We are about to close one of the most extraordinary years of our lifetimes, full of events that we might only consider possible in an action-packed disaster movie. I’m pretty sure that we’ve all had moments in the past 12 months when we’ve thought that news headlines were truly stranger than fiction. And not justContinue reading “Peace”
Author Archives: Laura Nelson Lof
Distressed, discouraged, and disappointed
Iowa is a national leader in many things, positive and good. We are also one of the leading states in a dramatic rise in active Covid cases. The staggering daily increase in coronavirus cases in Iowa is jaw-dropping. In a November 13, 2020 article in The Atlantic, University of Iowa Dr. Eli Perencevich is quotedContinue reading “Distressed, discouraged, and disappointed”
Building back, better
Since my earlier post announcing that I had a date scheduled for my hip replacement surgery, many friends have reached out to me and shared their experiences. According to these veterans of orthopedic surgery, I’m going to feel absolutely great…in about three weeks. (Alrighty, then.) Several were quick to share advice, what to do, whatContinue reading “Building back, better”
Monday, November 2, 2020
Well, here we are. At long last, we have arrived at the first Monday of November in an election year. For those of us who haven’t yet voted, tomorrow is the day. In any previous year, this would be a benign factual statement. But not on November 2, 2020. I am a person who doesContinue reading “Monday, November 2, 2020”
Once upon a time in Omaha
I received an email overnight with a link to an obituary for former Nebraska Senator Dave Karnes and the memory floodgates burst open. My early post-graduate life in Omaha came spilling out with people and places and extraordinary experiences that continue to shape me today. My uncle was friends with a woman who was puttingContinue reading “Once upon a time in Omaha”
Out of Season
We had our first measurable snow in Iowa early this week. It’s only mid-October but the snow and cold felt like winter. I rather enjoy it in its season, but I love October more. The colors, the trees, the crisp air that calls for sweaters, football…I’ve always been an October person. Everything this year isContinue reading “Out of Season”
E pluribus unum
I’m 56 and the first time I was eligible to vote in a general election was 1984. I have voted in every single one since. The recent presidential elections have been historic and certainly felt that way when I voted. The first African-American president, the possibility of the first female president, and now, it doesn’tContinue reading “E pluribus unum”
Going bionic
All the cool kids are getting arthritic joints replaced these days. More than one million total joint replacements are performed in the U.S. annually, according to The American Joint Replacement Registry at the National Center for Biotechnology Information. This number is forecast to quadruple in the next ten years with an estimated four million totalContinue reading “Going bionic”
Living large
When I turned 50, I found my voice. I spoke my mind. I even started to use boundaries. I realized that 40 years of making myself small to accommodate others was doing nothing at all for me except create resentment. Around the time I turned 50, I stopped giving a damn about what others thoughtContinue reading “Living large”
No longer and not yet
Welcome to my view from a little more than halfway through. On this blog, I’ll be sharing my thoughts and perspectives about life and these radical changes we are going through as older adults. Our parents and their siblings are passing away leaving us as the elder generation of our families. We can see retirementContinue reading “No longer and not yet”
Not that anyone asked... 