Hello! Welcome to Living in the Gloaming! Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What do I do now?” We’re going to look at that very question, today.
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Standing in the Present…
Accepting where you are
Whether you are retiring soon, wishing you could retire, or you’re already retired, this is the place for you.
Why? So glad you asked.
If you are 60+ years old, it is likely you have asked the question…”What am I going to do in retirement?” or “What if I can’t retire?”
Even if you haven’t, yet, you will at some point be forced to look around you and ask yourself, “Why hasn’t anyone discovered a cure for aging?”
To age or Not to age? Like it or not, it’s not a choice we have. We will age. We ARE aging.
And, that’s okay. That’s as it should be. That’s life.
Whether your point of view is that of the Star Trek Klingons, “Today is a good day to die!” or of the king without a suitable heir, “I will just deny you the throne and live forever!”
We need to take the driver’s seat on this one. We can decide what our future will look like. Even if we aren’t where we want to be at this point in our life; we determine our path from here on out.
“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to act old.” – George Burns
Looking Back at the Past…
If you’ve read my blog Welcome to the Gloaming!, you may recall in the spring of 2024, my husband and I sold our home of 24 years. We selected a two-story townhouse to rent, while we decided, “What do we do now?”
Honestly, I had no idea what was next.
Life after your career, job, business, etc. doesn’t mean you’ve lost control of where you’re headed in life. But it can feel that way.
Funny, how even though we’re entering the “Gloaming” years, we have a lot in common with those just starting out in their early 20s, and those arriving in their late 30s and early 40s.
As I write this, I have a son and a daughter looking for their next career adventure, which kind of puts us in the same boat.
Many of us have already navigated at least one, if not two or more careers. Among other things, we’ve perhaps raised a family, a spouse, a pet, or not.
But whatever we have already accomplished in our life, we have made it! We have survived!
As I looked around and thought, “What do I do now?” it was easy to see what was behind me, and difficult to see what lay ahead of me.
We had made plans, but things hadn’t worked out like we had planned. Life…well, you know the rest.
In August of 2024, I started searching for a book on aging. I thought if I could just figure out where I was, I could maybe make a plan for where I wanted to go, if I could figure that out as well.
I didn’t want anything superficial or philosophical. I needed something I could relate to. Something real. Someone who could give me a perspective on where I was and what was ahead.
What I found was a book by Janine Hunka, “Successful Aging for Women over 50.”
Bought the book, put it on my shelf and thought how nice it looked there. I’m not sure why I didn’t devour the book right away, but it haunted me from across the room.
Some time later, I guess when I was ready, I picked up the book and over the course of a few days, read it cover-to-cover. Now, it’s an easy read and it didn’t take that long to read, but the content I discovered within the pages made it a worthwhile read, and gave me insight. Most of all, it gave me hope.
I found myself in several of the pages at stages she, too, had experienced.
“It’s no longer a time when retirement means sitting back and waiting to die. No, retirement is merely a beginning to a specific era of your life and the start of a brand new venture.” (Janine Hunka)
Perhaps we have moved from a position where we were constantly on the go, to something different.
In the townhouse, it was just the two of us, home all the time. My husband was newly retired. It was very quiet.
“Now your life moves at such a slowed-down pace compared to what you were used to that it may feel like it came to an unplanned stop.” (JH)
Bingo! Exactly! That’s how I felt. It was like I had nothing to do. No one to take care of but myself and my husband, and he was very capable of taking care of himself.
“Without purpose, the decline in all aspects of your life will show up much faster.”
The author, Janine, goes on to talk about different aspects of our life that we need to look at, accept, and forgive.
She encourages readers to take good care of themselves through positive thinking, social and physical fitness.
Touching on topics such as stress, sleep and memory, Janine demonstrates how mindfulness can play an important part in the success of aging well.
Moving Forward Without Fear…
In her book, Janine concludes each chapter with the following:
1) “Let’s Get Practical,” the author provides action steps to further skills, connections, application of concepts, and more.
2) “Final Word” summarizes the content and a plan for moving forward.
When you can come face-t0-face with the truth of where you are and accept it, that truth can lead you to empowerment.
Utilizing positive thinking and a plan for moving forward with your life can empower you to reach and achieve more than you thought possible.
Are there things, issues, to be concerned about? Yes.
Can those concerns be scary? Yes.
Are there changes we need to make? Almost always.
Do we need to be afraid? Absolutely not!
Living in fear is a choice. One only you can make.
“…step into your power, a position where your life can be more meaningful than what you may have thought in your younger years.” (JH)
Conclusion
Excerpts from the author, Janine Hunka, of “Successful Aging for Women over 50.”
“Accept these changes, as change indicates progress and, in fact, a sign of life.
“How you experience growing older will be exactly how you perceive it. If you’re dreading it, you’re increasing the odds that it will be a time you’ll feel depressed, sick, exhausted, and as if your life has no meaning or purpose.”
“However, you can also perceive getting older as a time to look forward to, when you’ll enjoy peace, joy, positivity, and feel meaningful.”
“How you live these golden years is up to you.”
I found Janine’s book to be a gem among books and well worth the time to read.
If you find yourself wondering, “What Do I Do Now?” This book will help you take a look at your life, find areas where you may need or want to make some changes, validate your thoughts and feelings, and give you positive encouragement to take the steps to a more happy and fulfilling life.
So, until next time, let’s…
Stand in the Present, Look Back at the Past, and Move Forward Without Fear – together.
All the best to you!
Charlene 🙂
Amazon link for: “Successful Aging for Women over 50”
You can contact me Here
You can find an in-depth book review Here.
