Pondering Graceful Aging

In 2022, Appalachia journal published my story “Pondering Graceful Aging on Table Mountain, South Africa -- A Septuagenarian Rock Climber Reflects on his Past and Future.” I now find myself pondering graceful aging at a more existential level. You might have noticed that I failed to send the October “Insight” – the first missed month since back in 2018.  On October 8, I had a stroke and spent two nights in the hospital. I was incredibly lucky with quick, skilled help and relatively minor symptoms. Two weeks later, I managed a NH Public Radio live event on the ideas in my new book Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times (see “The Middle” https://www.nhpr.org/latest-from-nhpr/2025-10-30/nhpr-presents-the-middle-live-from-n-h). 

Needless to say, this has been a wake-up call. I work at staying healthy, but so did my brother David who died from cancer at age 71. So far, I have been lucky – and maybe still am as the stroke symptoms were relatively minor. 

Despite a busy schedule to promote the book, I am trying to slow down a bit and take more naps. My therapist Kristen asks if tiredness is a kind of healing, and how to best balance restorative and depleting tasks. I have always been pretty good at setting boundaries, but maybe need to better manage energy. 

Hiking and skiing have always been a big part of my identity. Will l climb NH’s Mt. Washington in 2026 like I did last summer? This will be an ongoing journey of evaluating myself – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

These words still ring true in my 2022 Appalachia article: “I am trying to embrace this spirit as a daily graceful aging practice: to find the right balance of letting go (but not too much), pushing (but not too hard), going with the flow (but also sometimes swimming against the current). It is vital to fully appreciate the half-full glass while also working to sustain as much of it for as long as possible. A little gratitude can go a long way.” 

We each have an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, including our own. Don’t underestimate your impact!