about me...

A simple click here, takes you to a simple explanation of how and why 50 Shades of Aging came to be. It’s kind of A convoluted story, but then, most good ONES are...

The short version ends with me caring for my aging mother and experiencing the peaks and pitfalls that go along with that (see her next to me here? Doesn’t she look like Betty White?)

Over the course of ten years living next to Mom, I had ample opportunity to get to know her - really get to know her, not only as my mother, but also as a separate individual. Turns out, she was way more interesting and complicated than I ever knew and we became super good friends.   

Down the road, her body began its slow betrayal and Mom needed more help. I became her care-giver which meant both of us had to re frame our relationship; she had to learn to let go and trust me, and I had to learn to be more patient, compassionate, and quite honestly, more caring.

The metamorphosis of me and Mom is the foundation for 50 Shades of Aging which has also become a platform for others to share their own ahaa caregiver stories as well.  

Full disclosure (and total transparency) - I’m a Realtor by day, but I promise not to go all real-estatey on you here at 50 Shades. If you do find yourself interested in my real estate life though, please visit me at Marbleheadhomes.net.

Little update... Since launching 50 Shades in July, 2017, I'm happy to say, you can also read my musings on Blunt Moms, Better After 50, Menopausal Mom, Every Family’s Got One, The Caregiver Space, Boomer Cafe, and in my bi-weekly syndicated column in the Marblehead Reporter.

about Mom...

… was an amazing woman. She passed away in June 2019, just 5 days shy of her 93rd birthday. She liked to say she was “IN” her 93rd year.

She was a super smart “gal” (her word, not mine) who raised 4 kids (and a husband), and earned every minute of her carefree Golden Years. Mom was an endless optimist and lived (sometimes annoyingly) on the bright side of everything (except republican politics). If she wasn’t doing “paperwork” (...paying bills), she was directing me in her garden... or sitting in my car, on the way to some doctor’s appointment. Mom was an artsy woman who loved history and shells... together.

Although Mom and I still tussled once in a while near the end, I almost always let her win. After all, she was 92.9 years old and I came to see that she knew a little more about life than I did (do….) To the end, Mom was full of “piss and vinegar” (again- her words), and showed me every day how to live life with no regrets... one damn day at a time..