As many of you may know, I began classes for my masters of science degree in Gerontology last month at the University of North Carolina Greensboro — a school renowned for its studies in social gerontology and one of the few programs accredited by the Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council. Ya’ll, it is invigorating! I love being back in school! I appreciate the opportunity to dust off and gas up those cobwebby learning folds of my brain, collaborate with others, absorb new information and get feedback (grades) on my performance and understanding of concepts. Maybe I’m a weirdo, but it’s actually really fun IMHO.

Most of all, being back in the classroom is affirming. I feel like I am on the right track with all this obsessive thinking about aging and how to prepare for it. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say I think we should all be a little more familiar about the concepts and theories connected to Gerontology. It’s literally going to be everyone’s course of study one day, like it or not.

During the past few weeks, I’ve learned that there is a unique discipline and science to Gerontology and it impacts almost every other study and part of life. Gerontology touches everything we know about our bodies, our minds and our souls. I wouldn’t be too far off by saying Gerontology is really at the center of our existence. And the more we know about it and embrace it and understand its connectivity to all else, the better we can be at navigating our second half.

I look forward to sharing what I’m learning and explaining how it influences how we Grand Plan, and why. I’ll still real talk about other important dialogue and relatable scenarios, but look for more content about the whys and hows of it all. The writing is definitely on the chalkboard: understanding a little more about Gerontology is a key to prepared aging!