Living in the Gloaming is a resource for adults 55+ who want to live independently, confidently and fully – today and in the years ahead.
Welcome to Living in the Gloaming!
Living in the Gloaming is a resource for adults 55+ who want to live independently, confidently, and fully – today and in the years ahead.
People ask me, “So, what does the word ‘Gloaming’ mean?”
Here’s what I tell them…
“According to Merriam Webster, gloaming is a noun that defines the twilight or dusk, the low light seen in the evening as the sun sets, referring to the period between sunset and dark.”
Many people refer to the retirement years or the latter years of aging as the Golden Years, Silver Sneakers, Sunset time of life, etc. I wanted a different word, something with a little Glitz & Glamour. So…Gloaming.
For those of you 55 years of age and older, have you ever wondered about what’s next?
Will I miss my job/career? Will I have enough money? Will I need to continue working?
What will I do with my time? How will I make the transition between working part-time or full-time to… nothing?
The year 2023 rolled around and I found myself turning 60 years old. My daughter and granddaughter were living with us at the time, and my husband was working from home for a local major healthcare organization.
Though working from home, his job was becoming more tension-filled, political, discriminating (ageism), and was no longer a good fit for him.
It became increasingly clear that something needed to change. Although I had been working from home, my income would not sustain us should he leave his job of 25 years. We had been wanting to sell our house and move out of the area for several years and we decided now was the time to begin making changes toward that end.
January 2024, we put our home of 24 years up for sale and it sold the first week. February was my husband’s last month of his job. He retired a couple short weeks before we moved. By the end of March, we had moved into a local short-stay hotel until our rental townhouse was finished. My daughter and her child moved into a place of their own.
May and June were spent moving and settling into our new townhouse, once again, empty nesters.
All of a sudden, there we were. Neither of us with an income to speak of. Home, together. Married 42 years at that time, we were used to being together. We were comfortable and content, but there seemed to be a quiet, a silence in the house that carried all the weight of the past and emptiness of the future.
We began to discover what other “retirees” who had entered that time before us, had probably already discovered.
There was so much we didn’t expect. Things we didn’t know. Questions that didn’t seem to have any answers.
Yes, we had talked about what we wanted to do in our future, but we had been so busy with family, businesses, and life, that we hadn’t given enough time and preparation to the future.
Of course, we thought, we’ll have time to think and plan later. We’re too busy right now.
But retirement for my husband came sooner than we had anticipated, and it seemed all of a sudden we had arrived at a dead stop. Somewhere we had never been before, or ever expected to be.
Our finances were okay, but we weren’t where we had always thought we would be. We always meant to plan for retirement, but somehow it seemed such a long way off and there seemed to be plenty of time.
Now, retirement had arrived, and we weren’t entirely ready. Ugh.
When your job has been your primary purpose in life, aside from children, it doesn’t seem necessary to think about what your purpose will be following your retirement.
Though our three children and their families live in the same town as we do, they have their own lives. Some friends and former co-workers are busy and still working at their jobs or businesses. Some are taking the trips they’ve always wanted to take.
Day after day grew into a mind-numbing quiet. Life seemed to me to be stopped, over. Money would eventually run out and I needed to do something for income.
I lacked purpose.
I lacked energy.
I lacked motivation.
I had health issues.
I felt lost and alone.
Looking back at the past, I began trying to find a way I could move forward into the future with confidence and without fear. Something I could do to bring joy, excitement, and purpose back into my life.
Thinking blogging was something the younger generations did, I hadn’t ever really seriously considered becoming a blogger. And affiliate marketing…I didn’t even know what that was!
However, in doing some research, I started asking questions… What solutions do people need for the next chapter of their lives? What questions need answers that I could help with?
Over time, I answered those and many more questions and began building a website and an affiliate marketing business I’m totally excited about sharing with others.
I have had to learn A LOT of new things. But that’s how we keep our mind sharp, right?
It is my hope that Living in the Gloaming will be a resource for adults 55+ who want to live independently, confidently, and fully – today and in the years ahead.
Where people over age 55 will find this website to be a resource where they can create Everyday Independence, Embrace Today and Live Confidently.
Everyday Independence – Focuses on products to help create a safer, more comfortable home and lifestyle – independent living essentials.
Embrace Today – Encourages people to find a purpose, health & joy in every season of life; promoting products that can encourage you to live well and maintain quality of life.
Live Confidently – Offers resources that may help you confidently determine your own financial future with earning ideas and products to earn more. You may even want to start your own blog.
Living in the Gloaming is a resource for adults 55+ who want to live independently, confidently, and fully – today and in the years ahead.
A website community where we honor the past, embrace today and move forward confidently.
You’re welcome to join us!
Until next time, all the best to you!
Charlene 🙂
You can contact me @ https://livinginthegloaming.com/contact/
You can email me @ Livinginthegloaming@outlook.com
