Chat access, archive
A private place
Free and paid subscribers to “52 Shades of Graying” have an opportunity to share their favorite quote or personal observation about mature-adult living each week (always tied to the theme of that week’s story). It all takes place in a private, live, one-hour “52 Shades of Levity” chat with me and our fellow subscribers.
The “52 Shades of Levity” chat is open each Sunday at 1:00 p.m. central time for an hour. Free and paid subscribers receive a “chat” link each week in their email so they can join each Sunday’s discussion.
Password needed
Free and paid subscribers need to have a password to enter chat (as a way to ensure our conversation is private).
You have two options. Choose a more permanent password that will automatically get you into chat at any time or get a temporary password each time you enter chat.
Option 1
You can create a permanent password for your "52 Shades of Graying" account at any time. Here's how you can set it up:
1. Visit https://substack.com/sign-in.
2. Click "Sign in with password."
3. Select "Set a new password."
4. Enter your email address and click "Send Email."
After these steps, you'll receive a password reset link in your inbox. You can use this link to set a new password and then use your email/password combination to sign in to chat and your "52 Shades of Graying" subscription.
After your first try, the system should let you in automatically without the hassle of entering your password etc. To keep things simple, choose “join the conversation on Web” instead of downloading the Substack.com app — if that page pops up.
Option 2
If choose not create a password for "52 Shades of Graying," you can always sign in via a secure link sent to your email. You receive the secure link when you attempt to sign in to chat without using a password.
Here's how that works:
1. Go to http://www.substack.com/sign-in.
2. Enter your email address.
3. Click on "Email sign in link."
4. Check your inbox for an email from Substack containing the secure link.
The secure link is sent immediately after the request and can only be used once. It will expire after one hour for security reasons. If prompted, choose “join the conversation on Web” instead of downloading the Substack.com app.
Chat always open — live only on Sundays at 1:00
If you can’t wait or have a time crunch on Sunday, you can preview our discussion right now and leave a comment at any time.
All subscribers (free and paid) to "52 Shades of Graying" have this opportunity to share their favorite quote or personal observation about the potential of older adults each Sunday.
Here’s the “52 Shades of Levity” chat archive
January 7, 2024 - “When I Passed Up a Handshake with JFK”
January 14, 2024 - “The Summer Pam and I Dipped Below the Poverty Line”
January 21, 2024 - “My Soft Landing into a Student’s Lap”
January 28, 2024 - “When ‘Just Being’ Is Enough”
February 4, 2024 - “What Is Wrong with You?”
February 11, 2024 - “Grandma Saved Me a Lot of Grief Each Weekday Morning”
February 18, 2024 - “Can We Have Social Change without Conflict?”
February 25, 2024 - “Paper, Plastic or Cellulose?”
March 3, 2024 - “How a Grocery Cart Got Me into College”
March 10, 2024 - “Beyond Struggle and Pain”
March 17, 2024 - “My Excuse for Being an ‘Overachiever’”
March 24, 2024 - “A Note to my Adult Daughter Now That the Tables Have Turned”
March 30, 2024 - “When It’s Time to Step Down or Step Aside”
April 7, 2024 - “Traps and Treasures in ‘Happy Birthday’ Wishes”
April 14, 2024 - “How Would You Handle Tom’s Double Social Dilemma?”
April 21, 2024 - “Avoiding ‘Learned Helplessness’ as a Child and Older Adult”
April 28, 2024 - “10 Tell-tale Signs You’re Goofing Up a Prized Relationship”
May 5, 2024 - “When Calls for Help Melt into Chuckles”
May 12, 2024 - “Persistent But Harmless Paradoxes”
May 19, 2024 - “When Empathy Blossoms from Apparent Vulnerability”
May 26, 2024 - “Like Going to a Party Every Day”
June 2, 2024 - “Victorious Views of Death and Dying”
June 9, 2024 - “Our Remarkable Ability to Adapt to New Realities”
June 16, 2024 - “How to Find Peace in Stressful Situations”
June 23, 2024 - “Growing Whole (and Not Old)”
June 30, 2024 - “Enjoying the Freedom We Didn’t Have When We Were Younger”
July 7, 2024 - “How to Create a Robust Fourth Quarter of Life”
July 14, 2024 - “Eliminate Non-essentials to Create a Less Stressful Life”
July 21, 2024 - “How Resilience Can Contribute to our Well Being”
July 28, 2024 - “10 Non-consequential Redundancies in our Contemporary Life”
August 4, 2024 - “Why It Often Pays to Try Again”
August 11, 2024 - “When Unusual Risk Leads to Unexpected Success”
August 18, 2024 - “Timely Insights from Historical Figures”
August 25, 2024 - “The Informality of Governor Tim Walz”
September 1, 2024 - “Using Re-imagination to Tap Possibilities”
September 8, 2024 - “What We Have Learned to Avoid”
September 15, 2024 - “Knowing When It’s Time to Ask for Help”
September 22, 2024 - “How Time Changes our Perceptions of Reality”
September 29, 2024 - “Why We Need to Avoid Toxic Individuals”
October 6, 2024 - “Surprising Stages of Retirement”
October 13, 2024 - “Taking Advantage of ‘Unfreezing’ Moments”
October 20, 2024 - “Blooming as an Older Adult”
October 27, 2024 - “The Importance of Staying Curious and Adaptable”
November 3, 2024 - “The Meaning of Life”
November 10, 2024 - “When Kindness Sparks a Giggle”
November 17, 2024 - “Always Have a Twinkle in Your Wrinkle"
November 24, 2024 - “The Practical Benefit in Making a Few Failures Early in Life"
December 1, 2024 - “Do These Current Obsessions Really Have Staying Power?”
December 8, 2024 - “Reforms That Die a Slow Death”
December 15, 2024 - “Letting Go of Things Once Deemed Essential”
Here’s to mature-adult living!
Jim Hasse, ABC, GCDF retired, author of “52 Shades of Graying”
Sharing our Insights Each Week as We Discover New Shades of Aging