This section on AFL (Be HEARD) accepts unsolicited articles and stories for publication on our website and our newsletter that are authentic, well-written, and acceptable for a general yet diverse audience of visitors aged 50+.
Be Heard
My Puppy Just Got Kicked Out of Doggie Day Care
Why are people so rude these days? Loki, my mini golden doodle puppy, loves everyone – people, dogs, and even cats. But he just got kicked out of doggie day care for . . . being too big. He was there first but that didn’t matter. Sound familiar? It feels like rudeness and me-first-ness is The New Normal these days. Step outside and it’s all around ...Read More
Are You Ready for Change?
Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed it. – George Carlin Change is tough. Oxford Languages defines it as “the act or instance of making or becoming different.” When people talk about the New Normal it’s another way to describe change. But change can be fun. You just need to do it right. Consider your age. Do you want to be...Read More
Every Wrinkle Has Its Story! What’s Yours?
“Every wrinkle has its story,” Dr. Jo-Anne Lema, founder of After Fifty Living, pointed to one on her forehead. “This one belongs to the time my kid ran into the street with two cars coming in opposite directions.” We all have wrinkles. Wrinkles have a lot of different names like worry lines, laugh lines, frown lines, and crow’s feet. Fighting wrin...Read More
Are You Sure?
“This is the best cheesecake ever,” you say. “Without doubt.” Your friends watch as you take a bite and then you wince. “It’s not as good as usual,” you growl. “I’ll have to try it on another day.” Certainty. It’s the unshakable belief that something is true and irrefutable. David Rock in Psychology Today writes that “your brain craves certainty an...Read More
The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow….
It feels like a time warp. The days are short and the nights are long. You can’t find anything interesting on Netflix. It takes hours to walk to the kitchen and by the time you get there the best cookies are gone. Even Stephen Colbert isn’t funny anymore. There’s an unescapable diagnosis out there – Covid Fatigue. And we all have it. Take a deep br...Read More
The Crazy Days of “Now”
My home is lovely. My spouse is a good person. My health is very good. My kids, my grandkids are simply marvelous. And I’m grateful. But darn it – life has been turned upside down. During these crazy days, I’m trying, really, to maintain a schedule. I’m trying to do things that make me feel productive, a contributor, and yet – I haven’t hit my s...Read More
What Changes We’ve Seen!
NOTE: This appeared 2 years ago. We are thinking this is good “food for thought” in our Covid-19 era. Well, I’m giving it another try. Back in February , we attempted hip replacement surgery – but, long story short, it turned out I had an allergy I wasn’t aware of – so the surgery was called off. But today we...Read More
Just Sayin’
OVER THE HILL?? I am kinda annoyed (and that’s putting it mildly). There’s a comment on the AFL Facebook page that says being After 50 is “over the hill.” Really? It’s ONLY so in the mind of that poor, misguided, disgruntled creature. How sad is that!! My goal is NOT to present some unrealistic, unattainable image of what life is like when you reac...Read More
Living It Fully!
Recently we received a wonderful note from Donna, an After Fiftier, and it got me thinking about the After Fifty Living tag line: live it fully, live it now. But first, here’s the note: “Hi Jo-Anne, I am a tour operator and specialize in garden tours. Many of my guests are 60 plus and I cannot tell you how many times I have heard from them saying...Read More
Mellowing AND Sharpening – As We Age
Is it just me? Am I the only one who’s finding that with every passing day, month, year, a lot of things that would have “raised my dander” a while back simply aren’t doing so anymore. And when I examined this more closely, I realized that these issues, almost every one of them, are truly inconsequential matters. Who cares if “the spouse” is wearin...Read More