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Curiosity can help older adults remain engaged, adaptable, and open to learning.

Aging well includes learning to hold loss and appreciation at the same time.

Growing older can bring greater clarity about where to place one's time and attention.

I cannot say exactly when I became “old." I look in the mirror and see “an old lady with a young woman inside” (my mother’s words upon seeing her own reflection). She lived robustly until her death, just days before her 98th birthday. Most of my other relatives died well before the age I am now.

As with many women, I feel lucky to be alive. Like them, I recognize that simply arriving at this point is evidence of luck and inner resources. Along the way, we succeeded, stumbled, adapted, and began again with resilience. Now, I am curious to discover what lies ahead.

I am particularly interested in how women create meaningful, engaged lives as they age: lives rich with purpose, confidence, creativity, connection, and joy.

At 40, I began giving seminars about “aging well” to people ranging from their 60s to their 90s. I watched and listened carefully to my students’ observations about growing old.

This is what I learned.

Developing Wisdom and Self-Trust

Aging well requires weaving difficulty into our lives without allowing it to become our whole story. The wisdom we acquire through relationships, work, illness, caregiving, love, disappointment, and loss can help us meet an uncertain present with a more realistic view........

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