How to Have Flair at Any Age

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My friend Jennifer, who lives in Los Angeles, came to visit me in Minneapolis last month. She’s my age and has always had an innate sense of style, even when she was broke. Her style also includes saying exactly what she thinks.

I met her at the airport. She was dressed all in black and sporting flashy red bifocals. When we got to my house, where the light was bright, she said to me, “You know, you need to get new glasses. The ones you’re wearing make you look dowdy.” I couldn’t believe it. She just dropped the “d” word. You don’t do that to people after a certain age.

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The Many Steps to Coming Home

When I was younger, I bought a third-floor walk-up condo in Boston. That was 16 years ago. The wooden three-unit building was constructed in 1885 by German and Irish laborers. It’s heavy like a ship. The stairs, located inside the building, are made of oak. They had never gotten the better of me over my years of living there. I’d easily bound up and down them all day long, often carrying bags of groceries.

If I took the back stairs, it was four flights up and down.

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How My Old Dog Is Teaching Me to Age Gracefully

how-my-old-dog-taught-me-to-age-gracefullyI love dogs and the lessons they teach us. My 12-year-old dog inspired me to write this blog. I rescued Goldie from a shelter in Danbury, Connecticut, when she was almost six years old.

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I Got Rid of My Clutter by Taking It to Court

i-got-rid-of-my-clutter-by-taking-it-to-court Clutter is a popular magazine topic. I wanted to write about it in a fresh way. I wanted to address the guilt that comes from getting rid of personal objects and family heirlooms. So I wrote the essay as if I were Judge Judy.

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A Dream Airline That’s Just for People Over 50

a-dream-airline-thats-just-for-people-over-50Those of us who traveled before deregulation remember how civilized and comfortable flying could be. I wrote this blog about my fantasy airline. I called it Boomer Air.

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Frank Sinatra and I Stopped the Show

I had no sooner gotten to the office on the morning of April 27, 1978, when my phone began to ring.

Throughout the day, excited callers wanted to know: “Did you hear what he said about you last night!”

“He” being Frank Sinatra.

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20 Questions for the Silent Star of ‘Downton Abbey’

exclusive_interview_with_highclere_castle I couldn’t get Maggie Smith, or any other stars of the show. So I did a phone interview with the castle.

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A Life-Changing Encounter at Israel’s Yad Vashem

a_life_changing_encounter_at_yad_vashem I can never forget an event that I stumbled upon while visiting Israel’s holocaust museum.

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Beware Your Cell Phone! It Causes Wrinkles, Cosmetic Surgeons Say

cell_phones_causing_wrinkles_153528983I found a local plastic surgeon that was offering surgery for what he termed “Cell Phone Face.” | It’s a result of looking down so often.

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