As we head into Thanksgiving, many of us are perhaps feeling more frightened than thankful. I have been trying to process all of my emotions since Nov. 5th as I know many of you have.

While political discussions in the past have not been my jam, what we are experiencing is the worst reality show for which we are all cast members, like it or not. It has gotten very personal, so I’m talking about it.

And since that which is personal, is often universal…at least for half of this Universe we are living in, I hope you will walk this path with me. Please, join me.

I’ll see you there…

We are so fortunate to have Sky Bergman as our special guest on Loving Later Life. She is Professor Emeritus of Photography and Video at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Her artwork is in prestigious museum collections, and her commercial work has appeared in renowned magazines like the Smithsonian.

In her third act after a 30-year teaching career, Sky felt pulled by her dreams and passions in the direction of being behind the lens of a different kind, motivated and inspired by the love of her Grandma who was turning 100.

She wanted to find other people like her Grandmother who could be her role models for aging. Sky spent 4 years interviewing 40 ppl with a collective life experience of 3000 years and created the film Lives Well Lived currently on PBS, Amazon, and iTunes to name a few. Her goal was to discover their secret, and she found that they had 3 things in common, which she shares with us, and more!

You will feel incredibly positive about aging after watching her film. It has been so popular that she then wrote the book "Lives Well Lived — GENERATIONS. " The first half is about her experiences making the film and the lessons she learned. The second half is about the amazing people around the globe who are doing work connecting generations.

Sky’s passion is creating films and projects that inspire intergenerational connections, emphasizing the power of shared stories. And after listening to our conversation, you will feel the power of her story and very different about aging.

Welcome back to Loving Later Life and if you are a returning Loving Later Lifer I so appreciate you. If you are new, thank you, welcome and this is a hell of a first episode to hear! And I’m hoping it won’t be your last.

I’m going out on a limb with this one while reminding myself of phrases like, ‘not everyone will like what you have to say, and that’s ok,’ or Hamilton’s, "If you stand for nothing, what will you fall for" or as Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” and yes, lastly the saying: "If you see something, say something."

I have been silent, and I’m at the point now where I feel if I don’t say something, it will make me complicit in history repeating itself, and as MLK said, in watching our lives (as we know it) begin to end. I decided that I can’t let the fear of losing listeners or of upsetting anyone prevent me from sharing a perspective that I’ve been thinking about, and then heard it stated much more eloquently by a historian. So, I ask that you please hang in for thirteen minutes until the end, no matter if you agree or not.