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70 is the new 70!

Decade passages have always been a time to look deeply about what my life is about at that particular time in my life.  So I’ve been in the inquiry since December of what is my life about in the present and also looking forward.  Interesting that with the Coronavirus, most people in the world are in the same inquiry! I won’t go into all of my thoughts, insights, realizations but I do want to share a couple of things about being 70. You know how when you ask a little kid how old they are, they proudly answer with a show of fingers?  Well, yesterday I was not only telling everyone I saw that it was my birthday. In lieu of not having sufficient fingers, I announced emphatically, “I’m 70!!”.  With joy and pride.  Yes I am proud of being 70.  I love the life I’ve lived, I love the person I am in my work, in my contribution to others.  I have lived a life of adventure and accomplishment and goodness, and I continue to live with imagination and curiosity.  I have unstoppable energy a
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Preaching to the Choir

When I had a break during my work, I would text my neighbor:  Walk?  We live in a high-rise apartment on the beach in Santa Monica, so the refuge of the sea is outside our front door. But Barbara was never available on Wednesdays because she had Gospel Chorus.  A class given by the Emeritus College, a curriculum of free classes for 'senior' students.  I was always jealous that she was singing her heart out. Then I found myself with a diminished workload.  After a period of panic, I realized that not having work was the same as being on vacation and I'm a great vacationer! Also, I now had time to sign up for the Gospel Choir! For the last year, the class has consistently been my favorite time of the week. Question: "Nita, I didn't know you sing?" Answer:   "I don't and I actually don't have a very good voice, but we didn't have to audition, which is why I can do it." Question:  "Aren't you Jewish?" Answer:    "
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Contrasting Conflicting Concerns during Corona Crisis

In my coaching practice, I've been learning about and working with the idea of polarities. Although we are always dealing with the challenge of 'holding' and living with seemingly conflicting ideas and priorities, in this time, I'm finding myself internally being pulled and jerked so radically that I fear I may suffer a tear or strain! Most conversations these days start off with the horror and tragedy of this pandemic.  Questions of how much to do to protect myself and family:  Answer is:  never enough, and I don't know. I'm afraid of getting the virus, I'm afraid of passing the virus.  I'm worried about the future, will I have work after this?  Will I be able to travel and see my grandchildren this summer? I worry about my housekeeper, I worry my friends that are alone, I worry about my older brother.  Every day, I think about the Homeless in Los Angeles.  As of yet, there has not been a surge of deaths among the homeless population but I don'
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To Should or Not to Should

It was our first week living in Florence.  My daughter was attending the International School and they  had an orientation meeting for the parents.  The woman leading the meeting posed a multiple choice question, asking what attitude would be most helpful to adjusting to living in Italy.  Possible answers included a) being open-minded  b) being inquisitive c) having high expectations and d) having low expectations. Not one of us chose the 'correct' answer.....low expectations! In fact if I look at my success and accomplishments in life up to that point, I would say that it was due to having the opposite point of view.  I lived and preached having big dreams, big ideas, big goals and big expectations.  Wasn't that the source of what got me to live my dream in Florence? Priscilla knew that she had 'tricked' us and that none of us would have chosen that answer (she'd been giving the orientation for 10 years).  And so she explained: "When you are in Los An
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50 Year High School Reunion: All of these old people and me!

I wasn't the only one who looked fabulous at my reunion, but we were a small minority, very small minority.  Why?  What was different? Of course, the first thought was this was Detroit, the midwest and probably it was that more people are overweight in the middle of the country than in overly body-conscious Los Angeles where I presently live.  But they weren't overweight, and they didn't have more wrinkles than I.  I realized they were dressing like our mothers would dress and had such dated hair styles (men and women) and it was almost like they had made a decision that they weren't supposed to look great anymore. I was describing the experience to a friend and it feels like we  come to a certain age and some people  reach a fork in the road of aging and think "60, I am now my mother" and therefore look like their mother (or father) at 60 and then there are others that are being 60 with another alternative, not necessarily looking young, but looking fabulou
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