Letter from the Editor #38

Readers,

I get the nicest notes from Oldster contributors and interviewees after they experience this readership’s reliably wonderful reception in the comments.

I know I’ve said it before, but it bears saying again: You are a wonderful audience. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading, and for always commenting so thoughtfully and supportively. You help to make Oldster not only a great publication, but also the kind of a warm, welcoming community I like to be part of. 🙏

By the by, Oldster runs on paid subscriptions, it pays essayists and interviewers, and—at least for now—no content is ever kept behind a paywall. Paid subscribers make that possible, and I appreciate it.

Check out the rest of this series here. P.S. Click here to get more out of this post by reading it online instead of in your email…

“Since I retired last year, I've felt a bit lost. Your daily posts make me less adrift in this new sea of unscheduled time. Thank you." - , paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Meet my mom, on her 86th birthday...

Happy birthday to my smart, beautiful mom, ! 🎂 For the occasion, I thought it might be nice to have her take The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire, verbally, over video.

My mom, Fran Fleishman, at a birthday celebration dinner a few years ago.

In the interview, we talked about the struggles of getting older—especially losing people, like her mother, Clarisse, when my mom was 31, and her husband, Stanley, shortly before she turned 78. Also, overcoming her resistance to using a cane, for fear that it might affect how people treat her.

But we talked about more upbeat things, too. For instance, she recalled how much going back to teaching in her mid-30s enriched her life, and how hard it was to retire in her late 50s.

My mom was a much beloved teacher in Long Beach, NY. In a 2013 Teacher Appreciation Week video, congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said of her:

“She was my fifth and sixth grade teacher at Magnolia Open Elementary School in Long Beach, New York, and…