Enjoying the beach with sand in my toes!

Birthing a new song is such a joyous experience. I have four new songs, and two of them I’ve already recorded. I look forward to sharing those versions soon.

My favorite one is named “Inside I’m Still a Child.”

When I sang it during a live stream on Insight Timer, I received a comment that I was absolutely glowing.

I described my song to a good friend as my way to counter the negative aspects of aging. After listening, she told me that my voice really expressed abundant joy.

It was almost humorous as our exchange became incredibly morbid. “Aging is about declining and losing independence” she said. “You truly hope to die in your sleep and not suffer a painful death.”

Then she threw out a quote (that I’ve mangled): “With old age everything hurts, and we look bad.”

I record in my bedroom and my hair is wild because I probably just swam.
I recorded countless tracks of guitar for my newest song.

Audio of guitar for my newest song:

Inside I’m Still a Child Guitar Mix 2026

Together with my collaborator, Mark, we wrote out a stream of consciousness before starting our song creation. Here is where things get interesting – we did not discuss ahead of time what our theme would be. It was amazing that our writing was so similar!

This is an excerpt of my words, exactly as I wrote them.

Every line of lyrics for this song counted. Positivity was the overriding filter. Our goal was to frame aging in an uplifting, but still honest way.

We both loved my beginning and our new song began with: “Every moment reminds me…”

I took notes when Mark read his stream of consciousness to me, which I’m sharing below:

And there is my post title – “New Ways of Being!”

Below is a performance of our song at the Idyllwild Songwriting Retreat. (Audio is from a phone recording). Mark did all the singing because I was getting over a cold. The song is still evolving!

That young girl is still inside of me!

These chorus lyrics are so fun to sing!

I collaborated on Zoom two more times with Mark.

We initially wrote the line “how it ends is unknown, I sense it growing closer.”

Because that line expressed fear, we replaced it with “What’s ahead is unknown; the mystery surrounds me.”

Later on, we also changed the line “I just won’t allow worry to stop me now” to “I’m grateful, not fearful – with joy in my heart.”

And this song has definitely filled my heart with joy!

My friend, Kerri, has a beautiful way with words!

This is a preliminary freestyle acoustic recording of Inside I’m Still a Child. I will be sharing more polished recordings soon!

This is another excerpt from my stream of consciousness.

Dealing with issues surrounding aging is inescapable.

A typical conversation during one of my doubles tennis games usually revolves around arthritis and sport injuries. There’s always new information my friends share about their injections, vibration plates, amazing supplements, and PT massages – I could go on and on.

We somberly remember one of our favorite players, Linda. She was fit and complained of a terrible headache while playing on the court. One of the ladies was a nurse and called 911. Linda was taken to the hospital where she died of a brain aneurysm.

Another healthy friend of ours recently died of pneumonia.

And another player fell and broke her wrist so severely that she would be out for a long time. I remember well how limiting it was when I dislocated a single finger a few years ago.

Being back and playing tennis again after being away for a year with a knee injury, is definitely “a new way of being.”

I’m conscious that a fall could be devastating. When I first started playing again six months ago, I hardly moved. I was concerned that I had lost a lot of muscle during my absence. My legs ached, even after taking a short walk.

But now I am playing the way I used to – with much more abandon. My gratefulness is truly indescribable.

This picture with my dear friend, Sonia is from last year.
I’ve written about her on my blog many times.

I’ve been praying for my dear friend, Sonia. She fell a few weeks ago and shattered her leg in five places. Then last week, her shoulder broke when she was being lifted out of bed. When she cried on the phone to me, I felt her despair. My proud and energetic friend is truly suffering.

Recently I attended a funeral for a good friend’s ex-brother-in-law, whom I had never met. I believe funerals are there to support those left behind – not for the deceased. My friend was extremely grateful I was there.

After the service, there was a gathering at a Chinese restaurant. I loved my fortune cookie message.

Another good friend lost her husband last week, too.

Sadly, my song can’t counter these situations.

I go swimming as often as possible. It is my meditation.

What does my post title “new ways of being” really mean?

I interpret it as allowing myself to change—not because I have to, but because there is still so much left for me to discover. I want to let go of habits and ways of thinking that no longer serve me.

Instead of looking backward and focusing what I haven’t done, I want to be curious about beautiful possibilities that lie ahead. I love simply asking this question: What would bring me joy now?

For me, embracing my inner child is part of finding those new ways of being. A child doesn’t wake up expecting sorrow. Aging certainly brings changes I cannot control, but I can still choose how I meet each day.

Rather than fearing what lies ahead, I want to make room for possibility. Perhaps growing older can also mean growing freer—finding new ways to experience joy, wonder, and gratitude for simply being alive.

And when I face any future challenges, I know that my greatest antidote for sadness is making a difference to the world. I really believe that positivity is contagious.

I end this post by sharing a letter from my friend, Susan. I really appreciated her effusive words about my song and recent travels. I share the transcription below:

July 26, 2026

Dear Judy,

I also wanted to tell you that I just finished reading your blog “Getting Wild in Idyllwild.” You are such a descriptive writer that I felt as if I were right there with you. It looks so pastoral with the beautiful wooded landscape, a really calming and peaceful environment in which to let your creative juices flow. I am so glad you had such a positive experience there and met other talented songwriters.

I have an interesting observation I wanted to share with you. I found that your lyrics, “Inside, I’m still a child, running free, running wild” brings to mind the adventurous life you are currently living. You have this independent spirit that I see time and time again which is very enviable. You took that solo hike in Idyllwild, which took courage.

You flew by yourself to Minnesota to vacation and then drove by yourself to Iowa to stay with another family that you had only met on the Internet. I remember not too long ago you met a friend and went swimming in the creek where you pushed yourself to go out of your comfort zone. Just like your lyrics said, “Your body’s not the same but your spirit will remain carefree.”

I am so glad you will have another opportunity to return to Spirit Mountain to lead a retreat. You live life to the fullest and I commend you for that. Like the lady who commented on your blog, I was also enthralled by your adventure there. Keep on enjoying life!

Much love, Susan