Here’s a great start to 2017: Karen Pryor will be joining us at ClickerExpo in Stamford, Connecticut! Karen wants to hang out, see the many people she has missed, and soak in the ClickerExpo atmosphere.
I popped by Karen’s house in the late fall, after the election. We were shooting a video at her home and I took the opportunity to sit with her after the shoot to catch up on her family, travels, and thoughts. Karen looks absolutely wonderful! When I commented on how well she was moving—she seemed to float a bit as she walked—she told me that she had started dance classes. Well, I could tell. Her balance and posture were unmistakably improved, and she moved with an ease that you don’t see often in octogenarians.
We caught up on her children, and, more importantly, her grandchildren, with whom she enjoys wonderfully close relationships. Some of Karen’s grandkids and my children are of similar ages. When we worked together daily, sharing the joys of parenting (both of us) and grand-parenting (her) was something we would do frequently. Sitting with Karen and sharing, I realized how I missed those conversations. I was thrilled for Karen and her family to hear about the extra time, trips, and visits they have been able to have.
Karen has not just been active physically, but mentally as well. She has been helping to guide graduate students’ research work in operant conditioning as well as the implementation of TAGteach protocols in resident physician training. Karen is also working on a new memoir. All of these activities are the kind of work (mental tasks that truly challenge) that the latest research on aging indicates is the key to functioning well above the average as we age. Ahead of her time, as usual.
I left Karen’s home, as I often left her office, feeling just a bit awed, a bit inspired, and very lucky.
Come join us at ClickerExpo Stamford and catch up with Karen yourself. If you want to send her a note of welcome, I’ll gather them all and present them. Send your thoughts in an e-mail.
Register now for ClickerExpo 2017 in Stamford, Connecticut, March 31 - April 2!
Aaron Clayton is President of Karen Pryor Clicker Training and TAGteach International, and a member of the ClickerExpo Faculty.
