What Should I Wear? The Most Dangerous Question in Women’s Facebook Groups
Honest answers not welcome. A community where taste becomes “toxic,” and flattery is the only safe answer. No wonder we’re exhausted. Last week, in a Facebook group of 20,000 women, a single mirror selfie asking “Which dress should I wear?” spiraled from style advice to accusations of bullying, body shaming, and “toxic energy.” All Barbara […]
Reddit Gave Me Community, Chaos, and 47 Ways to Reuse a Ziploc
I was searching for a lasagna recipe. Two hours later, I was invested in a stranger’s wedding shrimp trauma. I’m a middle-aged woman with a Target Circle membership and a 9 p.m. bedtime. How did I end up emotionally invested in a fight about mushrooms? It started innocently enough. I was Googling “easy vegan dinners […]
Should Older People Be Banished? Why Intergenerational Living Matters
A few months ago, I stumbled upon a heated Facebook discussion in my community. The conversation revolved around what some parents in their 30s and 40s referred to as the “old people” in the neighborhood. Many felt that seniors should move out, and into senior communities, arguing that their needs and preferences were taking precedence […]
When a Close Friend Dies: The Lessons and Love Left Behind
When I learned that Sara had a career in the optical industry, it made perfect sense. She noticed everything. Her eye for detail extended beyond lenses and frames. She had a gift for truly seeing people—their hidden strengths, their fears, their untapped potential. That was one of her superpowers. The other, it turned out, was […]
The 10 Commandments of Grocery Shopping
Given the fact that the employees at my local grocery store see me grocery shopping more than my own family does, it’s safe to say that I have quite a bit of experience pushing a full cart around. While I generally enjoy the experience because a) I love finding and checking things off of a […]
Thank You For Being a Friend
Picture it: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, 1985 I’m 12 years old, having a weeklong sleepover at my grandmother’s apartment. Outside wild dogs bark all night long and there’s a very active crack house around the corner. (This was way before the yuppies gentrified the neighborhood.) Every night at 7:00 p.m., my grandmother puts on her pink […]
The Blue Zone Controversy: Does It Matter if the Science is Wrong?
The Skepticism Behind Blue Zone Map Hotspots When Karen McCann was in her late 60s, she was faced with an undeniable fact: She was no longer middle-aged. She and her husband Rich decided to set off on a five-month trip around the Mediterranean rim to learn how to age well. McCann, who is now 73, […]
Finding Purpose After Retirement: Is It as Hard as You Think?
Can you reinvent yourself if you don’t know what you’re reinventing for? Can you find purpose after retirement? Purpose has been called life’s compass—the thing that guides us and pulls us forward. But for many women, finding purpose after retirement feels more like drifting into the Bermuda Triangle. Grandma Moses, who discovered her purpose at […]
Are You a Wedding Guest Diva?
It’s that time of life, ladies—wedding season. Our kids are getting hitched, our friends’ kids are tying the knot, and even grandkids and nephews are making their way down the aisle. Having just had my own kids married off in the past two years, and after attending a few too many weddings, I’m left shaking […]
What’s With All the Book Club Gatekeeping?
Have you ever tried to join a book club? No? Lucky you. I spent years being rejected—yes, rejected—by book clubs across the country. I had no idea book clubs were so exclusive. You’d think I was trying to join some secret society. No matter where I tried, a sometimes snarky gatekeeper would say, “We’re full,” […]
