From ageism to age pride
[Ed. Note: In honor of May, Older Americans Month, we are pleased to excerpt this essay, which appeared in the Jan./Feb. issue of Generations Today, a publication of the American Society on Aging, www.asaging.org.] It doesn’t take a lot of head-scratching to realize that much of our apprehension around aging is really about how our minds and bodies might change as we move through... READ MORE
Who’s your real friend?
You probably either watched or read about the impromptu exchange at the recent State of the Union address between President Biden and congressional Republicans concerning Social Security. Did the rare display of politicians apparently in agreement that Social Security is “not to be touched” give you goosebumps — or chills? I ask it that way because I firmly believe that any... READ MORE
Critical thinking
As I’ve noted in earlier columns, I was rather critical as a youngster. (Some would say I haven’t changed all that much.) My parents and older brother weren’t always thrilled with my perfectionist attitude about, well, pretty much everything when I was growing up. Fortunately, my family didn’t just sit there and take it. They argued back. Especially my brother, whom our father... READ MORE
Dear grandson…
My wife, Judy, and I were blessed with our first grandchild last month. Of course, the more pertinent fact is that our son and daughter-in-law were blessed with their first child. It’s heartwarming to see one’s child become a parent. How clearly I remember when our son was an infant, and Judy and I were just figuring out what to do with him. Now he has made it to adulthood and we... READ MORE
What “Silent Generation?”
Everyone knows about the Baby Boom Generation, born from 1946 to 1964. Likewise, we all know “The Greatest Generation,” who were born 1901-1925 and fought World War II. Those two iconic cohorts loom large as we recount American history over the last century. But what about the generation born from 1926 to 1945? What do we call them, the Americans who grew up during the Great... READ MORE
A time for thanks
I want to thank all our Beacon readers and their guests who attended our two 50+Expo events in late October. After two years in which we could host only virtual events, we were finally able to return to in-person Expos. I think all who came will agree that it was wonderful to see each other face-to-face and simply to be out and about on a beautiful day in a bustling building, visiting... READ MORE
Our Expos return!
As longtime readers know, for more than two decades we have held annual 50+Expos in both Maryland and Virginia to provide a fun and informative event for our readers. These events each attract more than 1,000 people to obtain important health screenings, flu shots and other vaccines, hear a top-notch keynote speaker, and obtain valuable information from dozens of exhibitors and sponsors... READ MORE
Music lessons
Readers won’t be surprised to learn that I was a pretty nerdy kid. All right, a very nerdy kid. In addition to being a diligent student and editor of the school newspaper, I was a classical music buff, very fond of Bach and Beethoven even in my early years. Oh, but there was one thing I definitely didn’t like about music: what my piano teacher called music “theory.” That... READ MORE
Musings about nature
I was having a conversation the other day about all the rain we’ve had lately and, in response to another person’s complaints, I noted how much easier it was for me now than during the summertime drought a few years back, when we had to water our trees with a hose every evening and got a shocking water bill. I am so impressed how efficiently a short thunderstorm can quickly water ... READ MORE
A(nother) wake-up call
Each spring, the Trustees of Social Security and Medicare publish an annual report on the state of those programs. News organizations duly answer what they seem to think is the main question the public asks: How long will the programs remain “solvent?” That is, when will there be a real risk that either Medicare or Social Security run out of sufficient funds to cover current... READ MORE
