I wanted to put something here, first to welcome you but also to let you know that this website is a work in progress. The developers released the website to me a few days ago, and despite my professed desire not to become a web designer, I am having to do so just to update my pages. I am struggling to not become overwhelmed by it all and ask for your grace at this point. I will let you know when it is sufficiently updated and will then welcome comments on how to improve the website overall. If you have never designed a website, you are lucky. Things are changing all the time, and you need to know which version of every attribute is being used and somehow must know whether they are compatible or not. People who offer to help mean well, but they assume I know what I need to ask for and how to get that information easily. At this point I don’t care if they are rolling their eyes at me – I really am trying to learn, but I wanted to focus on topics that would interest most people of “retirement” age, not how to fix a more-complicated-than-I-wanted website. Enough whining already!

I will cover a variety of topics, mostly related to the challenges and opportunities for those of “retirement” age. Why do I put quotes around “retirement,” you may ask. My research has shown that it is not currently an accurate or liked word to describe the time after you move from what has been your major career focus to a new time or chapter in your life. To retire means to pull back, but I see most folks in their 60s and beyond moving forward and expanding or changing focus. It is an opportunity to better align with your values and find a more fulfilling purpose. I would like to help others find strategies that will get them there, whether it is to have a longer healthspan (the time when you are in generally good health vs lifespan where you are alive, but may not be healthy), pursue a new passion or expand one you have skimmed before, nurture relationships, and find meaning in our brief time here. I am learning about caregiving, both in helping more elderly family members, but also in helping my children prepare for when I will need their help. The American culture encourages adding things to your life and I am exploring downsizing and focusing on finding a better way for me to have less stress and worry. I hope to share my discoveries and “a-ha” moments with you via this blog. The world feels less safe and secure at the moment – I do not want to add to that, but hope my thoughts are supportive and encouraging and challenging to the status quo.

I love quotes and will add one to end of each blog. Trying to find the citation and confirmed source can be a pain but in this age of misinformation, I will strive to list from where each comes.

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself. – Harry Myers and Mason M. Roberts, Human Engineering, 1932