aging well Archives — SMART Living 365

It’s More About the Community Than It Is About the House

Last week Thom and I drove back to our former home in La Quinta. We were able to rent it out seasonally for a spell but hadn’t been back to check on it since. Yes, the house is over twice as large as our tiny-house park model in Arizona. So, it feels rather spacious. Not big, but plenty of room. It is also very comfortable and familiar. We lived here for 14 years before our “experiment” in Tucson and made the house just right for us. That is until we began living in our community in Tucson. Now, after being back for only a few days something has become pretty clear. For us that means that our future and our happiness exist in the community we now have, rather than any particular house.

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Category Busters, Dogs With A Bone, Liberation and Other Thoughts on Positive Aging

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, SMART Book Reviews

Thinking is contagious. In other words, what we focus on and spend time mulling over in our minds routinely shows up over and over in wanted or unwanted ways. Worried about something? Chances are you will wake up in the middle of the night with those fears running through your head like a wild horse. Intrigued by something? Curious? Delighted? Without a doubt, you will find trails of those ideas leading in all sorts of interesting directions.

That’s why it was no surprise when I stumbled upon a newsletter called Positive Aging by The Taos Institute while surfing the Internet. There I found a newly released book entitled, Paths To Positive Aging—Dog Days with a Bone and Other Essays and I emailed and asked for a review copy. As hoped, this small book of essays generated all sorts of new ideas about aging that I found remarkable. And so it goes. [Read more…]

Is Cohousing The Best Solution To Aging Well?

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

Touring the community garden at a cohousing community in Salt Lake City.

Cohousing isn’t a new concept. In fact, humans have been coming together in community for thousands of years to survive and thrive. What is new is that these days many of us have grown so independent and disconnected that we’ve forgotten why community is important in the first place. Maybe when we are young, busy, and focused on the needs of one’s immediate family, that isn’t so important. But eventually, if people begin to value experiences, relationships, and good health more than the stuff they accumulate and the accolades they obtain as they age, things start changing. That’s when being a part of a strong and vibrant community starts sounding more and more appealing. It’s also when the idea of cohousing may pop up as a solution. Is it a key to helping people age better? Those who have embraced it say, “Yes!” [Read more…]

Training Your Brain For A Long, Healthy & SMART Life

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

In case you haven’t noticed, I am fascinated by the brain and write about it frequently. That might be because I’m a woman in my early sixties, had a mother diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her early 70’s, and have a sister just a couple of years older than me that constantly affirms, “I can’t remember anything!” and then does her best to prove it. So, for several reasons including the fact that I’m a writer, I’ve grown attached to my brain and it’s creativity and strive to discover everything I can to help it stay healthy and functioning. As it turns out, we can do plenty. But we have to be willing to take care of and exercise our brains just like we do our bodies, or we’ll likely get whatever chance throws our way.

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