Having a reason to get up in the morning can make life more meaningful, enjoyable — and even add years to that life. It’s one of the secrets for positive aging. There’s even research to prove it. Maybe your reason to bounce out of bed is an energizing hobby. Or the soul enrichment found in volunteering to help others. Or it could be the satisfaction of fulfilling work — like Dan the blacksmith, the seemingly ageless artisan in our latest episode.

In the early 70s, busloads of flower children trekked cross- country from Haight-Ashbury to the sticks. With no agricultural experience, they brought nothing but grit and determination to make a go of farming. And the goal of building a utopian refuge of peace and love. True to their communal philosophy, they signed a Vow of Poverty giving up everything they owned for the common good. But instead of being soured by hard work and setbacks, they made a success of it. Just not the kind they even remotely expected.

Arm yourself during the virus crisis with a soothing agent to fight fear and frustration. You'll find it on the Unleashing Kindness Facebook group. Launched long before the virus hit by retirees Rich McGuinness and Pat Fiorello, it's a resource and reminder that treating each other with compassion and respect is not only a good habit, it’s free. Rich and Pat join us on this episode to reveal the effect their kindness crusade is having on readers worldwide, and what it’s done for their own lives. 

This story starts and ends in Woodstock. A daughter digs into the past to learn about the Mother she barely knew. She discovers a woman named Didi from a wealthy family, who rejected an upscale lifestyle to became a hippie during the 1969 music festival in rural New York. Instead of a trophy husband, two kids and house in the suburbs, the impulsive Didi went on to live a gypsy existence. As they would say in the 60s, relationships were not her bag. Writer Arden Thira takes you on a sentimental search to know a flower child who, far from being Mother Of The Year, leaves bittersweet memories.