Contributor: Joy Nevin

Joy Nevin was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, attended Connecticut College for Women for two years until she married John Nevin in 1957. Four children later, with twelve corporate moves in 20 years, the family learned flexibility. In 1990, with a nearly empty nest, Joy and John moved to Richmond, Virginia where they put down roots. Now in her eighties, Joy is the author of “Get Moving: A Joyful Search to Meet and Embrace Life Transitions” (2002) and “Joy of Retirement: Live, Love and Learn” (2015). Since 2016 she has written numerous articles for Woman Around Town on downsizing, moving to a retirement facility and her current series, Octo Observations. She is also a proud Grammy of nine, great grandmother of two…..AND forever grateful to Charlene Giannetti for supporting her passion for writing!

Have you ever noticed how easily you respond to a person who smiles? Have you ever gone to the grocery store, and someone you never saw before walks toward you, and as your carts pass…

With Easter and Passover celebrations ended for 2019, we reflect upon the highs and lows of life, as evidenced in the last several days. We wake up this Monday morning to headlines of the vicious…

In today’s email a joke popped up from a good pal. It caught my eye. In cartoon form, the drawing depicted two old folks, obviously a seasoned married couple, sitting on a park bench. The…

Something has been niggling my brain of late. I can’t stay silent any longer. Here goes: Being a chronologically certifiable old(er) lady, I realize that there are many fascinating topics to explore. One is the…

Today marks my dear husband’s 84th birthday. He and I have been married for over 61 years. We have seen good times, fabulous times, and rough, rocky, scary times. We have raised four competent, loving…

For any grandparent sitting in the audience of a “grandbaby’s” on-stage performance, an inordinate feeling of pride emerges. For years, my husband and I have been lucky enough to attend school musicals, drum concerts, graduations,…

Tucked away on my computer is a book in progress. Every so often I open it up and write a page or two. It has a name but lacks chapters! BONUS DAYS…that is title…about this…

Less than a month into 2019 and many of us are pondering ways to improve ourselves. Runners don their jogging togs, diet ads abound, caloric goodies are forbidden, and resolutions to lose five or ten…