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
Who’s Good for a Laugh?
Humor. It’s been around, especially the political kind, since the first cave dweller stepped forward to lead the tribe. It’s funny, cutting, and entertaining. You can find it in Greek drama, Shakespearean tragedy, and in Mark Twain who famously wrote, “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.” Techn...Read More
Sanity During the Pandemic. Tell Us What’s Working Well For YOU!
Crazy, unsettling times we’re living through. We’d love to know how you’re doing. Keeping your head on straight can be a struggle. Absolutely. And it’s so important you realize that as nutty as you think your world has become, others of us out here are thinking the exact same thing. So, we were wondering. Do you have a tip – or several – for w...Read More
You’re Up!
Bases are loaded. Your kids, grandkids, friends, and neighbors cheer. Do you homer, walk, or hit into a triple play? We’re all on the same baseball field. The pandemic is everywhere. Italians sing to each another from their balconies, parents home teach their kids, and celebrities perform a “living room concert.” Most of us care – don’t let anyone ...Read More
I spoke to Finn today!
It wouldn’t have happened a few months ago. In the pre-pandemic days before our isolation, fear, and confusion, I never would have met Finn. I would have been too busy – too controlled by demands, errands, and schedules. Sheltering at home, away from people and deadlines, things have changed. In other words, time has changed. We all wait for Corona...Read More
Be Heard: Meeting Someone New After A Late Divorce
When you’ve woken up seeing the same face for the last 10, 20, or 30 years, a divorce is a jarring experience. Whether you were unwilling to part ways with your former spouse or you’re savoring your newfound freedom, getting back into the dating game can be a challenge. Many people in their forties, fifties, and sixties struggle to defi...Read More
Who Ate the Cheesecake?
It mysteriously leaps into your mouth. The ice cream is a lone spoonful left in an empty container. The chocolate chip cookies are gone – even though the grandkids haven’t visited for a week. Where did they go? Could it be you? Denial. It can be a good thing. Psychologists consider denial a way to handle reality – if it doesn’t exist then it doesn’...Read More
The Falks’ Test
It was February in New England, and the Blizzard of ’78 had immobilized the entire region. Highways were shut down. Too many cars had been abandoned in helter-skelter fashion as the unsuspecting fought snow-drifts on foot in the quest for safety. Yes, this was way before weather.com.
Reinventing Me
When I was a little kid, my heroes were the astronauts that flew in NASA's Gemini and Apollo capsules. I watched, fascinated, as Edward White opened the hatch of his Gemini capsule and floated, attached only by a slender umbilical cord, the first American to walk in space. I also watched, horrified, a few years later, when the news reported the fla...Read More