LIVING TO 100 DIGEST | September 2026
Welcome to this month’s Digest.
September always feels a little like a turning point—the year is well underway, but there’s still plenty of road ahead.
This month, we’re looking at what keeps us moving forward: having something to look forward to, imagining the next chapter, and staying open to possibilities we may not have considered yet.
And if you work with older adults—or have a relative or friend who might benefit from these ideas—consider them from another perspective: How might you help someone think about what’s still ahead for them?
Sometimes a simple question can open a door.
💡 INSIGHT
Something Still Ahead
This week, I heard an NPR story about a group of women in Colorado who play softball together. They call themselves the Colorado Peaches, and their players range in age from their 60s into their 90s.
Yes, their 90s.
What caught my attention wasn’t that they were still able to swing a bat, run the bases, or field a ground ball. It was something one of the women said about why they keep showing up.
Sometimes they don’t feel like it.
There are aches and pains. Some have significant health problems. Their bodies don’t always cooperate. But there’s a practice coming up. A game on the schedule. Teammates expecting them. Something to get ready for and something to look forward to.
A psychologist interviewed for the story, Dr. Samantha Farro, described her hope for a new picture of aging—one in which we recognize that a high quality of life remains possible as we get older.
I think there’s something even more fundamental underneath that idea:
Having a future doesn’t require us to have a big future.
📘 This Month’s Resource
Write That Next Chapter
If having something still ahead matters, how do we begin to picture what that might be?
In Module 9 of my Better, Longer & Happier card series, The Secret Is Out: How to Change Set Behaviors, one exercise asks you to imagine your life a few years from now—and write a short story about it.
Consider:
Who are the main characters in your story?
What decisions might you face along the way?
What activities or interests might become part of it?
Is there unfinished business you’d like to address?
Where would you like the story to take you?
You don’t need to have all the answers. You’re the author, and it’s still your story to create.
Try it: Take 10 minutes and write a few paragraphs about your next chapter. Don’t worry about whether everything you imagine is realistic. Start by giving the future somewhere to go.
Better yet, do it with someone else. Invite a spouse, family member, friend, book club, or discussion group to write their own next chapter. Then share what you wrote. You may learn something about where the people you know are still hoping to go—and they may learn something new about you.
✉️ Invitation: Wear the Message
Play the Climb.
You’re not finished becoming.
I recently put two of my favorite reminders on a T-shirt. Not because any of us needs another T-shirt—but because some messages are worth carrying around.
See the Play the Climb shirt →
🎙️ From the Living to 100 Club Podcast
For Our San Diego Readers
15th Annual Brain Health Forum — October 1
Reducing Dementia Risk Through Wellness
The program is set. Join us for expert presentations, a panel discussion, community resources, and practical strategies for supporting lifelong brain health.
Breakfast and lunch are included.
Free and Open to the Public
Looking Ahead: The Living to 100 Journal
In 2027, the Digest will become The Living to 100 Journal—giving us more room to explore the ideas, resources, and practical tools that help us live better, longer, and happier.
I’m looking forward to sharing more about what’s taking shape, including subscription details, later this fall.
Until then, we still have a few good Digests ahead of us.
What is one thing—large or small—you’re looking forward to in the months ahead? Share it in the comments.