Author: janeallisongreene
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Restorative Yoga
I first experienced yoga in the 1970s by watching a show on ETV. Besides learning basic poses, I heard, “You’re as young as your spine is flexible.” I was in my mid-twenties and although that phrase didn’t have much meaning then, it stuck with me. Throughout the years I dropped in and out of yoga…
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On Mother’s Day, After Losing a Child
It’s not my first Mother’s Day since my son died. And yes, I guess it gets easier. But it’s never without reflection. Only two people referenced it to me yesterday. Most seem to think it’s better if they don’t remind me, so that I can “move on with my life.” I am living my life,…
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Everything Digital
Am I the only one who hates digital technology? A former work colleague once called me a “luddite.” I learned a new word and gladly embraced being “a person opposed to new technology or ways of working.” I cringe every time there is a new update or I am asked for my password. I think…
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What about diet?
Gosh. I don’t really know if I want to tackle this one. We hear so much about diet, what we should eat. Usually it’s about weight loss, but there are also specific diets for almost any medical condition. If you’re like me, you’ve maybe tried many diets. I was a skinny kid, and my mother…
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Is tai chi right for you?
Tai chi is often described as “meditation in motion.” That’s a simple understanding of a complex and age-old discipline. I recently ventured into tai chi and am enthralled. While I am learning basic, slow movements, I am aware there is so much more. Tai chi focuses on energy (chi or qi) rather than material substances.…
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What do you fear?
Maybe we don’t talk about them much, but I bet we all have fears. Being scammed, identity theft, serious illness, the state our world. Fear flourishes better in the dark, where it likes to hide. Acronyms come to mind: False Evidence Appearing Real; Face Everything And Recover. One of my earliest fears was of the…
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Living Donation
When I was 58, I became a living donor. I was surprised that I made it through the battery of testing and was declared healthy enough to donate a kidney to my 28-year-old son. The photo here was taken on April 8, 2012, the day before our surgeries at Duke University Medical Center. This date…
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What is addiction?
Addiction is a prevalent topic in our world these days. It usually refers to substances – drugs or alcohol (alcoholism). We know that Fentanyl overdoses outnumbered deaths from COVID-19 in 2020-21. Yet addiction can be about almost anything: food, exercise, shopping, money, religious practice. My favorite definition is that addiction is anything that takes you…
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A Lifetime of Books
Books are a part of my earliest memories: my mother reading to me at night and on Saturday mornings. From Peter Rabbit to Bible stories, books held magic. When I could read for myself, a book was a reliable companion. I was Jo eating an apple while reading a book in a tree, and later…
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Talk to your adult children
It’s tax time. For me that necessarily means a financial review. What I have earned, what I have spent in the past year, and what I can anticipate for the future. This blog comes as a request from my tax accountant: Please tell people to talk to their children about their finances! Her plea is…
Our Aging Selves 