Kendal at Oberlin Blog

Mindfulness is on a lot of our minds these days. We are encouraged to eat slowly, to practice gratitude and yoga, to power down the smartphone and look up at the sky, all with the aim of cultivating more mindfulness.

As we prepare our tax returns for 2017, we do so with a curious eye on how the new tax law will impact our bottom line in the coming year.

Eating the right foods to maintain a healthy mind and body is a year-round activity. That said, even super-nutrition minded men and women occasionally fall off the “good food” wagon.  

When we think about love, lots of images come to mind, from the serious to the small. We think about who we love, like our family and friends, including our furry four-legged ones, and what we love, such as walking along a sandy beach or indulging in our favorite sweet.

At their 50th reunion at Oberlin College in 2008, Louise Luckenbill greeted her old classmate, Harvey Culbert, with a hug and condolences for the death of his wife the previous year.

“Something clicked, and afterwards I emailed Louise saying, ‘Let’s stay in touch,’” says Harvey, who had moved to Kendal at Oberlin in 2002.  

Many of us enter old age with ageist untruths stuffed in our backpack.

Dementia. Falling.  Not if, but when.

Playing tennis, running, gardening, dancing. Now, but not for much longer.

Baby boomers have impacted the American cultural landscape ever since they began arriving in droves, beginning in 1946 and continuing through 1964.

One area of the landscape they definitely redefined was sex and sexuality.  Boomers had access to birth control pills, legalized abortion and no-fault divorce. Now as they reach their 70’s, these boomers are continuing to speak out about sexuality, with encouragement from men and women even older.

There is something great about the beginning of a new year. It’s a blank slate full of promise, and an opportunity to re-evaluate and make changes to those habits that aren’t working for us.

During Christina Graf’s visit to Kendal at Oberlin, she first heard about Vitalize 360, a comprehensive holistic coaching program available to all residents.

“It was a selling point, one of many,” says Christina, who moved to Kendal in late 2017.

A little over a year ago, Tracey Lind looked in the mirror and did not recognize the face reflected in the glass. 

Thus began an unchartered road that Tracey now travels. Diagnosed with early onset dementia, Tracey ended her 17-year tenure as Dean of Cleveland’s Episcopal Trinity Cathedral and spends her time traveling with her spouse, Emily, writing, preaching and giving speeches as she is able.