Sally almost didn’t go on the blind date – she wasn’t crazy about the person setting her up – but when her future husband called and asked her to lunch, she said, “Well, I guess I have to eat.” Two months later, they were married.
The subsequent 54 years of marriage were full of adventure, respect – and what Sally calls the key ingredient to life and relationships: humor.
“Things will come up that don’t seem so funny at the time,” she says. “But if you can laugh about it, life will be better.”
Advice from a professional sanguine
Sally is something of an expert on family dynamics, having spent decades writing about parenting for publications that range from Good Housekeeping to The New York Times, as well as books on breastfeeding and a survival guide for working parents.
Looking back at that accumulated wisdom, from both research and personal experience, Sally’s advice to new parents is to relax.
“Everything’s going to turn out okay,” she says. “And if it doesn’t, you’ll deal with it.”
Beyond that? Give children acceptance, not for who you think they should be, but for who they actually are.
Writing her next chapter
“I can’t draw. I can’t paint. But I can write,” Sally says with a laugh. “And I look forward to writing more.”
Since moving to Atria West 86, Sally has started writing for the community’s quarterly publication. She gets her inspiration from her neighbors and approaches these stories with the same genuine curiosity she’s always brought to her work.
“It’s never too late to be a child again,” she says of letting loose and allowing yourself to play. “Let your creativity run wild. Let your sense of fun take you to places you never dreamed of.”
In celebration of Atria’s 30th anniversary, we’re sharing Pearls of Wisdom from the wisest people we know – the residents in our senior living communities, who have navigated every chapter of life. Visit AtriaPearls.com to browse an archive of their advice and gather even more wisdom.
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