Category Archives: Body

Lessons in Loss from Brooks and Beethoven

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Bob Ritzema

My most recent post on this blog described an article by Arthur C. Brooks in The Atlantic titled “Your Professional Decline Is Coming Sooner Than You Think.” In it he described research demonstrating that fluid intelligence declines after midlife. Due … Continue reading →

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Recovering From Loss: Giving Back

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Bob Ritzema

In his book Struck: One Christian’s Reflections on Encountering Death (IVP Books, 2017), Russ Ramsey, pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, tells the story of his encounter with a life-threatening illness. Ramsey developed a persistent fever caused by … Continue reading →

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The Seven Deadly Sins for Seniors: Gluttony

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Bob Ritzema

I’ve been writing about the seven deadly sins, using as my basis the book Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and their Remedies by Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung. I’m especially interested in how these harmful habits manifest … Continue reading →

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Taking Up Yoga Late in Life

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

  For most of my adult life, I had no use for yoga. I have always exercised regularly and have been fit, so I didn’t need yoga for that. I also didn’t need the calming effects, since I could deal … Continue reading →

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Mom on the Mend

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

My mom, who is 91 years old, fell a couple weeks ago. She was in the bathroom, heading for the toilet in the middle of the night when her feet flew out from under her. She normally takes her time … Continue reading →

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Healthcare Decisions for Our Parents and Us

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

In a recent New York Times article, Dr. Mikkael A. Sekeres, a cancer specialist. told of his first meeting with a 97 year-old patient. The elderly man had recently moved into an assisted living facility in Cleveland in order to … Continue reading →

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The Silver Lining While Waiting for Healing

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

I’ve had a difficult time of it recently. Though the surgery I had in February was successful, I was rehospitalized a couple weeks later with complications. Urine was leaking into my abdomen, causing severe pain. The doctors fitted me with … Continue reading →

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Complications

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

I’ve been writing recently about my medical problems. After living a year and a half with prostate cancer, I had surgery a couple weeks ago to remove my prostate. Last week, I blogged about the surgery and the first week of recovery. A few … Continue reading →

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A Wineskin in the Smoke

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

I had surgery a week ago. I had only undergone surgery under general anesthetic once before, an outpatient surgery about fifteen years ago. This time, I had a cancerous body part removed, meaning I was unconscious for longer than during … Continue reading →

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Thinking About Cancer: Other People’s Stories

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

I recently posted about my cancer diagnosis. I am scheduled to have a radical prostatectomy next month, that being one of the treatment options available for prostate cancer. Deciding to have the surgery made me aware of things to which … Continue reading →

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