Skip to main content

Is Life All Downhill After You Hit 40?

Short Answer: No.

Long Answer: Hell, No.

I'm 67. I retired last year, after realizing that the old age I'd been waiting for had arrived. In addition to finally getting off the merry-go-round of too little time, and not enough spent with people who matter to me, or activities that I truly enjoyed, I said: enough.

Was my first year what I'd expected? Not even close.

To begin with, I was humbled to realize that, planner though I was, completely unstructured time is not something I handled well. Before the year was up, I'd started taking local teaching sub jobs, 2-3 times a week. I actually made better progress with writing after I had less time in which to accomplish it.

The district I sub in has generally nice kids, the work allows me to plan and make notes on my writing, and I am still able to reject jobs and have fun instead.

Due to an unexpected illness on my husband's part, I did not get as much travel as I would have liked. However, he is better now, and I'm anticipating taking more 2-4 day trips in the future.

The same with housework - it's actually harder to clean and organize when you have a completely open schedule. Once I tightened up on that freedom, I noticed that I improved my household considerably.

But, what about creativity? Many assume that your more creative years are when you are fresh and young.

Don't believe it. Here are some stories about some women who are kicking a$$ - creating and learning, and completely enjoying the last third of their lives.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WEP, Explained (Sort of)

The idea behind WEP - the Windfall Elimination Provision - is that a FEW people were taking advantage of the ability to get a government pension, then take a non-government job, and get Social Security benefits, as well. According to Wikipedia: "The  Windfall Elimination Provision  (abbreviated WEP [1] ) is a statutory provision in  United States  law [2]  which affects benefits paid by the  Social Security Administration  under Title II of the  Social Security Act . It reduces the  Primary Insurance Amount  (PIA) of a person's  Retirement Insurance Benefits (RIB) or  Disability Insurance Benefits  (DIB) when that person is eligible or entitled to a pension based on a job which did not contribute to the  Social Security Trust Fund . While in effect, it also affects the benefits of others claiming on the same social security record." How it affects me: both my husband and myself worked primarily in teaching jobs ove...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stop! Just - STOP!

I do understand that furniture designers have to make a living, but - this is just wrong . I've tried "ergonomic" furniture. I've sat in those hard-seated chairs and couches. They are NOT comfortable. They are NOT conducive to working on for extended time periods. They are NOT what I want. Apple LOVES them - well, yeah, they would. 20-somethings can sit anywhere comfortably. What I want is furniture that fits a senior, with a bad back and aching knees, and a need to get to her feet INSTANTLY, when the call of nature sings out. I don't need a seat so hard that my butt goes numb. I've seen seats like the ones shown, and a LOG has more 'give' to it. I don't need a couch for "two" that can only fit MAYBE 1-1/2 - IF they are on the 1 meal a day, semi-starvation diet (SO healthy!). I don't need a fixed table that encroaches on my already-diminished seating space. That "table" won't allow more than a small laptop/ta...
1 comment
Read more

Changes to Medicare - How They Will Affect You

Obamacare has a wider impact than the people who are forced to comply with its many provisions. It will have an effect on Medicare, as well. Despite the constant political rhetoric that Medicare payment reductions affect only providers and not beneficiaries, funding cuts for Medicare services will directly affect those who depend on those services. If Obamacare’s major reductions are implemented by Congress over the coming decade, seniors’ ability to access Medicare services will surely diminish. Obamacare can be considered a success, judging from the OMB's reports. Unfortunately, those reports can only work from data/constraints they are given. Such limits mean that, depending on the questions/framework/data comprising their analysis, ACA looks like a raging success. Which, it isn't. In too many Americans' minds, debt of a government should just be paid by all those high-earners who greedily grab all the available money in an economy. Funnily enough, a substanti...
Post a Comment
Read more