Recent Posts

CRONE INSIGHTS: “Getting Older vs Growing Older”

September 25, 2026

I just finished reading through this long, complex, deeply instructive essay that I composed in 2007. That’s nearly 20 years ago!

Over and over again, paragraph by paragraph, I discovered, uncovered, recovered insights that I, at that age, seemingly knew better than I do now! Grateful.

_Getting Older vs Growing Older_

 

Or maybe it’s just that the language I use is degrading over time. I find myself  linguistically “taking shortcuts;” or at least I think that’s how my self in 2007 would see my writing now.

In which case, I’m doubly glad that I have these older references to contemplate as I continue this archetypal Crone process of “growing older.”

Truly, it does feel as if everything I talk about I have, at some level, always known. Or at least since I began the profound work of looking deeply into myself to discover its mysterious multidimensionality.

I just decided to take this photo. Whew! So many wrinkles! Ego self says it’s so ugly I shouldn’t post it. But to hell with ego!

Or at least, Ann, make it smaller.

Nope. Here “I” am, folks. Today. With less than three months to go before my 84th birthday.

 

 

MEME STREAM: Time for Transformation!

September 25, 2026

This early morning, out walking, I found myself waving at two “workers,” (i.e., each with a company uniform). Scampi dragged me towards them as they moved towards us. Our encounter was short, pithy, full of good cheer. I tell them we’re out on our daily 4-mile walk. One of them responded: “Good for you! Got to keep moving to stay alive.”

As we turned and walked on, I couldn’t help but reply: “That’s a profound statement! Yes, keep moving to stay alive.”  

That short, authentic, interpersonal encounter left me, as they always do on these morning walks, with an uplifted heart.

 

And in this case, it wasn’t just my resonance, but their resonance too.

Yeah . . .

I “started living” a long time ago. In fact, back when I was 26. I knew I was to dismantle the cultural programming that had me trapped in roles. The decision was sudden, abrupt (thanks to the altered perception of my first LSD trip) — and to my surprise, took years to enact; in fact, the process of dismantling is ongoing.

So. “Abruptly decides to start living . . .” Hmmm . . . what about these folks? Might they “abruptly decide to start living?”

Or is it just too late. Did the “covid years” erase the aliveness from our world?

Yeah, during those years, thanks to my own decades-long deprogramming, I was decidedly a tin foil hat wearer . . .

But: IS it too late?

It’s never too late.

To begin the transformation, just remember:

Always true. Start noticing the voices. What do they say? Are they keeping you down or lifting you up? If the former, notice where they originate. In your childhood? In social media? Where?

Probably some kind of conglomeration.

In which case, please realize: in order to shift from negative to positive, we need to surrender to, engage in, relatively long term personal processing. Here’s how I did it.

Personal Processing

 

Yep. Time for transformation. And what’s relevant here: though at first it feels like a lonely journey, at some point we realize we are one among many. MANY.

On an intuitive hunch, I just asked gemini AI: has ” ‘personal transformation’ increased in usage over time?” Here’s the response: