This article was previously published in The Newton Beacon.

I have a few old wooden yardsticks in my Newton condo.

I know that they are old because I can’t remember a day when I didn’t have them. They have traveled with me to numerous living places, and have been resident locally for more than 55 years. They are slightly worn and mellowed – sort of like me.

We, my yardsticks and I, are otherwise different. They are 36 inches tall whereas I am 60 inches tall. Another difference is that they were and continue to be three feet, but I, on the other hand, may or may not still be five feet. Time has changed me, but those measuring sticks stay pretty much the same. This makes for a stable marker to gauge my life’s status.

I imagine holding one of these yardsticks out in front of me horizontally with two hands. Then I think about the good and bad things going on now and designate an approximate number of inches that aren’t so great. Doing that allows me to make a comparison to the things that are OK.

My first task is to decide what’s currently in the ‘not good’ portion. Like so many of us who are older, I have had some health issues that have compromised my sense of overall well-being – like balance concerns that make me afraid that I will fall, or some tests results that reveal the parts of my body starting to get tired. I try to do common-sensical things to combat these negative impacts: take appropriate medications and keep my body and brain moving by walking, talking, reading, thinking, writing, and doing crossword puzzles.

Right now, I feel extremely wary in saying that I have less than a few inches  of ‘not good.’ That means there is more than thirty-four inches of ‘good.’ But, something could change this afternoon.

Identifying the edges of the ‘not-good’ allows me to ponder everything else. This includes close-by sets of kids and grandkids. Although some of the grandkids are off working or studying, I feel their ongoing, gentle presence every day. I have a lovely, safe place to live that offers comfort, convenience, and a view of seasonally stunning trees. Over the years, I worked hard and slowly put money away for aging. I try to be involved with things that are important to me like supporting political candidates who share my values and staying informed about what is going on in my community.

One of the most powerful elements in that overwhelmingly ‘good’ share of a yard, is writing. For more than 10 years, I wrote a column for the Newton TAB. After that, I shifted to positing musings on my blog, marianleahknapp.com. People used to tell me that they liked what I had to say, and many still do. Their enthusiastic comments are a huge motivator to keep at it. Within the past few weeks I published my sixth book – OMG! – can’t believe it; can still do it!

The use of a yardstick image to measure my bad and good stuff gives me a simple, concrete way to visualize and evaluate my momentary existence. I don’t need to go online or find professional analysis about how I am doing. There is nothing esoteric about it. These tools sit in my closet. I don’t even need to take one of them out, but I can do self-evaluation exercises in my head.

Of course, my allocation of inches changes over days and years. Illness, death of loved ones, and concerns about family can dramatically alter the designation of inches up or down. But, I try to keep the stick flat and the proportions stable in my mind.

I am aware of our right-now, mind-boggling political insanity. I’m struggling to prevent rampant recklessness from adding ‘bad’ inches. Instead of adding to the abundance of dismayed voices about what is going on, I am working on ways to contribute to the ‘good.’

I’ll keep you posted.