Guest Column

ODE TO BRAND YOU If you were a brand, Would you be fresh and sweet as Krispy Kreme, Or aged and mellow like a sip of Jim Beam? You might be calm like NyQuil or rowdy like Harley-Davidson, Or hot as Tabasco or warming like Lipton. Whatever your message, one...

“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be…” - Robert Browning “The JOYrontologist” recommends: If you only read one book about joyous aging in your one precious life, let it be “BETTER WITH AGE: The Psychology of Successful Aging” by Dr. Alan D. Castel. BETTER...

ODE TO THE “E WORD” Isn’t it a sweet surprise That play is a workout in disguise. Chic gym clothes can never glamorize The boring drudge of exercise. S.U.N.S. SILLYASS FITNESS is serious-not-solemn exercise with goofy grins, funny grunts and a LAFF EVRY DAY. “The JOYrontologist” recommends: Don’t work out…play! Sitting...

ODE TO SOLITUDE Solitude and loneliness Are far from the same. Solitude is exquisite pleasure; Loneliness, excruciating pain. My name is Ben and…I am a GREGARIOUS HERMIT. There, I’ve said it. Every day, for as far back as I can remember, I’ve been an enthusiastic, social animal who also...

For the last several years, I’ve enjoyed leading an April-in-Alabama history walking tour through Cullman.  Like Martina McBride sang, “word gets around in a small, small town,” and I’ve been fortunate to attract some positive, fun buzz and good-sized crowds. To keep it interesting for...

ODE TO A WORLD-CLASS QUEST Today, I’m on a world-class quest for the ultimate food fest. I started off so Hungary and thought to Czech my kitchen first. Then, I was Russian to the fridge but only found a Greece-y Turkey. Iran to the grocery to get some...

After turning 70 this year, I’m performing in my first, classical ballet. Seeing all those ballerinas on tiptoe, I’m wondering—why didn’t they just get taller dancers? I don’t claim to be an A-student in dance, but I’m trying to be. It’s been my experience that...

“If you have no charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.”—Bob Hope HILARITY FOR CHARITY is a perfect example of S.U.N.S. (Smile-Making, Uniting, Neighboring, Spellbinding) GIVING. Now known as, www.WeAreHFC.org, Hilarity for Charity is the brainchild of 21st century comedy...

“When do we learn that the world, like any diner worth its salt, is open 24 hours a day?”—Daniel Handler  American diners are the perfect place to “open up” and share “The S.U.N.S. (Smile-Making, Uniting, Neighboring, Spellbinding) Joyous Aging” wisdom.  S.U.N.S. DINERS, my selections for each...

Remember when America was all about freedom-loving fun and people fought for “The Right to Party?” Even in 1773 (evening of December 16), our royal-bashing, founding parents were dressing up like their Native American neighbors on a warpath; whoopin’, hollerin’ and tossin’ boxes of...