Susan Taylor Brand is a pen name, and Susan Taylor Brand.com is an author website. This site has blog posts on travels, personal life, and quite a bit of material aimed at having a great life at age 50 and up including cooking, health, beauty and dating stories.
For many years I have written under my own name, S. Cassella, but I wanted to branch out from service journalism into memoir and creative topics. My digital portfolio is here.
I’ve divided this blog into four categories with a dozen or so sub categories. The four master categories correspond to what I see as four areas for personal development presented to any person seeking a good life: Spirit, Heart, Mind, and Body.
Life of the Soul …
First is Spirit, which encompasses belief and life philosophy. I think about the big questions. Good and evil? What it is to be normal? Is there a God, and who is this nonperson then? I’m well versed in the Bible as theology and history, and have covered a good amount of the beliefs and background of Buddhism and Hinduism as well. I like to reflect on the question of how the human family (and I mean in various size groups, from 5 to 500,000,000) needs to function for maximum wellbeing. I also hold dear the freedom of conscience I learned in my youth in California.I simultaneously defend my right to believe in traditional religion, but expect you to be bound only by the parameters of your conscience – and of course, in general, local law.
Feeling all the Feels
Second is Heart: No one that I know cares more about romance and matters of the heart than me! And yet, there are always issues, right? Divorced not once but twice, I remain (perhaps unreasonably) optimistic on the subject of love. I am a seeker for new friends and new experiences and yet always tied to the past. My mantra? “More will be revealed.”
Thinking About Thinking
Third is the Mind: Each person must develop their intellect so they can study the world they live in. A student of English literature as an undergraduate, I have a master’s in reading instruction and am working on a second one in school leadership. I was the book critic at the New University, our college paper. Under the S. Cassella name, I have authored over 300 service journalism articles, including many personality profiles and pieces of animal care, in various publications, from modest special interest journals up to The Christian Science Monitor, Horse and Rider, and the Los Angeles Times.
And Staying in One Piece
Finally, we must take care of the Body: I admit my interest in good health and exercise predates turning 50. Seven years practicing yoga, twenty plus working on horsemanship, plus stints in cross country running, hiking, biking … I’m fans of all these. I’ve been a vegan or semi-vegan for ten years now. I study the practices for long life, and am always telling friends what I’ve read on liveto100.com. Fashion and beauty are important to me too. As a young woman I attended modeling school and have been considered a fashion maven at various venues.
So that’s a little bit about me and my background. As for what’s next, I don’t know … two mantras. God’s grace is sufficient, and more will be revealed.
