Make it love, but supersize it.
Being a compendium of things to love right now, when the world feels less than lovely.
I spent my twenties fooling around, my thirties wandering around, my forties working around, my fifties settling down. And now, here I am in my sixties, with an unexpected and most welcome boon. I spend much of my time in love.
And there’s such a lot to love.
My husband’s patience and support and amazing cooking. The kaleidoscope of crazy feral cats who demand food and cuddles. Flowers exploding across the landscape (it’s wildflower season here!), and bees pollinating those flowers. Even the fierce storms we’ve had this winter and the inconveniences they’ve brought. Breathtaking to witness.
Then there is the Walk of Peace which just completed. What a grace filled offering to a hurting world. The crowds came, hungry for something larger than themselves, blessing and the possibility of transcendence, and the monks bestowed it, every time. Beautiful.
I’m also loving the Olympics. Watching them is the perfect antidote to all the AI slop hardening our digital arteries. These amazing humans have worked so hard to speed down a hill on wooden sticks, or land on narrow blades after spinning four and a half times in the air. Whether they win gold or crash out, it doesn’t matter. I’m cheering for them all.
Then there’s you lot. Certain Age readers are the Best. Galentines. Ever.
When I wrote a few weeks back about our financial straits, you came through big time. A kind reader donated funds so that we can continue publishing in the near term. Others sent ideas for sponsorships, auctions, events. So much creativity and care. We’ll be rolling out new programs soon, based on your suggestions. But for now, let me simply say thank you.
From the bottom of my heart. I am incredibly touched to receive this bounty.
Though Valentine’s Day celebrates romantic love, that is only a dinky slice of the chocolate lava cake that is love. The truth is so vast it’s almost unbelievable. Almost. This is the truth: Love is the ground we walk on, the force that pumps our hearts. We are made for it. We are made from it. And the more we tap into it, the more we can know – and use – our true power.
I love you.
XO Jean
Fab New Reads on Certain Age 👑
Night/Morning (prose poem)
Set between midnight and dawn, Amy Losak’s prose poem traces a restless consciousness flickering between TV glow, aging fears, advertising noise, and the intimate presence of a cat. Commercial imagery and bodily awareness collide with moments of stillness, creating a meditation on insomnia, consumer culture, and the fragile comfort of routine that ushers us into morning.
Invisible (short story)
For anyone who’s ever been overlooked, this wry short story by Caroline Coleman is for you. “Invisible“ celebrates the unnoticed strengths and surprising freedom that come with being unseen (including comfy kicks).
Certain Age Magazine is published by Jean Shields Fleming.
Have a product or service that women in midlife and up would love? Our sponsorships put you in front of the very women you seek.
This brings to mind Dionne Warwick’s beautiful rendition of ‘What the World Needs Now’….