Aging, women friends, being out in the world and elder wisdom.

For many, getting older feels like receiving a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking: “Nice to be living longer, but how the hell do I pay for these extra years?!”

In our head-centric culture, we assume the brain is in control, like a CPU, or Central Processing Unit, executing a plan.

Many of us say, “I feel like I’m 30 years old,” and then wince as we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror. Ouch, who is that old-timer?!!

Rabbi Abraham Heschel wrote this beautiful sentence long ago. It feels like a deep truth for me. I have always believed a culture of wisdom holds up awe as a primary value—awe humbles us and makes us curious about life beyond the ghetto of our ego.

Long ago, I planned to move to San Francisco upon graduating from business school. Over lunch on April 24, 1984, one of my favorite professors told me to seek out the “movers and shakers” in town. Fifteen minutes later, we experienced a 6.2-level earthquake. The movers and shakers were clearly seeking me!

“Not embarrassed.” That is the definition of “unabashed.” That word may define this era more than any other. It makes me sad. Not because I want to cast shame on anyone, but because the world could use a little more self-reflection and humility.

So happy to be back in Baja for a few days. I started spending lots of time in Mexico a dozen years ago but only learned Spanish in the past few years. One of the first pieces of advice I received from the gringos who relocated to Baja was, “when in doubt, say Que Bueno!” Or, in other words, “How Great!”

I grew up in a household where we revered multigrain bread for its digestive benefits. In that same spirit of variety, a growing number of us seem to be appreciating multi-gen households for their collaborative benefits.

Busy, busy, busy. That's what you'll hear if you ask a retiree how things are going. Inquire further, and you discover that "busy" means an assortment of leisure activities (pickleball is hot right now), cool courses (medieval instruments, anyone?), doctor visits, language lessons, and a round of golf. Occasionally you'll hear about volunteering, starting a new business, or writing that novel put off for decades.