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ATTENTION MARILYN MURRAY WILLISON EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2018. THANK YOU. -- CREATORS

Are Your Finances in Order?

My new personal hero is New York Times science writer John Schwartz, but the reason I admire him so much has nothing at all to do with science. He is on my hero list because he was brave enough to...Read more

I had never heard of what is officially labeled "broken heart syndrome" until a friend of mine collapsed five weeks after her long-term sweetheart died. She was rushed to the emergency room and admitted into the hospital, but within 36 hours, she, too, was dead. When 92-year-old former first lady Barbara Bush died in 2018, her husband -- of 73 ...Read more

Wouldn't it be nice to think of getting older as exhilarating rather than terrifying? Learning to accept all the aspects of aging -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- was the goal that inspired former NPR reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty to write one of my favorite books of 2016, "Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife."

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It's no secret that when I come across an amazing book, I feel compelled to sing its praises to anyone who will listen. I'm practically a professional proselytizer for the publishing industry! (How's that for alliteration?)

The latest book that I'm urging everyone -- especially baby boomers -- to read is "Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, ...Read more

For many of my baby boomer peers, the most-dreaded activity on the horizon is the possibility of being forced to downsize from where they currently live to a smaller residence. The prospect is so distasteful to me that I have actually begun writing a new nonfiction book devoted to the unpleasant topic of divesting ourselves of the treasured ...Read more

Back in 1982, Thomas Moore published the first of more than 20 books about the human condition. You may be familiar with his work for the Huffington Post, but this remarkable man is more than just an author or columnist. In fact, it could be argued that he is a renaissance man for our era because he is a former monk, a university professor, a ...Read more

It's no secret that whatever our age happens to be, physical exercise is essential. But the sad fact is that inactivity seems to invariably increase with the passing years. By the time we are in our 30s, we can lose 3% to 5% of our muscle mass with each decade. By age 75, about 1 in every 3 men and 1 in every 2 women engage in no physical ...Read more

Are you having a down day? When that happens, oftentimes it can be all too easy for us to tell ourselves that when we were younger, our lives were simply better than they are today. But I would like to remind you that that sort of easy negativity can be a form of misguided nostalgia. Why? Because there is no payoff or upside to imagining that "...Read more

After reaching the age of 50, many of us fall into the trap of thinking that everything was better "when we were younger." I refer to this as the Old Fogey Syndrome because it's almost a clear indicator of living in the past rather than appreciating the present or looking forward to the future. In fact, upon closer inspection, we often find ...Read more

Like most baby boomers, I had always embraced the "Forever Young" mantra of Bob Dylan and Rod Stewart, which suggests that life's best blessings are reserved for the youthful. Now that I'm officially a senior citizen, I find it reassuring to learn that -- against all odds -- being older seems to really mean being happier.

Stanford University ...Read more

By the time you have celebrated your 50th birthday, it's a pretty safe bet you have gotten several doses of unpleasant news. Perhaps someone broke your heart. Maybe you experienced an unwelcome health challenge. A child or a close friend or a parent may have died. Your business may have gone bankrupt, or you might have lost your job. Whatever it...Read more

People over the age of 50 used to lament that they found themselves attending more funerals than weddings, but that scenario may be changing. According to a 2014 Pew Research Center report on the demographics of remarriage, 67% of previously married people between 55 and 64 years of age have remarried. Back in 1960 -- for the same age group -- ...Read more

Most Americans over the age of 50 are not strangers to the following names: Ambien, Ativan, Klonopin, Lunesta, OxyContin, Sonata, Tylenol, Valium, Xanax. Whether it's to address anxiety issues, insomnia or pain relief, at one time or another, many of us have relied on over-the-counter or prescription drugs to help us make it through the day (or ...Read more