with her wife and their cat, Irene. She started practicing tai chi when she was 75 years old. Now she's 86. MARYBETH VAN CLEAVE: I guess that means 11 years, doesn't it? Which kind of makes me a ...

"It becomes a meditative practice," says Mary Beth Van Cleave, 86, who lives in a retirement community with her wife and their cat in the Portland, Ore., area. She started tai chi at age 75 and ...