Speaking Out ... on old age, and beginning again

I feel like a traveler returning from a long journey back to a place that is dear and familiar to me. The place of writing my mind. It has been too long that I’ve been quiet. Why quiet?

The answer to that is a long one: having let my book Bowing to Elephants go, as in flying from the nest, I lived through the pandemic, the beginning of another book - this one on food - and I fell and suffered a serious leg fracture, attempted to have good will through recovery process, and then for some curious reason began to look at the unsatisfactoriness of my life as a single old woman living in the city in an old house with lots of stairs. The solitary quality of my life wore on me and I became sad and discouraged.

A beloved meditation teacher pointed the way to life in a “zen inspired adult community” in Sonoma County that might just be a good fit for the kind of person I was. And lo and behold, 6 months later or so I found myself offloading a huge amount of material possessions, watching my dog go blind and then die, and ultimately moving out of my cherished old home in Russian Hill and motoring north to Healdsburg where this spiritually-inspired community was in its second year, full of lively, impassioned, kind older humans. I have been here almost a year now and I believe I couldn’t have made a better choice for myself. I feel “at home” even surrounded by almost 300 folks who are all navigating the last chapter of their lives.

I take many different classes, I lead a writing group, I volunteer with memory care patients, I walk outdoors every single day, I sing, I even dance (never thought I would), and go to local peace demonstrations. I am busier than I have been in a very long time. While I still miss my beloved city of San Francisco, I am coming to love the cozy quality of this rural small town. It is safe here. It is kind here.

I don’t believe I’m living in a bubble though I’m in a somewhat idyllic landscape. I’ve connected with a knitting community of women. I have offered support to a local art gallery. And perhaps most importantly, I have become active in donating to and raising the visibility of the Healdsburg food pantry. People are hurting everywhere in this country now, even in the rarified geography of northern Sonoma County. We must do what we can when we can. My Buddhist teachings remind me time and time again that we are all interconnected and thus must respond to our neighbor’s suffering. And so I do. And so do many of the residents of Enso Village - my new home.

This new life is rich and inspiring and I’m full of gratitude for having reached this 80th year and for being able to stay engaged with the world. I am going to return to regular blog writing, perhaps even start up my podcast again. And, I’m writing a third book, about my venerable grandmother, my hero. The second book called “Artichokes and Scrambled Eggs” has not found a publishing destination yet and is currently resting on the shelf,. This third book is a story of my grandmother told from multiple points of view. As I age, my grandmother’s story becomes more and more compelling to me. And we must listen to those inner voices of ours reminding us of what we love most. I have the spaciousness in life now to devote time to getting my words out there, which has always been part of who I am.

I love all my readers - have always loved my readers - and I hope you will come along with me on this new and inspiring journey of old age, creativity, and adventure!

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your interest in my words,

Mag