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Ancient Wisdom
Ancient Wisdom: Why I Dug Into My Family’s Past
I love Southern history. But I never researched the history of my Louisiana relatives until I was in close range to my 65th birthday. What was keeping…
August 24, 2025
Nicholas Lemann
Nicholas Lemann on His Genealogy Obsession
Descended from Jewish plantation owners in Louisiana, the author began a new journey in his sixties—uncovering his family history.
August 24, 2025
Suzy Weiss
32M
Ancient Wisdom: The World Says ‘Quit,’ But I’m Not Done Yet
For 50 years, I’ve been getting up five mornings a week eager to get to work. At 74, I still feel that way.
August 10, 2025
Anthony Giardina
Anthony Giardina Just Won’t Quit
The novelist on his writing routine, the fall of the straight white male artist, and what he remembers from Woodstock.
August 10, 2025
Suzy Weiss
41M
Ancient Wisdom: My Second Act Gave Me a Second Life
When an editor called to ask if I could have lunch with Claire Danes for a story, I declined. I’m a teacher now, I said.
August 3, 2025
Peter Richmond
Ancient Wisdom: At 96, I Still Live a Great Life
Do I think of death at my age? Of course I do. Then again, I think of Moses, who lived to be 120. That gives me some hope.
July 27, 2025
Jack Miller
The Man Pushing 100
Jack Miller on success in America, charity at scale, and his biggest regret.
July 27, 2025
Suzy Weiss
27M
Ancient Wisdom: When Darkness Comes, Don’t Flinch
My wife no longer knows my name, but when she looks at me, I want to believe her gaze says, ‘I see you,’ as if something inside her still remembers.
July 20, 2025
Michael Tobin
Michael Tobin on Losing a Loved One in Slow Motion
The psychologist discusses the ambiguous grief of Alzheimer’s, how to enjoy life in a bomb shelter, and what it really means to be a patriarch.
July 20, 2025
Suzy Weiss
25M
How to Have a Happy Retirement
Coming to terms with being alone is crucial. Solitude is an older person’s need, something that has to be built into a day like all the other…
July 13, 2025
Gerald Marzorati
Gerald Marzorati on How He Learned to Love Retirement
‘People stop caring what you think about most everything, which, in its own way, is a form of freedom—if you can understand it that way.’
July 13, 2025
Suzy Weiss
22M
She Lost Her Husband. I Lost My Wife. Now We’re a Couple.
Love’s more complicated the second time around. The sweetness doesn’t erase the sorrow. The feelings coexist. We have each lost the love of our life…
July 6, 2025
Marty Goldensohn
Marty Goldensohn on Finding Late-in-Life Romance
‘It turns out that a key to aging is learning to live in a future that you did not see coming.’
July 6, 2025
Suzy Weiss
27M
The Secret of Good Grandparenting
Let your children be the parents they want to be, not the parents you want them to be.
June 29, 2025
Julie Rose
Julie Rose on the Dos and Don’ts of Grandparenting
The writer and her daughter discuss gentle parenting, generational differences, and giving grace along the way.
June 29, 2025
Suzy Weiss
25M
When the Phone Stops Ringing
I enjoyed the prestige of touring with famous singers, but I knew—absolutely knew—that it was not my true destiny.
June 22, 2025
Steven Blier
Steven Blier on Living Beyond the Spotlight
The musician on performing with the stars, coming to terms with the limits of ambition, and the biggest difference between your 60s and 70s.
June 22, 2025
Suzy Weiss
30M
I Was a Bad Dad. Then My Son Gave Me a Second Chance.
In my 30s, I wasn’t there for my three older kids. Then I had a fourth the year I turned 59, and he was my redemption staring me in the face.
June 15, 2025
Joe Nocera
Joe Nocera on Becoming a Better Dad
The Free Press editor on second chances, what fatherhood looks like at 73, and the inspiration for our Ancient Wisdom series.
June 15, 2025
Suzy Weiss
33M
The Surprising Pleasures of Widowhood
After my husband of 34 years died of dementia, my first emotion was ‘grie-lief.’ The next 15 years were better than I could have imagined.
June 8, 2025
Elinor Lipman
Elinor Lipman on Learning to Enjoy Widowhood
The novelist talks about her late husband, her current “husband-like friend,” and how to cope with widowhood.
June 7, 2025
Suzy Weiss
25M
How Much Plastic Surgery Does a Woman Really Need?
Here’s the thing about being an older woman: You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. So you might as well please yourself.
June 1, 2025
Mimi Swartz
Mimi Swartz on ‘That Face’ and the Women Who Choose It
The Texas writer reveals the story behind her reluctant romance with Botox—and why her mother’s cosmetic surgeries were a family secret.
June 1, 2025
Suzy Weiss
19M
Ambition Will Only Get You So Far
Sitting at my mother’s bedside, getting a glimpse of the abyss, I had my revelation: Professional zeal is a finite resource.
May 25, 2025
Emily Yoffe
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