Been There, Done That: Eight Decades And Counting By Alice Herb: Why This Blog?

In announcing this blog, Been There, Done That: Eight Decades And Counting, I’d like to explain why I am writing this and what I will write about. Let me first convince you that I am really qualified to write about aging: I am experienced! I am now in my ninth decade and have had three distinct careers – as an attorney, a researcher/writer/director/producer of TV news and current affairs, and a bioethicist. I have been widowed twice, lost my older son when he was 21, and for a while lost a significant family member virtually every year, including both parents, two aunts and two uncles, all of whom were important players in my life. As you can see, I have accumulated many experiences, both personally and professionally. Through all of this, I have retained my sense of humor and for the most part the larger perspective. I am one of those people who always say “Get a grip. Get some perspective.”

I, along with my colleagues at agebuzz, agree that there are important aspects of aging that no one talks about openly but that deeply affect our daily lives. My understanding of what people don’t talk about goes way back to when my older son was born. He was a difficult baby. He didn’t like to sleep. He didn’t like to be held close. He seemed not to like me. He cried a lot. Yet he wasn’t colicky nor did he have any other medical issues. He was calm and content with his father. I was clearly a total failure as a Mom. I slumped into the blackness of depression but my rebellious spirit and anger burst out one day when I was with a group of new mothers who all seemed to extol the virtues of their offspring. I burst out at some point and aired my exasperation and misery. One by one, each of them confessed to at least some problems they were having with their infants. That true confessions afternoon probably helped them as much as it helped me. And so I come to what this blog will be about.

I will address issues, circumstances, and upsets that we rarely hear about in public but that I have more or less mostly experienced myself. I am betting that most of you will relate to what I describe. This blog will not be a downer. Much of it will be funny when seen in perspective. Much is fixable if a bit ego-shattering.

Stay with me for a while and do let me know what you like, don’t like, find boring, whatever. Our technology is not so complicated. You can put up a thumbs up or down, a smiling, neutral, or frowning face and short comments if you please. Send me whatever you want at [email protected]. And I just may answer!

Alice Herb is a retired attorney, journalist, and bioethics consultant. Having reached the age of 85+, she’s more than ready to share her experiences and opinions with agebuzz readers. Want to comment on something she’s said? She welcomes your feedback at [email protected]

And do you have something you’d like to say? Let us know by contacting us at [email protected]