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Archive for April, 2026

Posted in aging, Art, Books, Journeys, Writing, tagged , on April 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Joy of Being Able to Read

A somewhat likeness of Chigger, the cat that owned me for 18 years. — Art by Pat Bean

 Aging My Way

Polish poet Wisława Szymborska, who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature, wrote a poem called Possibilities in which she noted her preferences. I love it.

Among her preferences were cats, Dickens to Dostoyevsky, the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems, Grimms’ fairy tales to the newspapers’ front pages, and the hell of chaos to the hell of order.

It’s a long poem, and by the end of it I felt as if I had come to know Wislawa, and if she had been a friend I would have grieved her death in 2012. Now I just feel a sense of loss because I didn’t know her.

The poem, meanwhile, inspired me to think about my own preferences. I prefer dogs to cats, although I do not dislike the latter, and was owned by one named Chigger for 18 years.

Fantasy, mystery and memoir are my favorite reading matter, although I also read just about anything except true crime and horror. I get enough of those genres from today’s newspapers. I could add TV news but I don’t listen to it. I read my realities.

As for writing, to not do so for me would be about the same as not breathing.

Finally, as much as I try to order my days, which Dorothy Gilman (author of the Mrs. Pollifax series which I adore) says can’t be done like a table setting, I quickly become bored without surprises. I love spur of the moment activities – and disorder seems to follow me around.

It seems Wislawa and I have a lot in common, which of course I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t come across her poem in The Marginalian, Maria Popova’s newsletter. (newsletter@themarginalian.org). The joy I get from reading, especially these days when I’m nesting more than adventuring, is a magnificent treasure.

So, what are you reading?

Pat Bean is a retired award-winning journalist who lives in Tucson with her canine companion Scamp. She is an avid reader whose mind is always asking questions (many of which are unanswerable), an enthusiastic birder, staff writer for Story Circle Network’s Journal, author of Travels with Maggie available on Amazon (Free on Kindle Unlimited), and is always searching for life’s silver lining.

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Road Trips: Two Ways

Posted in aging, Books, Favorite Places, Journeys, road trip, Writing, tagged on April 12, 2026| 1 Comment »

Blythe Roberson and I both pondered the petroglyphs at Capitol Reef National Park in Southern Utah. It’s comforting knowing someone else and I shared America’s beauty and wonders.

Aging My Way

Most days I am content. I have a comfortable place to live, friends and loved ones who care about me, I have a great dog, and I’m rich enough to buy a book I want when I want it – and that’s rich enough for me.

But there are other days when I want more, like reasons why at nearly 87 I’m still here on this planet. It’s a nagging concern that is probably shared by others who have left behind a life of chaotic activity for one of having the luxury of unscheduled time.

I thought about these things this morning when I was reading Blythe’s Roberson’s book, America the Beautiful. A comedian, humor writer and author, Blythe says she snapped the day Mary Oliver died, suddenly realizing she needed to do the “great American road trip.” And so it was that two months later, at just 28, Blythe quit her job and was on the road in her dad’s old Prius. –

I immediately identified with Blythe, although in my case, while I knew when I was 10 years old that I had to take that great American road trip, it took me 55 years instead of just two months to accomplish the dream. In my defense, Blythe’s adventures only lasted a few months while mine lasted nine years – and I did it comfortably in a gutsy, new 21-foot RV.

But a high priority on both Blythe and my agendas for the road trip was visiting National Parks, where we thought we would see the best of America – and we did. To give structure to her trip, Blythe decided to earn junior ranger badges from each park she visited. I chose the task of seeing as many new bird species as I possible could.

The need for structure to my days continues to be a nagging concern, which I answer with birdwatching, reading books like Blythe’s that stimulate my little gray cells, and writing, such as this blog, personal journaling and an occasional paid writing assignment. I also have a few other creative activities along with social interactions with friends and loved ones who continue to enrich my life.

Such things are necessary to keep me from obsessing too much about the daily news, and other disturbing minutia like saggy boobs, wrinkled skin and thinning hair. Thankfully, the years have repaid the insults with the wisdom to take the days, and enjoy and survive them, as they come – and be grateful for them.

Pat Bean is a retired award-winning journalist who lives in Tucson with her canine companion Scamp. She is an avid reader whose mind is always asking questions (many of which are unanswerable), an enthusiastic birder, staff writer for Story Circle Network’s Journal, author of Travels with Maggie available on Amazon (Free on Kindle Unlimited), and is always searching for life’s silver lining.

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