Dance To Death Afterlife

For Christmas 2018, my brother, a pilot with American Airlines, gave me a gift that became the experience of a lifetime: 12 months of free travel anywhere American Airlines flies.   Thus began a year long journey that took me from the rocky coast of Portugal, to the hot sands of Morocco, to the mangrove swamps of Panama, with many places beyond and between. In cheap hostels and the backwaters of the nomadic milieu, I discovered a treasure chest of colorful and fascinating people.   The trip became as much a spiritual and emotional journey inward as it was a literal outward one, and found me in a place those of you who are in the second half of life are likely to recognize.    What you are about to hear is a chapter from a book I wrote about that experience, one called Blue Skyways, now available on Amazon. With references to the philosophies of Carl Gustof Jung, Jesus, Bob Dylan, and the Buddha, Blue Skyways is an international romp by a man in his 60’s with not much more than a pack on his back, and still mu

In my last show I introduced Galen Fous, a 70 year old kink-positive therapist, author, educator and sex researcher who self-identifies as a heterosexual, dominant erotic sadist. In this show I continue my conversation with Galen, where he explains a bit more about his sexual identity, plus we talk about how to have good, healthy sex in the second half of life. I believe the F bomb is dropped at some point, but otherwise the conversation is mostly PG rated and best suited for adults interested in learning more about how to realize their sexually authentic selves.   I like how Galen broadens the conversation and takes it to a higher level, not so much about kink but rather the importance of being your honest self. As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”   So please welcome Galen Fous for Part Two of my interview with him on discovering your authentic sexual self.

My next Dance Past Sunset show will continue my series on sex in the second half, which began with health and beauty consultant Sophie Benge speaking on her personal experience with menopause, followed by Wendy Cobina Demos speaking on restoring sex to its sacred place. My next guest, a 70 year old man, will talk about his journey of reclaiming his own sexual power, and in doing so finally feeling witnessed, seen, and loved. He developed a profound sense of trust and depth of intimacy he would have never experienced without some courageous personal honesty, something I’d like to think we all develop as we move into the second half of our lives. But before I introduce my guest, who will be interviewed in two parts, I want to offer some context. A New and Better Ethic As you may know from my book Blue Skyways, or from comments I’ve made over the years on this show, I spent about 30 years in the evangelical Christian faith, having become “born again” on July 25, 1975 at the tender age of nineteen. When I actuall

I am coming to you from the quaint town of Tavira, Portugal, part of my year long travel around the world and the subject of my third book "Blue Skyways." I’ll tell you at the end of the show how you can access an exclusive copy of Blue Skyways, but for now, I want to talk about sex. Yes, this next show is another in my “sex in the second half” series, and not all the content is suitable for the kiddies, so please use discretion before playing this podcast over your elementary school's PA system. Now I’ll admit, I am as dumb as a bag of rocks on many of these issues, which is exactly why I’m curious to explore them. At 63 years old, I can feel my body changing, and that is affecting my sex life. Sound familiar? Furthermore, my ideas about relationships are shifting. Is traditional marriage still the right model for men and women who want to have sex, or is there something else? What about living together 24 by seven by 365? Might there be another approach that is not quite so…ahem…suffocating? I talk about al

I first interviewed my friend Daniel Roberto Ortega a few years ago about his art, which he creates from a combination of natural hemp and the cremated remains of pets and people. I suspected at the time that Daniel was stoned, and I made light of it in my introduction to that show. Well, Daniel came clean with me recently and admitted that he was high, and that’s how I learned about his new non-profit venture called Cannabis for Seniors, which is an informational resource for all things hemp.   But why seniors? What should people in the second half of life know about this plant and its medical and euphoric effects? Daniel and I talk about that, plus the variety of ways to use cannabis, how it is helping veterans and others with pain and trauma, as well as some things to be careful of. It’s all here in this episode of the Dance, and you can rest easy, neither of us were stoned at the time, so the interview is chock full of useful information for anyone who has never tried cannabis or for those who tried years

As I promised in Part One of my interview with Sophie Benge, in this Part Two things get a bit racier as we dive into specific ways women can thrive through menopause, stay connected to their bodies, and wake up their sexual magnetism. While our talk is highly respectful, we do touch on topics that would not be suitable for young children, so some parental guidance is recommended, plus I do drop the occasional cuss word.    My guest, Sophie Benge, an international journalist and consultant on beauty and wellness, with a focus on women. She is the author of several books on the healing power of natural resources, the human energy system, and ancient systems of medicine. She is the curator of retreats and workshops for women over 40 called Aging Gracefully,including one coming up in late November 2019.   If you want to feel better about yourself, if you want to know what the best options are for easing the symptoms of menopause, if you want more and better sex, then you will want to listen to this show, because

I met my next guest in Portugal last May, at a conference on healing, and was immediately attracted to her natural beauty and radiance. No surprise there — just take a look at her picture! When someone has an inner smile, it manifests outwardly, and I love to see it. Sophie Benge is an international journalist and consultant on beauty and wellness, with a focus on women. Now guys, don’t turn me off yet, because you are going to want to hear Sophie explain how you and the woman in your life can have more and better sex, and we do that by talking about…wait for it…menopause. That’s right, Sophie and I dive deeply into this often misunderstood stage of life that affects most women of a certain age, and so it affects us men too. Sophie Benge is the author of several books on the healing power of natural resources, the human energy system, and ancient systems of medicine. She is the curator of retreats and workshops called Aging Gracefully, including one coming up in late November 2019. But Sophie is not just abou

This next show is deeply personal, because I have the treasured opportunity to interview one of my oldest and dearest friends, a man who was literally given up for dead by the medical establishment, and yet who lived to tell a harrowing story of devastation, faith, hard work, and eventually, restoration.   Ron Frappier was at the peak of his game, one of the top five corporate security lawyers in the country. Then, in a split second, everything changed.   This show is more than just about enjoying peak life experiences — it’s about finding meaning in life. For Ron, that meant defying every prognosis given by his doctors, and doing the hard, hard work it takes to come back from a traumatic brain injury. It meant finding that sacred balance between accepting “what is” while at the same time determining, with all you heart, strength and soul, to make things different. If that sounds oxymoronic, it is, because that’s “God logic” and not “human logic.”   If you, like me and Ron, are in the second half of your life

In part one of my interview with Danish photographer Klaus Bo, we learned how he got started with his dead and alive project, chronicling death rituals from Greenland, Haiti, Madagascar, Ghana, India, Indonesia and Nepal. You can see those pictures on his website DeadandAliveProject.com.   In this second and final part of my interview with Klaus, we talk about food. That’s right! When the living come together, even for a funeral, food is often and important part of that ritual, even if it’s just coffee and cake.   What you won’t hear is me and Klaus after the mics were turned off kicking around the idea of an Anthony Bourdain style  TV show involving food, culture, travel, and death rituals. Like the idea? Let us know by liking this podcast on iTunes or following me on Facebook. Your likes will tell producers there’s a market out there for a show like that.   But for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy part two of my two part interview with Danish photographer Klaus Bo, on the Dance Past Sunset podcast.

Just before leaving for my recent trip to Europe and Morocco, I had the immense pleasure of interviewing a talented photographer from Copenhagen, Denmark, Klaus Bo Christenson. Klaus travels the world chronicling death rituals, and over the years has amassed the world’s largest collection of photographs, which you can see at his deadandliveproject.com website.   Does Klaus have some stories to tell? You bet he does! In fact, I was so absorbed by tales of Haitian voodoo rituals, chicken caskets from Ghana, and Indonesian funeral feasts that I had to break this interview into two parts.

Today I continue with my “Moving to Higher Ground” theme, where I interview folks who are stepping outside of their comfort zones, taking risks, and going for a lifestyle that while unconventional, holds the promise of getting them through their sunset years with a degree of security and quality that they might not have if they just stayed in place.   Why am I doing that? Well, it’s because that’s the kind of journey I’m on myself, and I thought I’d take you along for the ride with me as I fumble and bumble my way through the adventure. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes.   In fact, this will be the last show I record in the US for a while. In just two short weeks I leave for an extended trek through Africa and Europe, living out of a backpack. Am I scared to leave my comfy life in the US behind? You bet I am…scared moving to terrified. But as it’s been said, “If your dream doesn’t scare you, then it isn’t big enough,” and I’m all for bigger dreams.   My guest today, Steve Appleton, is a guy who chased his

In Part One of my interview with Rita Wilkins, the “Downsizing Designer,” we learned how a trip to Africa shook up Rita’s world and led her to a new lifestyle paradigm, one where she shed 95% of her stuff in exchange for more time, money, and freedom in a much smaller apartment in Philadelphia. We talked a fair bit about how such shake-ups can come at a cost to relationships, and that’s where we pick up in this Part Two of our talk. But in keeping with my penchant for random thought, Rita and I go from there to a freewheeling conversation about stuff, how a bunt cake pan and 40 foot aluminum ladder can lead to communism, the story of the 16 pairs of scissors, and how the shared economy resulted from a mindset shift our children learned from observing Boomer unhappiness with materialism. Oh, and be sure to stay to the end when Rita and I kick around the idea of a dating website just for people who have moved past that unhappiness and into a “less stuff, more fun” mindset. So please join me for Part Two of my t

Somewhere along the long road to the present moment, probably during the vain efforts to save my first marriage, I was told “the issue is never the issue.” Now, being both a male and a former engineer, that caused a bit of a mind cramp for me. I mean, how can the issue not be the issue? But it’s true. Often the truth of a matter is hidden behind clutter, both the physical and the metaphysical kind. And so it is with the stuff you own. I mean all that crap you’ve got stuffed away in your house, garage, car trunk and rented storage space. Yeah. That stuff. This show is kind about that, but then...it’s not. What it’s really about is your your freedom, your money, and your life. What is the passion you have that is deep inside you, the “why that makes you cry?” What is the dream you have that no one knows but you? That’s what we’re really going to talk about. My guest is Rita Wilkins, also known as the “Downsizing Designer”, a moniker she embraced after downsizing from her 5,000 sq. ft. home in the country to her

I have a real treat for you guys today, for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is that at the end of this interview, I am going to drop a bomb. But first, let me introduce my next guest, who I discovered while perusing a copy of USA Today while waiting to catch a plane from Brazil to Mexico. I was traveling to record videos for my new Go!Mobile Youtube channel, which is for people who want to travel in an environmentally sensitive way, sometimes referred to as eco-tourism. You’ll find a link to those videos in the show notes.   What caught my eye in this issue of the newspaper was an op/ed entitled, "Kids, it's time to give your parents 'the talk.' Not that one, the one on climate change.” “Wow!” I thought. This op/ed contains two issues I am really passionate about: intergenerational communication, and the environment. The author, and my guest today, advocated opening channels of communication between generations on the controversial topic of climate change by keeping the discussion short, social,

In part one of my last show, I introduced you to Dr. Beverly Nelson and her husband Michael Lee Bartlett, who are the  producers and hosts of an eight-week, experiential interactive online program called “Moving Abroad: A Hero’s Journey.” As you may be able to tell from its title, the program uses the work of author and professor Joseph Campbell as a framework for helping people who are contemplating a move abroad, that is, people like me and my wife Leslie.   If you have yet to hear Part One, I recommend you listen to at least the first few minutes, where I talk a bit about Joe Campbell, and provide some context for what you are about to hear. Better yet…listen to all of Part One, because when you first meet Beverly and Michael, I think you’ll fall in love with them, as I have.   Beverly has a PhD in Psychology and a BA in Business. She has created and directed internationally recognized Healing Centers all around the world, including what has become the largest and most comprehensive holistic center in Mexi

Welcome to the first show of 2019, and what an inspiring one it is. I know you are going to really like it, because it has one of those too good to be true stories behind it, which I’ll tell in a moment. But first let me provide some context.   Those of you who have been following me for a while know I am a fan of the American author and Professor of Literature Joseph Campbell, who became famous for his work on the role of myth in literature, religion and ultimately, in all of human experience. You’ll find me quoting Campbell in my “Why?” Video from a few years ago, and in a recent talk I gave on my own spiritual journey. Links to both of those videos are in the show notes.   Joe Campbell didn’t really become truly famous until he was well into his sunset years, his 70’s and 80’s in fact, which is an inspiration for me as a tender 62 year old. For decades Campbell quietly taught and wrote books like the “Hero with a Thousand Faces,” gathering a small but impressive group of fans, including George Lucas, Jerry

You know I’ve been on a kick lately for ways we older people can economize and make the most of our money, and today’s show digs into the question: How can the government help?   Yeah, yeah, I know the old joke: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help. Ronald Reagan said those were the nine most terrifying words in the English language.   But are they really? At age 62, I am already looking forward to a little help from Medicare and especially, Social Security. I mean, after all, a good bit was taken out of my paycheck over the years to pay for those programs, so why shouldn’t I get my money back?   Well, it turns out there is more than one answer to that question, and here to talk about one side of the debate on Social Security is Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works and chair of the Strengthen Social Security coalition.      Ms. Altman has a forty-year background in the areas of Social Security and private pensions. She was appointed by Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi to sit on the se

In my last show, I talked with Andrew Belser, who is presently a professor of Movement, Voice, and Acting at Penn State University. Andrew is also the creator of an award winning video program called FaceAge that shows young and older adults interacting knee-to-knee, nose-to-nose almost, while studying and describing one another’s faces. It is a deeply moving work that challenges perceptions about what it means to be “old," fosters introspection, and builds acceptance, awareness, and cross-generational connections. I had the chance to experience FaceAge in DC earlier this year, and it quite frankly moved me to tears.   In part one of my talk with Andrew, we heard him tell us what FaceAge is and about its power to affect perceptions. In the part two of our interview, which you are about to hear, Andrew tells us more about the neuroscience behind FaceAge, and a little bit about his personal story, and how an encounter with his older Uncle on a rooftop changed his life. So please join me in Part Two of my interv

My kids will tell you I cry when my heart is moved by something…a poem, a story or a piece of music, heck even a television commercial can bring on the tears. It’s something I’ve accepted about myself and don’t deny. But that something has to be truly exquisite, poignant or deeply beautiful, something that reaches into the broken puzzle I call my heart and brings forth a salient emotion. FaceAge had that effect on me. This award winning video program weaves together interconnected chapters in which young adults and aging individuals reflect on life while studying and describing one another’s faces. The FaceAge experience meets audiences through an immersive three-screen video environment presenting interconnected video chapters built around these cross-generational encounters. I had the opportunity to experience FaceAge in Washington DC earlier this year, and after wiping my eyes and blowing my nose, I just had to meet the person behind this ground-breaking work of art and science. That’s when I met Andrew Be

Today you’ll hear the second of my two part interview with Tricia Pimental, International Living Magazine’s Portugal correspondent, who bounced around the US with her husband Keith until then they landed in Fundao, Portugal, in the cherry capital of the country, about two hours north of Lisbon. Why did she bounce? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out, but that part of her story sure caught me by surprise. Tricia also shares her personal nightmare in this show, and if you stay to the end, I have something to say about that. Don’t worry, the nightmare isn’t scary, and if you are considering a move outside the United States, you’ll want to hear it.   I really admire Tricia and Keith and how they teamed up on their great adventure. They each brought a unique and valuable perspective to their partnership, and then worked together through the challenges. The way they collaborate on their journey, which isn’t over yet by a long shot, reminds me of the model of marriage proposed in a book I read years ago by psych