“I went on to take more risks, be less afraid, and value the rich life experiences that I had and continued to say ‘yes’ to,” she says.

At fifty-two she joined nine other women in a rapids-rafting trip on the Colorado River, calling the trip “Twenty Boobs in a Boat.”

They say that rafting the Colorado River changes you. Running rapids brought a realization. “Talk about facing fear! I had many incredible and harrowing experiences. One story is when the little river came up on the shore and swept me away!” Surviving and seeing the vast beauty of nature was its own reward.

From that trip she carried away a metaphor for her newly created life: “The river (life) sometimes sweeps you away even when you think you are not ready, and the river holds you through it,” reflects Lois.

“A year later, as I reached age fifty-six (the official age of ‘cronehood’), I gathered many wise women around and we explored and celebrated life’s learnings,” Lois says. Their strength supported her through a “job downsizing,” which left her no choice except to launch her own touch practice.

Recently, for her sixty-fifth birthday, she gathered friends for an afternoon of her “Awake: A Celebration of Living.” She offered this tribute to her own life: “I have a heart full of the love of family and friends, and I know that I can face whatever comes.”

She had a friend compose a song for the event: “It’s good where I’ve been and it’s good where I’m going.”