Beth Broderick: Wit and Wisdom for the Ages from the Aged

“Do you eat a lot of spinach and other leafy greens?” “Yes. I love spinach, chard, and collards. No kale, though. Kale bites the big weenie. Nasty stuff.” My doctor, Mary, nodded her head in acknowledgment. “Any food that you have to massage for twenty minutes just to be able to chew it is off my list,” I went on. “A pal of mine recently ordered a kale Caesar salad and persuaded me to taste it—dreadful! And it threatened to cut the inside of my mouth.

Wit and Wisdom by Beth Broderick “You ladies would not cotton to it. There are wonderful things to see and do, but you have to put up with no small amount of congestion, some very unkempt areas, and a whole passel of Hollywood characters.” My gal pals are all kinds of intrepid, and they are serious warriors for good. They sit on boards for concerned scientists and job training foundations for at-risk youth.

Wit and Wisdom by Beth Broderick My friend Dennis has dinner with his sister Linda at least once a week. Her house is a straight shot down the 35 Freeway, and, traffic permitting, it requires about 25 minutes’ travel time. They are both good cooks, but Dennis loves to make dessert, so he usually has some treat in tow. A frozen margarita pie, pecan dandies, or everyone’s favorite: lemon bars. After dinner, they like to sit on the porch and gaze out at the greenbelt that abuts her property.

Wit and Wisdom by Beth Broderick Sometimes it happens. I will see a place, or taste a food, or hear a song and be flooded with memories. The search for a new smoke-free environment has led me to some nostalgic locales. This has been a welcome distraction from the drudgery involved in looking for a new apartment. The endless scrolling past ad after ad for the new mixed-use buildings which now dominate the landscape, hoping for a bit of charm, a scintilla of originality, can wear a person down.

Wit and Wisdom by Beth Broderick I have begged and pleaded. The building manager has spoken with them many times over the course of a year, but my neighbors are deaf to our entreaties. They continue to smoke inside and outside of their apartments. The fellow above me smokes in the bathroom and bedroom, which constantly floods my hallways and rooms with carcinogens. They smoke in the units below me and above me, beside me and across the way.

I made time, which is not easy, as my not-so-subtle workaholic tendencies always put up quite the argument. Yes, I should have stayed home and worked on the many projects that are crying out for my attention. Yes, there are lists of things that need to be done. Print Bob’s script. Pose with Ivy Cove bag. Letter to building management to report neighbor for smoking in the bathroom. Book flight. Pick up SSD 1 TB for the ballet company, whatever the hell that is. All on the to-do, on the should-be-done.

Wit and Wisdom by Beth Broderick “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.” It was twenty-five minutes into the flight from Miami to Newark, New Jersey, too late for the standard welcome speech that is often given from the cockpit. The one where he or she (but let’s face it, still mostly he) welcomes the passengers on board, introduces the names and home city of the flight attendants, and then gives a quick rundown of how the flight should go.

Wit and Wisdom by Beth Broderick On Saturday, I was three pages into the new column for today when I somehow accidentally hit a series of keys that sent the material into the ether. Gone. Deleted. Never to be seen again. Gol dang it!!! This new keyboard bedevils me. The configuration has led to the constant insertion of the number three into one out of six words that I type. My fingers somehow graze it on their way to a t or e or d.

Beth Broderick: Wit and Wisdom for the Ages from the Aged Podcast Dream Life 1× 0:00 Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -9:49 -9:49 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Dream Life (With Audio) Wit and Wisdom by Beth Broderick I can dream, can’t I? I live in a fantasy world for a not-insubstantial portion of every day. My mind fixates on an idea for a business, or a new place to live, or a complete change in course on my career path. I have done this all of my life.

Wit and Wisdom by Beth Broderick We had seen it, some time ago: the sign for the “California Botanical Garden.” It sits on 846 acres in Claremont, a historic and quiet community about 40 minutes south of Los Angeles as the crow flies. It is one of many smaller interior California cities that are chock-full of history, including Azusa, Arcadia, Glendora, and Upland, just to name a few.