her new goal has nothing to do with surpassing the records she’s already set in the water. It has to do with walking on dry land. And it’s not just about her. She wants to get all of us walking so that we can connect with this planet in a way even more primordial than swimming. Walking.
We humans “have been walkers extraordinaire until now,” says Nyad, in a recent lively Zoom interview. “Until the car came,” and changed everything, including our bodies in this country, more than any other. “Let’s get back to what human beings are built for, which is walking.”
“We are all from one place,” adds Nyad’s longtime trainer and best friend, Bonnie Stoll. “ e only thing that di erentiated us was that we all walked out of Africa.”
eir new venture, called EverWalk, began to take shape “a couple of weeks a er the 2013 swim,” Stoll recounts. “We were a
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EverWalk Liberty Walk Epic 2019, Philadelphia.
Photo by Andre Flewwellen
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group of 40 people and we all had such a sense of purpose. We all had the same goal—getting the swimmer across—and a couple weeks later Diana and I are sitting around and we said ‘how can we get the world to feel some kind of purpose and be proud?’ Nobody really wants to go swimming daily. But walking is something everybody can do, unless you’re wheeling in a wheelchair.” And when we’re walking, “we are looking at nature for every second. And maybe we are talking to people we haven’t met before. And … walking is good for your heart, it’s good for your soul, it is the best thing you could possibly be doing to stay in tune with your body and your mind.”
“ ere are epiphanies that come when you’re walking,” says Nyad. “We handle our meetings for EverWalk while walking.
People are much more free. ey’re not looking at a screen and a wall. ey’re looking out and up and imagining everything they can be and everything they can do. So, I think that EverWalk has really become what we felt in the ocean to some large degree.”
Now in its eighth year, EverWalk’s vision is to get the world walking through o ering online challenges and support and organizing and leading walks all over the U.S. “Our community is very strong,” says Nyad. “We chose the moniker EverWalk because that word ‘ever’ is in there. Everybody, every age, everywhere, forever, for the rest of your life.” ough
JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY CAN WALK AS THEY GET OLDER. BUT NOT EVERYBODY CAN PLAY BEACH VOLLEYBALL ANYMORE.
Clockwise from upper left: Washington D.C., photo by Aiste Ray; EverWalk Pacific Northwest Epic, 2018, Seattle, photo by Yuri Chard; Nyad walks out of the water onto the beach, unassisted, after swimming 110 miles from Cuba to Florida, courtesy Diana Nyad; EverWalk Pacific Northwest Epic, 2018, Seattle, Photo by Yuri Chard.
there are EverWalkers of all ages, the virtual challenges and the in-person walks are especially popular with people over 55, because just about everybody “can walk as they get older,” says Stoll, “but not everybody can play beach volleyball anymore.” Stoll, who was a nationally ranked racquetball player in the 1980s, and is a renowned tness coach, sends training manuals and o ers tips to walkers who sign up for EverWalk events and trips.
Nyad and Stoll are currently in the limelight because of the 2023 movie, Nyad, starring Annette Bening as Nyad and Jodie Foster as Stoll. If you haven’t seen it, put it on your Net ix list. Foster and Bening are riveting, real and unglamorous. Stoll felt like she was watching her actual self. As Nyad put it, “ is movie honors an unapologetically erce personality who will not give up on her big dream, and a friendship of
45 years, of two athletes going a er this thing together.”
Nyad and Stoll both knew they were athletes from a very young age. Nyad grew up in Fort Lauderdale, with the Atlantic Ocean as her playground and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in the heart of town. From the age of 10, she was up at 4:30 in the morning and working out in the pool every day. Stoll grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, playing every sport she could get her hands on, especially if it involved a racket. Her mother liked to recall the moment she realized her daughter was an athlete—when she saw her playing football, the lone girl on the eld, with all the neighborhood boys.
In their early days together, Nyad was Stoll’s tness coach, teaching her how to bring more strength and stamina to her game. For the Cuba swims, the roles were reversed. “Bonnie had nothing
to do with swimming, but she was the best coach I ever had. Because she was that athlete and because she knew me,” says Nyad. “We need to research it, but we think we’re the only pair of athletes who, 35 years later, switched roles. Coach went to athlete and athlete went to coach.”
And now, both Stoll and Nyad are coaches. And they are ready to be your coach, if you’re ready to get o the couch and start walking.
Ann Hedreen is an author (Her Beautiful Brain), teacher of memoir writing, and filmmaker. Hedreen` and her husband, Rustin Thompson, own White Noise Productions and have made more than 150 short films and several feature documentaries together, including Quick Brown Fox: An Alzheimer’s Story. She is currently at work on a book of essays and is a regular contributor to 3rd Act Magazine, writing about topics including conscious aging, retirement, mindfulness, and health.
Read more about their Fall 2024 challenge at EverWalk.com. And watch for more news about upcoming in-person walks, including Martha’s Vineyard in Fall 2025.
Kyoko MatsumotoWright on Why We Should All Get Involved
in Local Politics
by ANN HEDREEN
Photo by Peter Kelly
When Mountlake Terrace Mayor Kyoko
Matsumoto-Wright and I were children, the voters of our region rejected light rail. Twice. Federal funds earmarked for mass transit, as we called it then, were redirected to Atlanta. For the rest of our lives, the impact of those votes cast in the carloving 1960s and 1970s has weighed ever more heavily on Seattle and its burgeoning suburbs.
Matsumoto-Wright, who is 74, was born in Japan. Her father, who served 20 years in the Army, was born in Hawaii. e family went back and forth between Japan and Hawaii until Matsumoto-Wright was 12, when they moved to Bothell, Wash. She is a graduate of Inglemoor High School and the University of Washington School of Drama. Her theatrical training has served her well during her long dual career in real estate and local government. She dyes her hair purple. She is not shy about speaking up, especially on the issues that matter most to her and her constituents— transportation and growth. When Link light rail was in its infancy, she made the case for a Mountlake Terrace station and for the building of apartments, townhomes, stores, and restaurants near where the future station would be.
For 41 years, Matsumoto-Wright has been a real estate broker for Coldwell Banker Bain. “I have history here,” she deadpanned. “I got to sell people their house, then I sold them another house, then I sold their kids a house, and then I sold their grandkids a house. All because I didn’t move around. I stayed right here and they all know where to nd me.”
In 2000, she was elected president of the Snohomish County-Camano Association of Realtors. She went
on to serve on the state’s Real Estate Commission where, she says, it was once customary for people to “show up, vote, and leave.” She chose to stick around and ask questions.
Mountlake Terrace asked her to serve on its planning commission.
A er a brutal series of arsons decimated the suburb’s tiny business district, a new town center plan was nally underway. It took ve years of
What really drives her, she says, is forming friendships with young people. And thinking about their future.
“We need to start listening to people in their 20s because they’re our future. And we are in the (transportation) pickle we’re in right now because the people before us decided not to do anything. ey decided to vote against rail in 1968 and 1976. And the reasons why they did that are because it would
So why do it? Why should any of us get involved in local government? What really drives her, she says, is forming friendships with young people. And thinking about their future.
cutting through red tape and keeping the peace at meeting a er meeting. “I wasn’t doing it for my resume. I was already at the age where I’m going, ‘what resume?’ but I really, really cared.”
People noticed how much Matsumoto-Wright cared. She was appointed to the City Council in 2008, and elected in 2009. When former mayor Jerry Smith died in 2018, she moved up.
Being mayor of Mountlake Terrace means being part of a whole network of city governments in north King and south Snohomish counties. It means attending many, many meetings. And it doesn’t pay much: $1,100 a month. (Matsumoto-Wright has also served on the Snohomish County Housing Authority.)
So why do it? Why should any of us get involved in local government?
Much as Matsumoto-Wright loves solving transportation and planning problems, that is not the #1 reason why she nds meaning in being the mayor.
not happen in their lifetime and it was too expensive. So now it is too expensive, and it’s not going to happen in (many) of our lifetimes, but we need to do it for the future. And for people in their 20s today. Because we need this.”
Meanwhile, Matsumoto-Wright tells her colleagues in government, “You’re not going to take away cars from the Boomers, so don’t even try. But we’re not going to be around forever.”
Matsumoto-Wright nds that speaking frankly about mortality is a good way to get people’s attention. “Many of my friends don’t even want to talk about the fact that they’re going to die. And many of my friends have already died. And I miss them. Terribly. But again, you’ve got to make new friends. Younger friends.”
Of the seven people on the Mountlake Terrace City Council, two, including the mayor herself, are Baby Boomers, three are Gen-X, and two are millennials. “Many local elected o cials at the city council level are
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older because the younger people don’t have the time. ey have careers and kids to raise. So we’re lucky we have two millennials on our city council.”
It’s healthy and meaningful, she contends, for council members of all ages to focus on the future that lies beyond their own life spans. But it is also meaningful to learn from the past. “One thing about being on the planning commission and the council and all the other commissions is that I’m learning about history, and I’m learning about how life was lived before. Before cars and so forth, you didn’t have people living in suburbs, and they only had trains. Greenlake was all summer cabins. Alderwood Manor used to be egg farms. ey got rid of the streetcar lines just before they decided we were going to need it back for rail.”
One of her pet peeves—how many people in local government never actually ride a bus or a train. “People don’t realize, if you drive a car, you have a choice. You don’t realize how many people have to take public transportation because they don’t have a choice. ey don’t have a car.”
As a real estate agent, MatsumotoWright spends plenty of time behind the wheel. But she also values her senior Orca card ($1 a ride) and the freedom it gives her. And she is genuinely excited about the opening, at long last, of the Mountlake Terrace Link Light Rail Station, which opened on August 30, 2024, along with two other stations in Shoreline and the northernmost station in Lynnwood. Just in time, you might say. e current population of Mountlake Terrace is 24,260. In 20 years, it is expected to climb to nearly 36,000. ere’s one more thing MatsumotoWright loves about being mayor and
that’s issuing proclamations. One of her most recent ones was honoring Grammy-winning composer and ddler Mark O’Connor, who grew up in Mountlake Terrace. Her next one, she hopes, will go to Lily Gladstone, just as soon as the actor’s busy schedule permits it. Gladstone, a 2004 graduate of Mountlake Terrace High School, starred in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, for which she was the rst Native American to win the Golden Globe for best actress and to be nominated for an Academy Award for best actress. Her parents still live in Mountlake Terrace, so MatsumotoWright is hopeful that Gladstone will be able to receive the proclamation in person.
Clockwise from top left: Hall Creek Project groundbreaking; Grand Opening for Shahi Tandoor & Grill; The Mayor at the TourdeTerrace Parade courtesy MLTnews. cosm. Photo by Joe Christian; Hazel Miller universally accessible playground grand opening; Congresswoman Suzan DelBene presents a check for federal funding she secured for the city. Photos Courtesy of City of Mountlake Terrace.
It will be a poignant moment for Matsumoto-Wright, who was one of the rst Asian Americans to attend the UW School of Drama. And poignant, too, for her many younger friends in local government, to see one of their hometown peers stepping into a bright future.
Ann Hedreen is an author (Her Beautiful Brain), teacher of memoir writing, and filmmaker. Ann and her husband, Rustin Thompson, own White Noise Productions and have made more than 150 short films and several feature documentaries together, including Quick Brown Fox: An Alzheimer’s Story. She is currently at work on a book of essays and is a regular contributor to 3rd Act Magazine, writing about topics including conscious aging, retirement, mindfulness, and health.
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage. And then is heard no more.” —MACBETH ACT 5
Not so for me in my third act as I stepped onto the campus of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., to attend the 2024 National Convention of Braver Angels, an organization where 106 alliances network with various groups dedicated to depolarizing the fractious divides in the American landscape— Red/Blue, Urban/Rural, Boomer/Gen Z, you get the picture. Like a Picasso selfportrait in his later years, all there but a little cockeyed.
e theme was “A Campaign for American Hope.” Not simply optimism but genuine hope. Not the thoughts and prayers of interfaith kumbaya, but civil conversation leading to civil action. is poor player strutted upon this stage with a curious desire for courageous conversations between a 76-year-old liberal Seattleite and any conservatives I’d meet here. I didn’t tiptoe, didn’t stomp. I used my shoes as an icebreaker.
I own six identical pairs of shoes in di erent colors. For this conference I chose to wear a red shoe on the right foot, blue on the le . A walking conversation piece. Size me up. Ask where I stand.
“Well, I purchase my footwear online, lovingly used so I am literally walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. But my eyes are up here.”
It gets a smile, putting us face to face. Do I favor the blue side? Could be politics, or sciatica. A nod to my senior peeps. e body politic picks no bones with the human body.
Capping the metaphor: My shoe brand of choice? Allbirds. And as hawks
or doves y, given one wing, they go around in circles. Me? I’m here to put one foot in front of the other and walk the talk, share stories, and cross any bridge that divides us.
And with 1,200 feet, 300 reds and an equal number of blues we sat, side by side, to watch “Dancing with the Scars,” the June 27 Presidential Debate projected on the giant screen in Carthage College’s chapel. A sacred space de led by a televised debacle. It was projected for sure—one side projecting his fakes and foibles, one side stumbling with his gi of ga e. e response in the room of we the people? Stunned. Literally. Tearstained air? e blues were red with
moderate in tone and passionate in desire. Movers over shakers. e full spectrum of a broad middle united by a love of country and a call for civility. Given one common distaste, it was for how the media (mass and social) frame the larger debate.
Mónica Guzmán, Braver Angels Senior Fellow for Public Practice and host of the podcast, “A Braver Way,” contrasted the contentious behavior put forth in the media with the civil discourse person-to-person at the convention:
“Out there, we have political debates that feel like manipulative theater. In here, we have Braver Angels Debates designed to help us clarify what we
Braver
Challenging Us All to Be Curious and Build Bridges
embarrassment for their guy. e reds, blue at the behavior of theirs. Together, one purple bruise. A collective WTF. A helluva way to bring us together.
Braver Angels is a nonpartisan organization and for this conference reds and blues showed up in equal numbers. In my experience, the scarlet MAGA crowd and the indigo progressives weren’t around to do battle. ese were serious sober folk,
BY DON GOLDBERG
actually believe and what we’re actually disagreeing about so we can grow wiser in the process, nd the arguments that speak most clearly to us, and engage in a collective search for truth.”
Over the weekend in 60 breakout sessions and debates on every polarizing issue, con icts—tempered by courageous conversations—kept us mentally and spiritually hydrated.
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Clockwise from top left: Sabrina N’Diaye, a convention delegate, talking to Braver Angels co-founder Dr. Bill Doherty; Ron McFarland, a conservative Braver Angels leader, sharing his perspective following the Biden-Trump debate; Mónica Guzmán, senior fellow at Braver Angels and the host of A Braver Way podcast, interviewing Braver Angels leaders; Richard Harris, a Blue convention delegate, and Travis Tripodi, a Red convention delegate, listening to a debate together; In the spirit of building bridges, Don Goldberg wears one blue and one red shoe to the convention. Images courtesy Braver Angels
Angels
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As Braver Angels founder David Blankenhorn called it, “thirst for water from a deeper well.”
By staying curious I realized that everyone’s right in forming an opinion through a particular lens, but by staying open to one another we got a chance to peek through a human “Hubble,” and with a wider perspective expose ourselves to a con uent universe of ideas. Policy geeks, grandmothers, entrepreneurs, and scholars—citizens of every stripe—willing to row together in one lifeboat to keep our ship of state a oat.
We debated. Broke bread together. Nothing was o the table: Farming economics, small-town values, the environment, immigration, and cancel culture. My mind was well-fed. One of the so drinks o ered was grape KoolAid. I joked with a red friend. “I know it’s purple, but do you think it’s OK to ‘drink the Kool-Aid?’”
We discussed the in uence of in uencers and the preponderance of platforms in the 21st-century “blogosphere” and “metaverse.”
We opened each other’s eyes.
From my point of view, most of us live in rooms with tiny windows, some with bars. What we see through the looking glass is real and “immediate.” But the biggest window we have is a 65-inch video screen. And what comes through that is “mediated.” e digital natives got the picture. Or as journalist Danny Schecter wrote, “ e more you watch, the less you know.”
Young and old digital and analog natives we sought to conform perception with reality. I shared my elderly wisdom saying it’s healthier to be stretched by living in the paradox of diverse points of view rather than be shredded by the intransigence of two sides pulling
against the middle.
To my delightful surprise, the choice to purposely step outside of my comfort zone let me feel more at ease and engaged in collaborative dialogue. I avoided saying “in my day,” especially to the college kids. Listening to them reinforced that “my day” is today. And their time has come. Stop being curious and you might as well die, but by staying curious, by getting to know the “other,” freed me to better know myself.
Honor points of view and quest “talking points.” I told the young’uns that I used to be the craziest person in the room and now what frightens me most is that I’m not. is old Boomer was once a hippie rebel. Time may heal some wounds, but I found the sure cure for oppositional de ance disorder is curating curiosity.
No one came looking for a ght. Regardless of politics, we all respected diversity, equality, and inclusion. How to get there and measure it? Up for a Braver Angels debate.
Sometimes the path to collaboration and civility comes through art. e “Braver Lens” exhibit celebrated this in a photography gallery.
Another group of reds working
“Out there, we have political debates that feel like manipulative theater. In here, we have Braver Angels Debates designed to help us clarify what we actually believe and what we’re actually disagreeing about so we can grow wiser in the process.”
with blues in collaboration with Braver Angels partner New York eatre Workshop created an original theatrical performance from shared stories of participants. Con ict created drama, but in their “ anksgiving Dinner” play, the result was empathy for performers as well as the audience.
I chose the music workshop. A group of eight of us (four red, four blue, varied ages) expressed our sides on the issue of free speech. en, in two sessions, we worked together to write a song on the topic, each contributing words, melodies, and ideas, editing one another and nally performing the piece.
It may not reach a radio audience, but it surely presented an audio radiance.
I le the convention with an open heart and an intention to dedicate my third act to cross the bridge to the other side, making heaven on earth through collaboration. My advice? Start talking to strangers. You can begin by joining this remarkable organization.
Don Goldberg sees the world through progressive lenses with a focus on the absurd. He has created nationally syndicated radio programs from rock history to political satire. He currently works supporting Braver Angels’ podcast, “A Braver Way.” He lives in Seattle where he and his wife became first-time grandparents in April.
Mónica Guzmán speaking to a crowd of 750 Braver Angels delegates. Image courtesy \ Braver Angels
hen my grandson was very young, it was easy to tell when he was mad. He’d fold his arms, scowl, and say, “I’m mad!” Once he got mad at me and shouted, “You’re not my grandpa anymore!” He changed his mind later when we shared a popsicle.
It’s harder to tell when adults are mad, though the emotion may be no less intense. Adults are good at masking their anger. Showing it seems to be a sign of weakness, an admission that someone or something “got to” us. “Never let ‘em see you sweat,” ran a line from a deodorant commercial some years ago, and most of us take that to heart, both physically and psychologically.
Of course, many things can make us mad, but one of the most fundamental is injustice. Whether it’s the cop who gives us a ticket when everyone else is driving just as fast, or the person who owes us money and doesn’t pay it back, it’s the feeling that we—or someone we care about—haven’t been treated fairly. It rankles us because it violates the Golden Rule—“do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Sadly, injustice is a part of life. The world isn’t fair, people don’t always behave honorably, and, yes, bad things happen to good people.
But while we can often accept injustice from nature or strangers on the street, it’s a challenge to accept it from relatives. Why? Because we think we know these people and we trust them. When they let us down, it’s a double fault— they were unreliable, but we were gullible.
So it is that the most painful feelings of injustice often occur between family members. Family fights over real or imagined slights and insults are notorious for their viciousness, and longevity. Animosities can grow and
resentments can simmer, sometimes for years, until they erupt in acts that may be all out of proportion to the original offense. It’s hard to bear an injustice without wanting to get even. Families have been destroyed by those who prefer revenge to reconciliation.
The antidote to this is ironically to do more of what probably caused the problem in the first place—talk. Injustices need to be discussed. Anger over them needs to be surfaced and not bottled up. Otherwise, it turns to hostility, a far more corrosive emotion. On the other side, we should treat our relatives the way we treat our friends. We don’t belittle or bully our friends because we know they wouldn’t take it. They’d be hurt or offended. They’d probably tell us off and then cut us off. Why should we expect any less from our family?
And when we talk, we should talk to the ones who caused the injustice, not those in the middle of it. It’s easy to complain to people we know will hear us like close friends, even if they can’t do anything but feel bad.
But unless they’re trained counselors or mediators, getting more people involved in an argument rarely helps. On the contrary, other voices and opinions may compound the injustice. The last thing you need when trying to resolve a wrong is people taking sides.
Finally, we might remember that a lot of hard feelings can be resolved with two simple words sincerely spoken: “I’m sorry.” They’re not the same as a popsicle, but they have the same effect.
Corwin P. King is a retired university professor now serving as an adjunct faculty member at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima. His articles on health and other topics have appeared in The Seattle Times, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Mensa Bulletin. He lives in Ellensburg, Wash.
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No Pain, More Gains
BY MIKE HARMS
I didn’t invent this saying, but I believe it to be true: “ e best workout is one we’ll stick with.” Consistency is key. Our chances of staying consistent increase if our workout excites and inspires us.
Mark, one of my personal training clients, played football in high school and college. “No pain, no gain” was a mantra of his coaches. It was not particularly e ective. Mark didn’t need pithy, potentially injurious motivational slogans. He played because he was passionate about the sport. His university, MIT, didn’t o er football scholarships, but he played anyway, all while earning his aerospace engineering degree.
The Benefits
I asked if he got any bene ts from “No pain, no gain”?
“It rhymed,” Mark says.
Today, at 58, Mark is passionate about a variety of activities, like biking, kayaking, and travel. He also strength trains consistently. Our strength-training program encompasses more than muscle building. For example, a standing single-arm landmine press (shown in the photo) is a unilateral exercise, meaning it’s performed using primarily one limb (in the photo, it’s Mark’s right arm). Working one side of the body at a time addresses strength, balance, and the core. Also, with a landmine press the weight moves upward and outward, which can be safer than pressing the weight straight overhead.
Listening to our body, focusing on proper form, and emphasizing consistency over intensity are sound tness principles. But don’t just take my word for it. Meb Ke ezighi won the Boston Marathon, the New York Marathon, and an Olympic medal. He’s also one of the oldest men to ever qualify for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team.
In his book, 26 Marathons, Ke ezighi o ers meaningful advice for athletes of all ages: “When I’m asked the secret to my success, I o en say there is no secret, but the key is consistency,” Ke ezighi writes. “Always pushing as hard as you can is more likely to lead to injury or being overtrained than to peak performance. e repeated right e orts are what bring results and con dence.”
Soreness vs. Pain
A strength workout can leave us feeling sti or sore a erwards. e cause may be Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which is a natural part of strength building. DOMS is most noticeable 24–72 hours a er a workout. You should give your body time to rest and recover from DOMS, however it is not a reason to stop exercising. In fact, it helps your body be better prepared for future exercise. On the other hand, if you feel sharp pain during exercise, that’s a signal to stop or back o . e cause could be poor form or excessive intensity, which could be resolved by hiring a coach. If you’re experiencing chronic pain, then I advise seeing a doctor or physical therapist to establish a treatment plan that includes exercise.
Mike Harms owns a personal training studio in Edmonds, Wash. He is certified in training older adults. Learn more at www.mhfitness.com.
Marks performs a single-arm landmine press as part of his strengthtraining routine.
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guide
SHOULD AGE BE ON THE TICKET? SHOULD AGE BE ON THE TICKET?
Many of us remember the time during a 1984 debate with 56-year-old Democrat Walter Mondale when incumbent President Ronald Reagan addressed the elephant in the room—his age.
“I will not make age an issue of this campaign,” said the 73-year-old Reagan, with a wry smile. “I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
The line got a laugh, but the question was on the table even then: How old is too old to run for office?
Today, it seems, fewer voters are laughing. That’s because more people have begun to assume that the current U.S. government is less of a democracy and more of a gerontocracy—that is, rule by old people. But is this really the case?
If it appears that there are more old people running the government, it’s primarily because in general people are living longer. Currently, the U.S. average life expectancy at birth is 74 years for men and 80 years for women. The average age of members of the U.S. House is about 58 and 64 for the Senate. The current Cabinet? 58. That’s a far cry from back in 1775, when the average life expectancy at birth was 37 and the average age of
When voters focus on how old, rather than how competent, political candidates are, everyone loses.
BY JEANETTE LEARDI
the members of the Continental Congress was 44. So, today’s political representatives are decades younger than their projected lifespan.
In all fairness, along with this extended lifespan comes the increased possibility of experiencing certain health conditions such as physical frailty and cognitive impairment that can arise in our later years. And that’s what concerns many voters.
So perhaps that’s what they mean when they believe that someone is “too old” to run for or to hold office. However, according to American gerontologist Kate de Madeiros, PhD, professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Concordia University, Montreal, “‘Too old’ is complicated and has less to do with age, in my opinion, and more to do with finding reasons to label someone as ‘incompetent’ or to suggest their views don’t align with ‘current thinking.’”
“My main concern,” she continues, “is that behaviors are interpreted through a biased lens of cognitive decline. Every gaffe or stumble lends support to the idea that a person is somehow not competent. Forget where you put your keys when you’re 80, people think you have dementia. Forget where you put your keys when you’re 40, people think you're busy.”
Geriatrician Allan Power, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester in New York and Schlegel Chair in Aging and Dementia Innovation at the Schlegel–UW Research Institute for Aging, Ontario, clarifies a common misunderstanding about the aging process. “Society also tends to misinterpret some of the normal changes of aging as signs of decline in cognitive ability,” he says. “Some examples might include moving or speaking more slowly and deliberately, or occasional verbal slips or drawing a blank on a name or place.”
For de Madeiros, cognitive competence involves more than just remembering names or thinking quickly on your feet and in some respects actually improves with age. “There is substantial evidence,” she asserts, “that points to accumulated experience through age as contributing to better decision-making than cognitive tasks such as speed of processing or word recall.”
Power explains a deeper reason for connecting increased age to decreased cognition: Western cultural bias against old age. “Chronological age is only part of what defines a person and there is no set rule for when or if a person is too cognitively old,” he says. “There is prevalent ageism in our society—an attitude that assumes that older people are less capable than younger people.”
“Part of this stems from a society that focuses on youthful concepts of beauty and celebrates people who run the fastest, earn the most, or balance the most tasks,” he continues. “These are skewed values that do not see the wealth of wisdom and guidance that comes from those who don’t fit that image.”
Nevertheless, the question remains about what to do when there is concern about candidates’ competence to serve in government.
“I think it's risky to require testing based on chronological age,” Power says. “One could argue that members of Congress who are much younger have displayed behaviors that might lead one to question their fitness to be an effective legislator. And serious physical, psychiatric, and cognitive illnesses can occur at younger ages as well as older. I think the most equitable approach
is that all people in such a high position be required to have physical, psychiatric, and cognitive evaluations on a regular basis.”
Ultimately, the issue of age in politics reflects the broader issue of ageism that is found in our culture in health care, housing, employment, and beyond.
“Biased and uniformed attitudes about older candidates translate into biased attitudes toward older people in general,” says de Madeiros. “It’s not just the elections that should concern us. It’s the spillage of misinformed views that affects all older people.
★★
There is a deeper reason for connecting increased age to decreased cognition: Western cultural bias against old age.
“We have to resist what marketers tell us about age— that aging is bad, that older people are not cognitively trustworthy, that age alone predicts biased behavior, that generations are in competition with each other, and so on.”
Power agrees: “It is said that ageism is prejudice against our own future selves,” he says, “so much of it is driven by fear of our own mortality. The more we can begin to have open discussions between generations, the sooner we can dispel the myths of aging and create a more inclusive and just society.”
When voters focus on how old, rather than how competent, political candidates are, everyone loses. That also goes for how we see and behave toward our fellow citizens. Given that all of us are aging and hope to do so well into the future, prioritizing our individual needs and gifts over our accumulated years sounds like just the ticket we need to create a robust pro-aging nation.
And that’s something all voters can—and should— support.
Jeanette Leardi is a Portland-based social gerontologist, writer, editor, and community educator who has a passion for older adult empowerment. She gives popular presentations and workshops in journaling, memoir writing, ethical will creation, brain fitness, creativity, ageism, intergenerational communication, and caregiver support to people of all ages. Learn more about her work at jeanetteleardi.com.
BeThe st Last Week With
Death with Dignity,
my dad’s last days were a celebration.
by Elizabeth Shier
My dad died on May 16, 2024. He had emphysema and the (undiagnosed) beginnings of dementia, but neither was the direct cause of his death. Due to the agency granted him through the Death with Dignity laws in Washington state, he was able to orchestrate his own death and last day of his life as a victory lap—a celebration of life lled with gratitude and dignity. It was one of the best weeks of his life. I couldn’t have imagined it, but his last week was one of my favorite weeks, too. Eleven months before, my dad, John Shier, decided to move from his longtime home in Green Bay, Wis., to the Seattle assisted living community where I work as a director. He was on hospice and wanted to be closer to me, his only child, and to my mom’s family in the Paci c Northwest. He’d lost my mom in 2022 a er her long battle with a rotten neurological disease, and his emphysema had robbed him of the ability to do many of the things that gave his life meaning and purpose. In light of these losses, and facing further decline, he felt that the full circle of his life was complete. Always an avid reader, educator, and activist, he was hell-bent on being back in the driver’s seat of his own life and that meant pursuing Death with Dignity.
My dad was uniquely quali ed to pursue a groundbreaking and unconventional death. ose who knew and loved him would say that this was the perfect death for him. He had a PhD in philosophy of religion from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. From teaching, he went into advocacy work for seniors. Losing his best friend to cancer at 40 motivated him to spend almost 20 years as a hospice volunteer. en rather than retire, at 60 he went back to school to become a hospice nurse and later wrote the book, Choose Today, Live Tomorrow—Notes from at Guy Nurse. He was keenly aware
of the ways our health care system fails people at end of life. He preached loudly that our system prolongs life at the expense of well-being, therefore, he was committed to honoring his hospice patients and to preserving their quality of life as much as possible until the end. As an avowed atheist, he was not a typical church member, yet he remained active and engaged all his life, bringing philosophy to hard Christian conversations. It is di cult to imagine anyone with a richer or informed perspective on end-of-life issues.
My dad inspired me in many ways. I chose a career that places me at the center of aging and in close proximity to death. I deeply appreciate my elders and my days are lled with laughter, great conversation, and purpose. Aging and death are part of living. Most people who live in the community where I work are nearing the end of their lives, which creates a heightened appreciation of the time we have together.
My dad was uniquely quali ed to pursue a groundbreaking and unconventional death. ose who knew and loved him would say that this was the perfect death for him.
I have lost friends, role models, amazing family members, and my own mom. Yet, in all the passings I have known, none could be described as joyful leave-takings. Death o en arrives a er a long, slow, and painful decline. And all the while we guiltily wonder, “How long will this go on?”
Over an 18-month period my conversations with dad were peppered
by
Photo
Richard Lopez
with talk of his death, discussions about his life feeling complete, and his frustration over just waiting to die. He viewed Death with Dignity as a path toward ending the feeling of being in limbo.
My love for my dad is intense and complex, and respecting his decision did not come easily in the beginning. I would have loved for him to nd enough joy in our Sunday outings to want to stay around for a few more years. I wanted more of chasing omas Dambo’s trolls, more ferry rides, and more gelato. In early April, his signature impatience kicked in and I got serious about nding him a doctor willing to prescribe the necessary medication. Dr. Darrell Owens at the University of Washington Medical Center turned out to be the right man for the job. He spent a full hour talking with my dad to assess his candidacy and prognosis. It took another week and some help from the good volunteers at End of Life Washington to nd a second doctor we needed by law to agree. A week later I walked out of the pharmacy with his prescription labeled “WARNING: Contents fatal if ingested.” It felt surreal. I’m not sure how to express it, but it felt like a big
win for my dad. And a win for me, too, the daughter making this dream a reality.
I have been learning more about ambiguous loss and grief since Dad’s death. Ambiguous loss is a term coined by Dr. Pauline Boss in the 1970s. She used it to describe grief that has no
Death with Dignity is Not a Right
Because Death with Dignity is a legal option in Washington state, my dad was able to be fully present for every remarkable moment that we got to enjoy together that last week. He charged me to share his story because we both believe it fundamentally changes the narrative about end-oflife. He would love knowing that you are reading this right now. He would be over the moon to think that he inspired a conversation on end-of-life options at your dinner table. He would be elated to think his death might provide inspiration to others to embrace their own best last weeks and to advocate for Death with Dignity where it is not currently available.
Eight states have enacted Death with Dignity legislation: California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Maine, and Vermont. Six states have Death with Dignity legislation pending: Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
With GratitudeDeepest
My eternal gratitude for the incredible care provided by the team at Aegis Madison. In all of my years working with remarkable teams, I was still blown away by the support and love you gave my family. And to Dr. Darrell Owens for the time you gave my dad. Your willingness to write his script changed everything. The entire team at Continuum Hospice was stellar: You listened, you counselled, you leaned in, and you held our hands. Our thanks as well to Aegis Queen Anne at Rogers Park and a shout out to Katterman’s Pharmacy on Sand Point Way—not all pharmacies will fill this special prescription. Most of all, thank you Dad. You showed me, once again, what is possible with determination and an open heart and mind.
de nitive boundary or closure. My dad experienced ambiguous loss over the decline of his health and well-being and the uncertainty of when his life would end. I experienced ambiguous loss as I watched him go through that process.
My dad was a powerful and impassioned activist, opinionated, and constantly in motion my entire life. As soon as he chose a date for the end of his life, he reclaimed his identity and was back to the man I’d always known and loved. His thinking grew clearer by the day and I watched him have thoughtful conversations and make plans for a living eulogy party, complete with vodka martinis. Crazy, but true, this process gave me back the Dr. John Shier I knew and loved.
As a gi ed keynote speaker, during his last week we recorded an interview for NPR’s StoryCorps, which is now available and cataloged at the
U.S. Library of Congress. We treated ourselves to a Seattle opera, went to a beautiful backyard birthday party, had a fantastic dinner with family at Ray’s Boathouse, and ful lled his dream of riding in a Tesla. e grand nale was a living eulogy party. His oldest and dearest friends and family from across the country Zoomed in and his neighbors and caregivers gathered, while Dad and I regaled everyone with stories from his lifetime of activism and adventure. e day before he died, his best friends roasted him and he was riddled with laughter. As we hugged goodbye that night he said, “I never knew it could be like this.”
On the day of his death, he played cribbage with his favorite bath aid, our chef made him a fantastic lunch and someone from our culinary team baked him a cake on her day o and brought it to him. Another team member wrote him a song and performed it. One by one his care team sought him out for hugs, conversation, prayers, and well wishes. e experience of saying goodbye to someone who is present and able to truly be with us at the end is unique. We say too many goodbyes and most are nothing like this. I was moved beyond words to see the grace, beauty, love, and humor so many brought to my dad's last days.
As the a ernoon waned, we gathered our favorite people in my dad’s apartment, and he toasted all of us with gratitude for a wonderful life and for everyone he loved and who had loved him so well. He gi ed his ring to my husband. ere was ceremony and joy. He swallowed his medication with his favorite cocktail. He was laughing right up until the moment he closed his eyes and took his last breath.
Elizabeth Shier was born and raised in DePere, Wis., graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, and has split her career between grant writing in San Diego, heavy-equipment operation in Antarctica, and senior living in Seattle. She is married and a parent to two cats. Weekends are spent hiking and making art.
GRI EV ING
My husband’s health took a serious turn, an ownership change materialized where I worked, and then COVID struck. All were unexpected. Although I was full of energy and not even thinking about retiring at the time, I knew I needed to confront my new reality and rethink what was next.
e rst thing I did was give notice to my employer, having observed people who didn’t let go of things when going in the wrong direction. Deciding to retire opened more time to care for my husband, Clark, and reduced my stress. I have helped more than 3,000 families transition from home to a retirement or assisted living community during my 15 years working in the industry. So, I took the next ve months to share my knowledge and experience by writing and publishing my book, What Are We Going to Do About Mom & Dad—A Navigational Guide to Senior Living and Care.
en when COVID hit, I picked up my brushes and rediscovered the joy of painting. Once, as an animal shelter volunteer, I decided to try my hand at painting pictures of the shelter animals to facilitate adoptions. Although I had never even taken a painting class and they were no Van Goghs, my paintings were a hit! Now homebound, I had time and space to experiment and develop skills. Some 200 paintings later, my family was probably saying, “How are we going to get her to stop?” Friends would say, “I’ve known you for 40 years and didn’t know you could paint.” I replied, “I didn’t either!”
One never knows what’s next. Unfortunately, Clark’s condition
Finding Solace in Art During a Time of Grief
By JANE MEYERS-BOWEN
worsened. Two days a er his joyful 80th surprise birthday party, he had minor surgery to get the battery changed on his defibrillator. All went fine but the surgeon suggested he consult his cardiologist, as he had a sizeable amount of uid around his heart. One thing led to another, necessitating back-to-back hospital stays over the next ve weeks. My husband nally said, “I want to go home.” So, we brought him home on hospice. Surrounded by his family and friends, Clark couldn’t stop smiling for the next six days. And it was the rst time in 40 years the doctors said he could eat or drink anything he wanted! We honored his food fantasies even though he only had a bite of this or that. His last meal was a bite of BBQ ribs.
When you are blessed with great love in your life, the price is great grief. Knowing we all must go through it somehow comforted me. My art gave me some solace during the rst six months of grieving, which were brutal. During that time, I sold our home and moved into
a condo. e next year and a half were lled with life anew. Friends stepped up and my family did what they could. I pushed forward, traveling some, dating some, and have since returned to work. I found I had way too much energy to retire. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually working again has served me.
I have had to rediscover who I am as a woman and not just as a caregiver. It was an honor to be there for my husband in that way. And a er having been married for 43 years, I felt like a freshman in high school when I started dating. I’m not ready for a big relationship right now, but learned that it is probably something I will want in the long run.
I’d stopped painting for about a year. Back to painting again I am now so grateful to have art as my friend for life. I mostly do commission work but have also pushed out into the world with art shows, a pop-up store for a week, and a fancy website. is pursuit has given me new con dence and a fresh start in my ird Act. And a way to cope with the loss of my husband over the last two years.
As I share my story about art, people say to me, “I can’t paint!” and I respond, “Are you sure?”
Jane Meyers-Bowen completed her BS in nursing at Montana State University and her master’s degree in Psychosocial Nursing at the University of Washington. Her career has had many acts— clinical nursing instructor, founder of a career guidance company, corporate trainer, and 15 years in the senior living and care industry. See more of her art at spiritedexpression.com.
Doing Good Finding Power and Purpose Through Volunteerism
Volunteering at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo comes with some cool safari vibes, where the rewards seem to outweigh the dirty work, says volunteer Rick Hyatt, 69. “After a three-hour work party cleaning up poop behind the penguin exhibit, we got the opportunity to feed them.”
Another effort, removing unwanted bamboo from Lemur Island, ended with the fun of feeding the big-eyed, ring-tailed animals, a unique behind-the-scenes privilege.
For Helen Muterspaugh, 78, volunteering at Bainbridge Island’s Bloedel Reserve offers a welcome refuge. “It harkens back to a quieter and gentler time before all the chaos of social media, TV, and cell phones invaded our space,” she says. “Even if people are stressed when they drive in, by the time they get here, they’re at peace. They speak in quieter tones.”
Greeting visitors in the original residence of founders Prentice and Virginia Bloedel, Muterspaugh is part of a volunteer engine that keeps the 140-acre nature preserve running.
“Volunteering here reinforces the good in the world,” she says. “It makes me happier, calmer, and more positive about the future.”
People give their time to the reserve for different reasons, says Volunteer and Tour Coordinator Kate Sunderland. “Some are here for connection and community, others to learn something new,” she says. “Beauty is a big draw for many volunteers. And people find a sense of well-being just being here.”
BY CONNIE McDOUGALL
While volunteers clearly benefit from time spent at the reserve, so does the organization gain from their efforts. “As a nonprofit, we can’t run this place without them,” says Sunderland. “We need volunteers. This is a huge space requiring lots of attention. That’s a lot of weeding!”
Like the Bloedel Reserve, AARP Washington finds volunteers essential to its mission, says Christina Clem, associate state director of communications for the organization. “If we didn't have our amazing volunteers, it would severely curtail what we can do across all kinds of efforts, including tax services, driver-safety programs, community events,” Clem says. “Our volunteers are often trusted members of their communities who help us spread the word and give us important feedback. None of these things would be possible without our volunteers.”
That beneficial relationship is reciprocal. “The studies don’t lie,” says Clem. “Study after study touts the benefits of volunteering. They point to an increase in brain function, a decrease in blood pressure, less depression, and more social engagement.”
Some benefits are more abstract but just as important. “People who volunteer often report a new sense of purpose that may be lost after retirement,” Clem says.
“Often people revive old passions or develop new ones. They also enjoy connecting with generations other than their own.”
Teenagers provide that function for retired attorney Sandra Driscoll, 73. Registering high school kids to vote gives her a jolt of teen spirit every time. “I get pure joy from their energy, enthusiasm, and optimism,” she says. “Plus, volunteering through the years, I’ve made enduring friendships with people I would never have met otherwise.”
Penny Fuller, 81, didn’t know she’d find new friends and a new vocation when she took up pickleball a couple of years ago. Now she volunteers as an assistant coach to beginner players learning the game and helps at tournaments. “I really enjoy giving little tips I learned along the way. It’s a lot of fun.”
Finding your volunteer tribe is a journey of its own and sometimes members of that tribe may not even be human. Rick Hyatt, the zoo volunteer, has forged a bond with a siamang ape named Sam. “He’s older, 38,” Hyatt says. “I go visit him when there’s not a lot of people around and sit at the window. Often, he will come and sit by me. We just sit like that until the female gets jealous and pulls him away. He’s special.”
Hyatt’s primary duty as a roving zoo ambassador is to walk the grounds and answer visitor questions. “Anything from ‘where’s the bathroom’ to questions about the animals,” he says. “Volunteering at the zoo is perfect for me. It makes me happy. I meet people from all over the
world. Most people are really nice and it just makes me feel good.”
It does society good, too. According to the most recent federal statistics, Americans volunteering through organizations contributed $122.9 billion in economic value. Beyond dollars and cents, AARP’s Clem observes, “People who volunteer, they’re just lovely human beings.”
Connie McDougall is a former news reporter and current freelance writer of nonfiction and personal essays. A lifelong student and proud English major, she has pursued lessons in flying, scuba diving, tai chi, Spanish, meditation, hiking, and Zumba.
Organizations that depend on volunteers were hit hard by the COVID-19 lockdown. Many still struggle to get back to pre-pandemic levels. For people considering a volunteer position but may not know where to begin, AARP’s Christina Clem advises starting with what’s personally important. “What interests you? Most organizations welcome volunteers,” she says. “Almost all have a volunteer component—police departments, the arts, academic institutions, sports.”
Here are links to established organizations seeking volunteers:
• United Way of King County: www.uwkc.org/volunteer
• AARP Create the Good: www.createthegood.aarp.org
Above: Rick Hyatt volunteers as a roving ambassador at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, answering visitor questions. Sometimes he gets to feed the animals, like Dave, an 11-year-old reticulated giraffe.
Photo courtesy Rick Hyatt; Left Kate Sunderland, volunteer and tour coordinator at The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.
RUN? OR RUN AWAY?
BY LARRY MOSS
Despite being in my late 70s, I’ve been giving some thought lately to getting into local politics. Nothing too big or high-falutin like mayor or anything like that, more like running for a spot on the school board or a parks and recreation committee. I considered a city council position but decided it was above my pay grade. Truth be told, the notion of running for any position is more than a little daunting. I am not a politician at heart and for the most part, despise them. en there is the issue of my experience … or the lack of it. In my 77 years, I have had just one go at running for o ce, which was 64 years ago. Perhaps you will understand my reluctance to re-enter the political arena a er you read my recap of how it all went back in 1959.
“Moss For Boss.” at catchy little slogan was what I came up with for my election campaign when I had the harebrained idea to run for President of the Student Council in 8th grade. A ludicrous notion at best. Let’s be frank—everybody knows that, historically, this position as well as the vice president and other o cers are routinely held by the school’s brightest students. e brainiacs. And, in a lot of cases, the nerds. Cool guys didn’t care about student council and stu like that. ey did other things like play sports, chase girls, and thought a “C” average was perfectly alright.
When I think back now, the only reason I can come up with for running
was to see if I could win. Perhaps I needed a rmation of my popularity. Or maybe it was because I was the only poor student in a household with three siblings who got nothing but As and Bs. Motivation aside, I wanted to win the election. So, run I did.
Luckily, my sister Pam, a talented artist, helped make me some nicelooking campaign materials. I put up posters everywhere and handed out yers to anyone who would take one. I felt pretty good about my chances. I had to give a speech and became more apoplectic each day thinking about it until I had an epiphany: It dawned on me that I was a pretty good piano player—why stand up there on the stage like everyone else and deliver some boring speech? Play the piano and sing your speech!
Having committed to this novel idea I searched for just the right popular song. It was 1959, and Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife” was at the top of the charts. e song’s structure seemed perfect for parody lyrics. Short, little bite-size phrases I could make work. e rst four bars of the tune told the whole story—who I was and what I was doing.
Here they are:
( ink “Mack the Knife” melody as your read them):
Oh my name is
Larry Moss, kids.
And I'm running For President.
I can't remember the other lyrics, but it doesn't matter anyway because
content was not the issue here. Style was. e element of surprise, the unexpected ... that’s what it was all about. e other candidates—all way better students and more presidential than me—didn’t have a chance. My so-called speech blew the student body away. I won by a landslide. It was a resounding victory of sizzle over substance. e classic triumph of entertainment over academia. And, simply, fun over seriousness.
However, the sh*t was about to hit the fan. My rst Student Council meeting was a total disaster. It was an out-of-control free-for-all. A complete asco. Who knew about parliamentary procedure and things like that? Certainly not me. But that was about to change in a big way.
A er my rst council meeting, the two teacher sponsors asked me to stay and talk with them for a moment. One of the teachers, in a nice way, told me how a meeting should be run. e other teacher suggested I resign and let the Mensa-level vice president take over.
Even though I didn’t really give a hoot about being President of the Student Council, I was not about to quit. No way. We worked out a compromise and before the council’s second meeting, I was given books on Robert’s Rules of Order and Standard Parliamentary Procedure.
ey also suggested I run out and buy So, You Were Elected, a primer for clueless, newly elected young o cials
like me. I took the advice and books to heart and with the help of a crib sheet I used in every meeting, I made it through my term without being impeached or recalled.
Being President inadvertently landed me in the October 8, 1960 edition of the popular Saturday Evening Post. Sociologist Peter Wyden had written a book called, Suburbia’s Coddled Kids, and the Post ran an excerpt in the magazine. One blurb described his
book this way: “ is thoughtful, witty, disturbing study of suburbia examines
the citizens of tomorrow in their present role as coddled, babied, and overindulged children.” Hmmm.
Anyway, my hometown was chosen as one of the suburbs doing plenty of coddling. e magazine conducted a photo shoot, and I was photographed walking down a beautiful tree-lined street in Highland Park with some other kids. It was pretty cool to see my
picture in a national magazine. e following year, the school election committee established a new rule prohibiting candidates from leaving the stage, singing, or playing any musical instrument. So, while my time in politics was brief, I have a political legacy. Perhaps I should leave well enough alone.
Larry Moss is a retired advertising creative director and jazz piano player. He recently published a memoir about how playing the piano played such an important role in his life.
The Dreams of Young Activists
BY MICHAEL C. PATTERSON
In the Spring of 1970, I was cast as Prospero in an Antioch College production of Shakespeare’s e Tempest. It is preposterous that a 23-year-old could do justice to the role of a powerful elderly magician, but I was excited about the opportunity. Shakespeare’s poetry is magni cent and I was particularly drawn to the idea that Shakespeare, through Prospero, was bidding farewell to the magic of the theater and relinquishing his power and in uence as a poet.
Now my charms are all o’erthrown, And what strength I have’s mine own, In the middle of rehearsals two events shook the nation. On May 4, members of the Ohio National Guard shot into a crowd of protesting students at Kent State, killing four and wounding nine. Less than two weeks later, on May 15, police shot into a crowd of protesters at Jackson State University, killing a college student and a 17-year-old high school student. e murdered children were protesting the senseless war in Vietnam and the persistent scourge of racism in America.
Student activists on my campus called for a general strike to protest the murders and the suppression of dissent. e entire campus voted to shut down all normal activities, including the production of e Tempest. I never got to play Prospero.
Now, nearly six decades later, students around the country are again expressing outrage about the atrocities of violence and bigotry, including the inhumanity of the Israeli/Hamas con ict in Gaza. Yet again, some of the student protesters have been arrested by the police for daring to criticize bad behavior by those in power.
During the Antioch strike I joined a group led by Black activists who took an interesting approach to their protests. ey chose to heal wounds and bridge divisions:
“If you honkies want to march in the streets and get your heads bashed in by the police, go ahead. We are going to Wright-Patterson air force base to talk with military families.”
Talking, or more to the point listening, sounded like a good idea to me.
We were prepped for our trip to the military base. We were instructed to keep our political opinions to ourselves, to ask questions, and to listen. is was to be an exploration of our common humanity.
I spoke with a number of mothers who were raising kids alone on the base while their husbands fought in Vietnam. ey were painfully con icted about the morality of the war, terri ed that their husbands might be injured or killed, and felt as though they were pawns in a horrible game of global politics. I learned a lot about the complexity of life and the ambiguities of politics that day. ere are no easy answers, no obvious right or wrong positions.
I recently came across an essay by the Italian physicist and writer Carlo Rovelli, called “My 1977 and at of My Friends.” e year 1977 was the height of student protests in Italy. Rovelli says that for some of his contemporaries, that year
“has become an almost mythical time. It was a moment of intense dialogue, of dreams, enthusiasm, yearning for change, of longing to build together an alternative and better world.”
e idealism of the “Movement of 1977” was dealt a debilitating blow when student protesters and police clashed in the city of Bologna. To everyone’s shock and grief, a student named Francisco Lorusso was shot and killed by a police o cer. Another young person killed for the crime of demanding a better world.
The dreams of young activists around the world at that time were perhaps naive and unattainable. Rovelli recalls “envisaging a world without private property, without envy or jealousy, without hierarchy, without churches, without powerful states, without atomistic closed family units, without dogma.”
Rovelli asks rhetorically, “Was it futile to have dreamed at all?” He does not think so, because the dreams, he says, “fertilized the ground from which our lives grew.” And the lives of people around the world have improved. e seeds of democracy and equality have taken root and spread throughout the world. ey have yet to ower in many places—or have owered and been cut back—but the root systems are there waiting for the right conditions to burst forth.
The power of visionary dreams, Rovelli says, is that they teach us that the kind of world we have is not the only world possible. Our current reality is not the only possible reality. We can, and must, continue to imagine a world without war, without poverty, without vast inequalities of wealth, without caste divisions and oppression. And we must convert those dreams into realities.
I have one quibble with Rovelli’s language. I don’t think we need to
dream of a better “world.” It’s hard to imagine a better world than planet earth. Earth is a miraculous place. Where else can we nd water, oxygen, chlorophyll, trees, fruit, and such diversity of animal life. e life of our world is amazing and wonderful in its exuberant fecundity and diversity.
What we need to visualize is a better form of humanity, an evolved version of Homo sapiens. We need to imagine human beings who, as a species, can overcome greed, sel shness, and the impulse to exploit the wonders of nature. We need to imagine and become a species with deep compassion, respect and awe for the miracle of life, one that is humble and responsible about its place in the delicate and fragile web of life.
Toward the end of The Tempest, Prospero decides to abandon his magical abilities so that he and his daughter can rejoin normal society.
But this rough magic I here abjure, . . . I'll break my sta , Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.
Unlike Prospero, we elders of the realm must maintain whatever magic we still possess. We should wield the power of our dreams to spin moral and ethical visions of the better people we know we and our neighbors can become. We need to keep nudging the arc of history toward greater freedom, equality, and benevolence. We need to encourage Homo sapiens to evolve into a gentler and kinder inhabitant of our amazing planet earth.
Michael C. Patterson ran the Staying Sharp brain health program for AARP, then founded MIND RAMP to continue to promote physical well-being and mental flourishing for older adults. He currently explores these topics on his MINDRAMP Podcast and his Synapse newsletter. His website is www.mindramp.org.
FINDING TREASURE
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
When you live in a beautiful part of the country like we do, you really don’t need an excuse to go exploring. But you might be surprised to find that there are hundreds of hidden objects all around you with the express purpose of getting you to go outside and seek adventure. They’re called geocaches. Geocaching, a global treasure-hunting activity, encourages exploration and outdoor recreation for millions of people worldwide. It is a lot like a treasure hunt or an Easter egg hunt, an adult version of hide-and-seek, or even Pokémon GO. People all over the world have hidden caches for you to
RESOURCES
By John Owen
find using the GPS function on your smartphone.
lipstick tubes, empty cans, squirrels, or industrial nuts and bolts. There are caches, T-shirts, and other merchandise for sale on Geocaching. com, plus thousands more on Etsy and Amazon. Many people delight in making their caches from sticks, old cans, bottles, spice containers, and even trash. All caches have a logbook inside for people to record their find.
The caches are all provided and placed by unpaid volunteers in the global geocaching community. After you have found three or more, you can then place your own caches, too. Some people are inventive, clever, accomplished artisans—and some, are diabolical.
Geocachers refer to all people who are NOT geocachers as “Muggles” and if there are some of them nearby when nearing a cache, they will delay until the Muggles are out of sight to make their find. You might recognize this term from the Harry Potter stories as people who are unaware
It all started in May 2000, when Dave Ulmer hid the first cache, known as the Original Stash, in Seattle. The activity quickly gained popularity and caches began to appear not only in Washington but globally. Geocaches come in all shapes and sizes—cache creativity is endless. Some are large reusable plastic or metal containers (think Tupperware and ammo boxes); others are micro-canisters hanging from trees. Some are as small as an acorn and look exactly like an acorn, while others mimic sticks, frogs,
Check out these online resources for more information and to get started:
• If you need more detailed information about the nutsand-bolts of Geocaching, the Olympic Peninsula has an excellent introduction to Geocaching online: /olympicpeninsula.org/geocaching-101-a-guide-totreasure-hunting-for-beginners:
• Washington State Geocaching Association www.wsgaonline.org/
The Washington State Geocaching Association (WSGA) is a nonprofit recreational club supporting geocachers and geocaching across the state of Washington.
• Washington State Parks parks.wa.gov/find-activity/activity-search/geocaching Geocachers are welcomed at Washington State Parks, but they have a number of regulations you can find out about on their website.
of the “magic” world. In this case, it’s the magic geocache world.
(CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)
• Trail Link www.traillink.com
A nonprofit source of information about various trails in Washington and all other states. Free to join.
• The Washington Trails Association www.wta.org/go-outside/trail-smarts/how-to/ geocaching-an-on-trail-treasure-hunt
The Washington Trails Association mobilizes hikers and everyone who loves the outdoors to explore, steward and champion trails and public lands, and includes geocaching in its family.
• Explore Washington State explorewashingtonstate.com/geocaching/
A site that promotes tourism in Washington. Lots of good information including the Geocaching origin story.
(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)
How to Go Geocaching
Download and open the app on your smartphone. Or you can simply log into www.geocaching.com and start looking for caches. There is a visual difference between using the app and the website. I prefer the website, but I encourage you to check them both, and then select your preference. Suppose you select a park in Seattle, you can click on several icons to select which one you want to find. When you click on the icon, a new screen opens, which will tell you how hard the cache is to find, how difficult the terrain is, and how large or small the cache is. Click on the “hint” arrow near the lower right corner to access another screen with more information about the location.
Map your navigation to the cache
Once you select a cache, go outside and use the app to navigate to it. And don’t forget to bring a pen to sign the logbook inside the cache.
Look for the cache
Once you’re in the general location, use the app to look at the recent activity and hints for clues. Remember, caches come in all shapes and sizes!
Find and log the cache
Once you find it, you’ll need to open it and sign your username in
the cache’s logbook, then place the geocache back where you found it. Log your find in the app or Geocaching.com to see your “find count” increase.
What you will find in a geocache depends on many things, especially the size of the cache, but there will always be a log for you to sign. In larger caches, you can find trackables or items to trade. Trackables are items that are meant to move from cache to cache. Some items have traveled halfway around the world. If you take something meant to be traded, leave something of equal or greater value.
How do people feel about their exploring activities? They leave their comments for each cache on the site for you to read. Here are some examples:
Mercer Slough: “I was in dire need of some outside time to clear my head, so I headed here with a friend who used to work at the nearby Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. I got a healthy dose of animal facts as we walked to the cache. We searched for a few minutes before the hint helped me find the correct location. Thanks for the cache and giving us a good reason to get outside tonight!”
DuPont: “Such a cool cache! The log was so creative. The woods leading to it were beautiful. I had no
idea this small path was there!”
Shadow Lake: “Was the first body of water for our paddling adventures on this gorgeous day. We had the entire lake to ourselves, which made for some of the smoothest sailing each of us has ever experienced. It was a comfortable temperature out and there were caches to be found. What better conditions could you ask for? There was a turtle sitting on a log as I was heading outbound, and he dove into the water as I approached.”
Oyster Bay: “Beautiful area. I wanted to stop and just stare at the water. Thanks for the scenery.”
So, where’s your treasure? The real treasure lies in getting outside, having fun, discovering new aspects of your environment, and getting healthier. Medical experts agree that walking triggers a cascade of health benefits—it lowers blood pressure, contributes to greater cardiovascular fitness, promotes weight loss, strengthens muscles, improves mental health, and can help ease depression. Walking can improve both the quality and the length of your life and those are gifts you can treasure!
John Owen transitioned from life as a graphic artist/website designer to a biomedical executive at age 61. After 20 years in the biomedical business, he now uses his knowledge of medicine and physiology to write about successful, vibrant aging. This is excerpted from his forthcoming book on super-agers.
Preserving (for) the Future
BY REBECCA CRICHTON
My grandmother made the best kosher dill pickles I ever ate. My mouth salivates when I think of them even now, seven decades later. A er our 10hour drive from Long Island, New York, they were the rst thing I sought when my family arrived in Akron, Ohio. e pickles were among several Eastern European treats my grandmother was famous for. Pickled sh, Gribenes—crispy onions and chicken skins resulting from the process for making schmaltz —and plump baked Bulkes—crescent-shaped pastries similar to Rugelach—were always available.
My grandmother’s basement cold room was a thing of beauty. Shelves lined with pickles and preserves, canned vegetables and fruits presented endless opportunities for culinary exploration. My grandmother was known for her food and baking, a
legacy my mother inherited and ful lled. I remember watching her roll out a ball of dough to the size of the kitchen worktable until it was transparent and ready to enrobe the apple lling for her famous strudel. I decided I wanted to learn to make my grandmother’s pickles when I was a teenager and already exploring my foodie inclinations. She was with us for her annual summer visit and I was working as a cashier in a local grocery store that stocked all the supplies for pickling. I announced my intention to make pickles with my grandmother’s guidance to my mother and grandmother. I said I would get all the elements needed: canning jars, dill, garlic, pickling cucumbers, salt, and pickling spices, and the three of us could ll a dozen wide-brimmed quart canning jars with their gleaming contents.
e day of the great pickling, I descended the stairs to our kitchen where my mother was perched on a stool, watching my grandmother bustle around cleaning jars, scrubbing cucumbers, arranging a production line for the ensuing steps.
I urged my mother to join us in the process but before she could move or reply my grandmother declared, “She can’t touch the pickles. She has her period. She will make them go so !”
My jaw literally dropped open. I was, as they say, gobsmacked!
“Are you kidding? is is the 20th century! at is an old wives’ tale.”
My grandmother doubled down. Turning to my mother she demanded, “Jean, did I ever make pickles when I had my period?” My mother, looking uncomfortable and abashed, admitted that she hadn’t.
My grandmother upped the ante: “If she touches the pickles, I won’t make them with you.”
I proposed a compromise of sorts, suggesting my mother ll one jar with the prescribed ingredients. We could label it as hers and when it was time to open them, we could compare her jar to another one. My grandmother reluctantly agreed, and my mother looked relieved but doubtful.
I am sorry to admit the results were less than de nitive. My mother thought that her pickles were a bit so er than another jar opened at the same time. I couldn’t tell the di erence. us, we enshrine the myths of food and families.
Fall is always when I start to think about what to make from the end-ofseason bounty that can be enjoyed later and shared with friends and family over the holiday season and into the winter.
At my age, and for many people I know, we don’t aspire to make massive amounts of preserves, pickles, or other condiments to store or give away. I still have unlabeled jars with unidenti ed contents that might be preserves, chutneys or … Various preserves from 2019 need to be used and I hesitate to give them away.
e recipes below include some easy-to-prepare choices and a few that take a bit more work but are worth the e ort.
Tarragon-Pickled Flame Grapes
From Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty I ngredients
•3-½ c. firm-ripe seedless red grapes
•8 sprigs (about 4 inches long) fresh tarragon (or substitute tarragon vinegar for the white wine vinegar below)
•1-½ c. white wine vinegar (see above if not using fresh tarragon)
•3 T. sugar
•1-½ tsp. fine, non-iodized salt
Directions
Rinse grapes and drain well, then roll in towel until they dry.
Rinse tarragon and pat completely dry on towel.
Place tarragon in sterilized quart jar. Add the grapes, which should come to just the shoulder of the jar, leaving the neck clear.
Stir together the vinegar, salt, and sugar until dissolved.
Pour the solution over the grapes, which should be covered by at least an inch so they can “swim” freely (add more vinegar if necessary.)
Cap jar with sterilized lid. Store grapes in cool, dark place for at least a month before serving them.
Serve the way you would cornichons or other pickles with cheese, pates, or in sandwiches.
Quick Pickled Green Tomatoes
From A Couple Cooks
These pickled green tomatoes are quick pickles, a method of pickling that uses any blend of vegetables pickled in a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar, and water, and stored in the refrigerator. There’s no canning required and no special canning equipment needed. They last for one month in the refrigerator.
I ngredients
•½ tsp. salt
•4 c. green tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 garlic cloves
•1 c. white vinegar
•1 c. water
•1 tsp. dried dill
•½ T. black peppercorns
•½ tsp. turmeric
•1 T. sugar
•2 T. kosher salt
Directions
Wash a wide-mouth one-quart mason jar and its lid in hot, soapy water, then rinse and let air dry.
Cut green tomatoes into wedges
and pack them tightly into the jar. (If you have very large tomatoes, you may want to slice them into smaller wedges.)
Peel the garlic. In a small saucepan, combine the garlic, vinegar, water, dill, peppercorns, turmeric, sugar, and kosher salt. Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar and salt. Once dissolved, pour the brine mixture into the jar, allowing the garlic to settle on top of the vegetables. Tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles. Discard any remaining brine, or top off the jar with extra water if any tomatoes are exposed at the top. Screw on the lid tightly and allow to cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating. If desired, discard the garlic after 24 hours.
Jean’s Peach Jam
I ngredients
•4 c. (3 lbs.) peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced.
• 1 orange, peeled, halved and sliced
• 1 lemon, peeled, halved and sliced •½ c. blanched sliced almonds
• ½ c. maraschino cherries, halved •4 c. sugar
Directions
For every full cup of fruit, use 1 scant cup of sugar.
Pour sugar over fruit in pan—not more than sic cups per pan to avoid boiling over.
Melt over low heat and bring to a rolling boil. Boil 40 minutes to an hour, stirring often.
As peaches darken and become transparent, test syrup for desired consistency. Put spoonful in freezer to see how it will cool. When almost done, add almonds and cherries.
Cool thoroughly before canning in jars and refrigerating or else follow processing direction for canning preserves. Yields a half dozen 8 oz. jars.
Rebecca Crichton is executive director of Northwest Center for Creative Aging and presents programs on that topic in the Seattle area. She worked at Boeing for 21 years as a writer, curriculum designer, and leadership development coach. She has master’s degrees in child development and organizational development, and is a certified coach.
Curtains Up! On the New Theater Season
BY MISHA BERSON
Seattle area stage companies have planned their 2024-25 seasons of musical works, dramas, and comedies with the hope of luring more drama lovers back to the theater—as the lively Puget Sound cultural scene continues to recover from the shutdowns of the pandemic.
So, what is in store on the boards this autumn at popular local venues for plays and musical theater?
Here is a heads-up on some intriguing productions (several of them brand-new works, others classics) waiting in the wings. But before we get to the attractions, let us consider a few helpful go-do facts:
• Most local theaters have lower prices for senior patrons, and at least one pay-as-you-can performance
during a run. Anyone can certainly take advantage of these discounts. However, if you appreciate an arts group and can pay full price for tickets, it is an investment in a cultural institution’s sustainability in a time of reduced government and corporate funding for the arts.
• Most theaters will gladly make accommodations for patrons who need special assistance with seating and entrances, and provide earphones for those hard of hearing. Some o er performances with audio descriptions, aimed at the sight-impaired, and sign language translation. COVID protocols are also available. To nd out more, call the theater’s box o ce or peruse its website before purchasing tickets.
Now on with the show …
My Lord, What a Night
You may not know there is a link between the classical singer Marian Anderson and the renown astrophysicist Albert Einstein. But in Deborah Brevoort’s two-actor drama, these important historical gures come alive in a drama based on real events.
In Princetown, NJ, to give a concert, civil rights pioneer Anderson was denied a room in a local inn because
First National Touring Company of Funny Girl. Below, Katerina McCrimmon and Stephen-Mark Lukas in Funny Girl. (Photos by Matthew Murphy)
she was Black. When Einstein invited her to stay in his own nearby home, the singer took him up on it—and a longtime friendship between the two ensued. Both faced bigotry, fought injustice, and shared a love of music, as the play’s Seattle debut at Taproot eatre will attest.
Taproot eatre (Seattle), Sept. 18–Oct. 19
Funny Girl
e musical that launched the career of Barbra Streisand way back when, found a new life in this recent Broadway revival. Based loosely on the career (and love life) of early 20th Century comedy star Fanny Brice, Funny Girl features such standard tunes as “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “People.” A er a stint on Broadway, this new production wends its way on tour to the Paramount eatre in downtown Seattle.
Paramount eatre, Sept. 24-29
The Park
Two theater companies and two writers join forces to mount the premiere of this tale about two women who meet regularly on the same park bench— lunching on sandwiches and sharing friendship in happy and troubled times over several decades. Created by Lisa Every and Jenn Ruzumna, the play will be introduced at Seattle Public eatre, which, it so happens, is located in Green Lake Park, where every day people share lunch and chat on nearby benches. Macha eatre Works, a troupe dedicated to new plays by women, co-produces.
Seattle Public eatre, Oct. 11–Nov. 3
Camelot
Another enduring favorite from the early 1960s, the classic Lerner and Loewe show will be given an “intimate” staging in Issaquah, and later in Everett, by the Eastside-based Village eatre. In this musical tale based on T.E. Lawrence’s historical tome, e Once and Future King, beautiful
Guinevere meets and marries charming King Arthur, but then falls hard for the gallant Sir Lancelot—causing havoc among the knights of the Round Table. And triggering many memorable songs. Plays at the Village eatre in Issaquah, Sept. 10–Oct. 13, then at the Everett Performing Arts Center in Everett, Oct. 19–Nov. 10
Primary Trust
Described as intimate and inventive, this 2024 Pulitzer Prize-honored comedy concerns a lonely, smalltown man who must face new challenges, and nd new opportunities for work and human connection, when the bookstore where he has toiled for a long time shuts down. Eboni Booth’s touted play was presented to acclaim OBroadway; now Seattle Rep unveils its local premiere.
Seattle Rep (Seattle Center), Oct. 24–Nov. 24
Wicked
e smash hit musical spun from the “Wizard of Oz” and the best-selling Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: e Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West has been running strong on Broadway for 20 years, and the rst of a two-part movie version will be released this November. at hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for this colorful tuner about the rivalry and
reconciliation between two young women—a good witch and a greenfaced, misunderstood witch. For those who love the show, want to discover what the fuss is all about or know an adolescent longing to take it in, you can enjoy Wicked as it circles back to Seattle’s Paramount eatre on tour this fall.
Paramount eatre, Nov. 6–Dec. 1
Lucidity
e new chamber opera, with music by Laura Kaminsky and libretto by David Cote, has a timely theme. Seattle Opera is presenting the world premiere of the piece that centers on Lili, an elderly singer and composer with early dementia, and her son Dante, who has given up his career as a pianist to care for her. In tune with recent discoveries in brain science, another musician and a music therapist help Lili nd some joy and communion—or as the Seattle Opera puts it, “When memory fails, music remains.”
Tagney Jones Hall, Seattle Opera Center, Nov. 21–24
Misha Berson writes about the arts for crosscut. com and many other media outlets, teaches for the UW Osher program, and is the author of four books, including Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination (Applause/Hal Leonard).
Olivia Valli as Elphaba in the National Tour of Wicked. (Photo by Joan Marcus)
The Women’s Revolution—How We Changed Your Life
BY MURIEL FOX
REVIEWED BY VICTORIA STARR MARSHALL
For me, born in the 50s, growing up through the 60s, and coming of age in the 70s, the birth of the feminist movement in the United States is part of my lived experience. I remember the slights of being subordinate to men. I could not get credit in my own name, there were jobs I could not apply to, college was billed as the way to land a good, professional husband, and as a businesswoman, I was o en the only woman in the room and subjected to overt sexual harassment. Fortunately, during that time there was a group of dedicated women leading the ght for equality and in that pursuit founded the National Organization for Women (NOW).
Most of us can easily recall a few of their names such as Gloria Steinem, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Betty Friedan, who wrote e Feminine Mystique. But there were many other courageous women whose names aren’t on the tip of our tongues, who brought the ght to Congress and organized a movement to ratify e Equal Rights Amendment. “A number of us had succeeded in overcoming some of the barriers,” Muriel Fox writes. “We managed to attain fairly good jobs, somewhere in the middle of the system. But we still faced obstacles.” Fox is one of these women and she wants us to know and remember the others and the work they did for us all.
I found e Women’s Revolution—How We Changed Your Life to be a fascinating read. Fox’s exciting rst-person account reminded me about the slow but real progress women have made, the heroines who put themselves out at front and at personal risk, and the danger of the current backsliding we are experiencing.
Fox’s frontline account is candid and revealing. She acknowledges the vision and progress made, but does not shy away from recounting the women’s movement’s mistakes, betrayals, defeats, and in ghting. “I was privileged to play a role in this revolution,” she writes. “I’ll share with you, truthfully, the good and bad things we did.”
She reminds us that the founders of NOW and others were the second wave of feminists, continuing the work of their su ragette sisters. Fox wrote this book for our daughters and granddaughters, not us. ere is still much work to be done and she implores the next generation to pick up the mantle and continue the ght. e journey is ongoing.
Fill in the blank space with the body part that completes the two-word adjectival phrase.
1. -tingling
-opening
-curdling
-tapping
-crushing
-raising
-rending
-dropping
-boggling
-watering
Borrowed from Arabic (harder)
Did you know that the English language has borrowed many words from Arabic, including apricot, crimson, hazard, jar, and tariff? In this game you’ll discover even more common English words that have their origins in Arabic.
1. Morning beverage.
2. The only number that is neither positive nor negative.
3. A frozen dessert usually made of fruit or fruit juices.
4. This crop was the backbone of the pre-Civil War Southern economy.
5. John Wilkes Booth or Lee Harvey Oswald, for example.
6. Musical instrument, typically with six strings, used in flamenco, folk and rock music.
7. It’s a fruit … and a bad automobile.
8. Makeup for eyelashes.
9. This word puts an end to any chess game.
10. The highest rank that can be achieved in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard.
11. The tallest of all land animals, it stands nearly 6 feet when it’s born.
12. You can’t play tennis without one of these in your hand.
Anagrams (hardest)
The letters of each word in this list can be arranged in multiple ways to form other words. We provide the word and the number of anagrams that are possible to make.
1. Sepal (5)
2. Teals (5)
3. Warder (4)
4. Tinsel (4)
5. Padres (5)
6. Lusters (2)
7. Rattles (2)
8. Pertains (3)
Exercise your brain and have some fun with these puzzles designed to stimulate different cognitive functions. ANSWERS ON PAGE 62
Reprinted with permission from Nancy Linde, author of the best-selling book 399 Puzzles, Games, and Trivia Challenges Specially Designed to Keep Your Brain Young and her newest book, 417 More Games, Puzzles, and Trivia Challenges Specially Designed to Keep Your Brain Young. She is also the creator of the website Never2Old4Games.com, which is used by many senior-serving organizations in the U.S. and Canada.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 62
PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE NOW
Discover more about Panorama, the premier non-profit continuing care retirement community in the Pacific Northwest.
Peace of Mind
At Panorama, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with residing in a beautiful and comfortable home, surrounded by friends and neighbors. You’ll have access to on-campus support and services, including;
•24-hour security patrol
•24/7 urgent response aids
•maintenance-free living
•social services
•transportation options
•grocery services
Lifestyle
Our lifestyle amenities feature an Aquatic and Fitness Center, Auditorium, large personal garden plots, TV Studio, a robust Lifestyle Enrichment program and the Seventeen51 Restaurant & Bistro.
Continuing Care
Our continuum of care offers a variety of options to meet your evolving needs, including Independent Living, Supported Independence, Assisted Living, and our highly-rated Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center.
The Applicants on our wait list are planning now for their future. To tour our campus and learn more, call 1-360-456-0111 and ask to speak to one of our Retirement Advisors.
Mike Harms owns a personal training studio in Edmonds, Wash. He is certified in training older adults. Learn more at http://www.mhfitness.com.
