Events and Aging News ~ October 2026

 

Hi Readers, Many thanks to my colleague and friend, Dr. Harry “Rick” Moody, for providing these resources on aging. He is a visiting lecturer at Fielding University. Check out “Meet the Author” on this website on aging and climate change! https://climateandaging.org/?page_id=1811  

As you may have noticed, I have been absent for a while. I got married in August and was totally consumed with the upcoming wedding, consolidating homes, downsizing, selling property, and moving to New Orleans. Ahead is my next best chapter…. With the surprise ending!  AgeDoc

 

ARE THERE RULES FOR AGING?

                 From Dr. Harry “Rick” Moody:

Maybe there are, but most things about that are written by people who are not old. At 81, I feel that now maybe I can qualify. I’m thinking about Roger Rosenblatt’s who wrote this in “The World is a Room with a Piano Waiting to be Played:” “The older I get, the more I appreciate the wonders around me. I’m not just talking about nature’s extravagances — zebras, cuttlefish, dragon flies, octopuses, though they do still amaze — but rather the wonder attached to the everyday things a younger me might have not paid much notice to, the happy social interactions, coincidences and surprises that counteract all the sorrows and horrors, and say by their existence, we too are life, maybe most of it. Perhaps the mundane becomes more wondrous as we age partly because we move slower. We are more careful. Each step we take becomes fascinating, an object of exquisite study, not only because the stability of your body rides on it, but also because it takes on a disembodied life of its own.  Age concentrates the mind. The moment you realize you will no longer do something you’ve done all your life. The moment you realize that you will now need to do something you’ve never had to do before. The moment you realize that what used to be will never be the same.” Roger Rosenblatt wrote More Rules for Aging: Making the Most of Your Ridiculous, Wondrous Life (Turtle Point Press, 2026). Rosenblatt is now 86 years old, so he’s my elder. And he’s qualified to write this.

WHAT IS LATE FREEDOM?

 

Dr. Oliver Sacks, who chose to regard old age as “a time of leisure and freedom, freed from the factitious urgencies of earlier days, free to explore whatever I wish, and to bind the thoughts and feelings of a lifetime together.” A person can be both wise and unhappy, wise and regretful, and even wise and dubious about the wisdom of growing old.

 

 

MESSAGE FROM RAM DASS

 

This message is from a recently discovered letter from Ram Dass.  “Don’t sell yourself short by thinking you are only your body or your personality, no matter how intriguing and dramatic they may be. For behind them, there lies a more profound part of your true self. Call it ‘spiritual’ or call it ‘higher consciousness’… call it what you will, but… Call it! One of the doorways to that higher self is through the cultivation of your intuitive wisdom. As you learn to listen to and trust your intuition, you will find a quiet place in the heart of your being that is wise and can guide your actions. One of the things it will remind you of is your interconnectedness to all things. And out of that appreciation will spontaneously arise compassion for those who suffer; for the earth, and for all living things.” Thank you, Ram Dass, no longer with us in this world, but with us in our hearts.

 

 

END OF LIFE JOKE

 

George Burns, when he was nearing 90, refused to sign a contract to appear unless it was up to 5 years in the future. Was he deluded or just make a joke? When asked later in his life how his stand-up act had changed as he approached 100 years old, he wittily replied: "Well, I ask for my applause at the beginning of my act instead of at the end. And I never buy green bananas." Statistician and demographer Benjamin Gompertz in the 19th century discovered what has become known as Gompertz Law: namely, that after midlife, mortality for humans doubles every 8 years. Do the math and you'll see the point about not buying "Green Bananas." For more on Gompertz Law, see: Gravity and Levity Link George Burns lived from 1896 to 1996 and he became a centenarian. He acknowledged that his act became funny because of his wife, Gracie Allen, his lifelong love.

 

 

ITEMS OF INTEREST

 

Narrative: Narrative Matters Interdisciplinary Conference Call for Papers: “Moving Stories: Migrations, Movements, and Meanings” University College Cork, Ireland (June 7 – 10, 2027) More details at: https://www.narrativematters.co.uk/ Submission of proposals (250 words) by Dec. 18, 2026.  Send to narrativematters@ucc.ie   Hildegard of Bingen. A 12th century nun gives guidance for aging well: Welcome to Next Avenue Link   Simone de Beauvoir. Her life and work offers many insights on old age: How to Keep Life from Becoming a Parody of Itself: Simone de Beauvoir on the Art of Growing Older Link

 

 

RECOMMENDED READING

 

FULL ECOLOGY: Repairing our Relationship with the Natural World, by Mary Clare and Gary Ferguson (Heyday, Berkeley, California, 2021).   RESET: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, by Helen Hirsh Spence and Debra Yearwood (T60 Publishing, 2026).   AGING REIMAGINED: The Adventures of Later Life, by William Randall (Cambridge University Press, 2026).

 

 

October 2026 COMING EVENTS

 

CHOOSE JOY (Oct. 6, 2026, 7– 8 pm ET) Choose Joy Masterclass, with Babs Plunkett. Sponsored by Sage-ing International. Details and Registration at: Choose Joy Link   CREATIVE AGING. “The Science of Curiosity, Connection and Well-Being” (Oct. 8, 2026, 12 noon to 1 pm, ET). Artist and instructor Jean Mason shares stories of adults who discovered creative passions later in life. She also explores the science of neuroplasticity behind why creative engagement supports wellbeing. Sponsored by the Encore Network. Details at: Creative Aging: The Science of Curiosity, Connection and Well-Being Link   ECOSYSTEM SUMMIT. Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit (Oct. 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2026). This 2026 virtual event is sponsored by the George Washington University's Center for Aging, Health and Humanities. Details and registration at: Ecosystem Summit Link   INTRODUCTION TO SAGE-ING (Oct. 13, 2026, 1– 2 pm ET) Introduction to Sage-ing International, with Renee Fogarty. Sponsored by Sage-ing International. Details and Registration at: Sage-ing Link   AGING, UNVARNISHED (Oct. 13, 2026, 7 – 8:30 pm ET) Aging, Unvarnished: A Straight-up Conversation Across Age Groups, with Helen Hirsh Spence. Sponsored by Sage-ing International. Details and Registration at: Aging Unvarnished Link   SACRED VISION (Oct. 14t, 2026, 11am– 12:30 pm ET) Sacred Vision: A Transpersonal Perspective, with David Chernikoff. Sponsored by Sage-ing International. Details and Registration at: Sacred Vision Link   INNER ELDER (Oct. 20, 2026, 1 – 2:30 pm ET). Meeting Your Inner Elder, No Matter Your Age, with Mary M. Clare. Sponsored by Sage-ing International. Details and Registration at: Meeting Your Inner Elder Link   COPING (Oct. 27, 2026, 12 noon – 1:30 pm ET). Coping with Grace, Humor and Wisdom, with Carolyn Aldwin. Sponsored by Sage-ing International. Details and Registration at: Coping with Grace, Humor, and Wisdom Link   DEEPENING THE SAGE WITHIN FOR MEN (Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 10, 17, and Dec. 1, 12 noon– 3 pm ET). Deepening the Sage Within for Men, with Brian Jones and Dennis Stamper. Sponsored by Sage-ing International. Details and Registration at: DSW for Men Link   BOOMER TURNS 80. “A Boomer’s Journey to 80” (Oct. 27, 2026, 12 noon ET) This month's 4th Tuesday Revolutionize Your Retirement Interview with Experts Series features Vicki Thomas, a writer, a Purpose Prize Winner, a two-time cancer survivor, and the Chief Purpose Officer of My Future Purpose. This group helps people rediscover meaning, reinvention, and community in the second half of life. In January, 2026, Vicki Thomas joined the first wave of Boomers entering their 80’s. As she says, “For the first time, millions are living decades longer and creating one of the greatest untapped resources on earth: experience and wisdom.” Vicki Thomas recently published From Woodstock to Wisdom: A Boomer's Journey to 80. The book documents what aging feels like for the Baby Boomer generation, who have lived through one of history’s most dramatic cultural shifts. As host of the program, in February, 2026, Dori Mintzer also joined the first wave of Boomers entering their 80s. Join for a conversation about this book and some of the experiences of the Boomer generation. Use this link to sign up: https://revolutionizeretirement.com/events/interviews-with-experts-series-vicki-thomas/ or go to www.revolutionizeretirement.com. This free Zoom interview includes a recording link for all registered participants. Direct questions to Dori Mintzer at dorianmintzer@gmail.com or www.revolutionizeretirement.com   COMING HOME (Nov. 2, 2026, 1:00 - 3:00 pm ET) Coming Home to Peace: Forgiveness and the Journey to Wholeness, with Eileen Barker. Sponsored by Sage-ing International. Details and Registration at: Coming Home to Peace Link

 

How Old Do You Feel?

 

“I’ve heard other seniors say they feel younger inside than their outer shell might suggest. That’s also how I feel. Not old or young, but okay with where I am.” Peter G. Miller, author and veteran newspaper columnist interviewed by The Oldster For the interview see: Oldster Link

MORE ITEMS OF INTEREST

 

Positive Aging. Is it possible that most of what we think about aging is wrong? See “You Have 30 More Years Than You Think”    Purpose in Later Life. “How to rediscover your purpose later in life”   Some Valuable Films about Aging. https://www.moviesaboutaging.org/ (Visit website with a full collection of free films) See also “The Gerontological Movies Blog”   Initiation into Aging. Margaret Morganroth Gullette, "Crawling the Spirit Canoe, From Initiation Rites to Aging Today," The Long Game, July 27, 2026.  LINK  See also: https://www.instagram.com/p/DbXBvm8DMY9/