In the Art of of the Third Act, we present the work of artists — writers, photographers, visual artists, composers, singers, musicians, jazz players…some better known than others — who have created beautiful work about the notions that pass through our heads, like the passing of time; the sorrow, uncertainty, and pleasure of old age; love and passion; dying and immortality; and the indispensable value of friends.

Throughout these volumes of material is the theme “don’t die till you’re dead.”

Let us know what’s going on in with you by sharing comments after any post that has particular meaning for you. Your comments may help others get over a particular hump in their lives and help guide our curation of fresh content every week.

Living

We may be closer to the end, but there’s a hell of a lot we can still imagine and accomplish — and fun to be had.

Loving

Love defines and directs our lives, endures or fades over time, becoming the screen upon which we project the critical scenes of our lives.

On Time

Exploring time in as fact, as art, as metaphor, and as a treasure of insight into the way we choose to view our lives.

Curtains

Fruitful approaches to the final hours in our current form and consciousness, as well as speculations on immortality.

Featured This Month

Who’s Worth It? – Deciding Who to Spend Our Time With During the Apocalypse

During these dark times, one has to keep focused on who really matters. Let us who you're holing up with right now.

Prostate Blues

A humorous, good-natured song on the woes many older men suffer because of an enlarged prostate gland.

“When Compasses Grow Old ” & “Runaway Train”

When compasses grow old, And can no longer be certain, About precisely where north is

“As We Grow Older” & “The Job of Memory”

If you forget my name, I will become a window, Facing the sea

Friendship of men, Reassurance, Nurturing, Connections

Our connection is that of shared experience. How reassuring, how nurturing, how fortunate to be understood!

S2 E6 | Reflections on Aging and Sexuality

The Five Wise Guys quote Sinatra...

Lucky: A Swan Song

The late, great actor Harry Dean Stanton breathed life into characters in films ranging from Cool Hand Luke to Aliens to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Time is Not Forever

Do all humans imagine they’ll never die? This comes up often with friends and in my reading.

My Own Life

In this poignant, compelling essay, Oliver Sacks describes his reactions to learning about his diagnosis of terminal cancer.

57 Years Apart

The power of inquiry and interaction between youthful innocence and the wisdom of age.

“Afternoon Lovemaking”

A short poem Buff Whitman-Bradley that captures the essential moments of life in the Third Act.

A Grandfather’s Memory Book

What should we leave to our children and grandchildren so they know who we once were?

The Secrets to Aging Gracefully, with Joy and Meaning

Are you entering or in your “Third Act” of life, perhaps feeling the loss of perceived influence and affluence, or just not as “in the game” as you once were? This read will open you up to the astonishments of what can happen when you embrace the man you are now, and that how old you are is not as important as how you are old. Try taking a look at your life with a new lens, new voice and renewed identity and feel free to share with us your experiences.

The Look & Feel of Age

The special regard in which the community holds its elders sometimes feels a little patronizing.

“This is All I Ask”

“As I approach the prime of my life, I find I have the time of my life, learning to enjoy at my leisure all the simple pleasures...”

Encounters in a Wintry City

Though Leonard Quart expresses disdain for the infirmities of old age, his determination to march on and prosper -- in spite of the time of year and of life -- show us the way forward. Don't die till you're dead!

The Winter of a Healthy Old Age

Old age is not always a portrait of decrepitude and a signal of imminent death. Ishmael’s description of Father Mapple in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is in my mind the most celebratory depiction of “the winter of a healthy old age” – the possibility that one’s vitality may survive well into old age.

Artists in Later Life, Part 2: Updike Inspired, Too

Not everyone loses their creativity at an old age.