#weekendcoffeeshare 7/16/16

My friend, Jenn, with whom I usually have my #weekendcoffeeshare, is on vacation this week. So, I want to talk about what I think she and I might discuss if she were here.

If we were having coffee, I would share with you my musings about what it means to be over 60. It’s not so old, but we are entering the last quarter of our lives. It gives one pause. It makes one re-evaluate one’s life. It makes you realize that you have only one life and question whether you are doing what you want to do with it. Are you happy? Truly happy? Do you want to keep on with your life as it is? Is your life fulfilling at its core being?

Now for the big question. Are you living your life out of obligation to others? Is there room in your in your life for you? Life in our 60s can be unpredictable. We tend to have  built up a number of obligations over the years. We feel like we have to respond to the needs of those obligations, whether they are adult children, grandchildren,  elderly parents, or work. Maybe you don’t have as many obligations now. Could be your children have moved away. Your parents are gone now. You’ve retired. You suddenly have time on your hands for the first time in maybe 30 yeas. Do you feel lost?

By 60, you may have even suffered one or more major losses in your life — family members, perhaps a spouse. Life after 60 can have its share of health issues and this can be unpredictable. Do you get checkups and practice preventive medicine so you can live your longest, best life?

I keep coming back to the same question. Are you living your life for others or is there room in it for you? Life after 60 feels different than life before 60. Look around at the people between the ages of 30-60. They are rushing around, in a hurry. They have jobs, small children, many obligations to meet in any one day. After 60, it all slows down. Even if you have obligations, you can take more time in meeting them. You can sort out the obligations you want to keep and those you can dispose of. Most people, after 60, have more time for themselves, or should.

If you are around 60, you are part of the Baby Boomer generation. Almost 10,000 Boomers are retiring per day now. You are not alone. But, now is the time to rediscover your passions. What are your hobbies? What were they before you got so busy with life? Photography? Sketching? Travel? Writing? Give one of your passions a try. See if you catch fire again. If not, think about what you are passionate about now, then go for it. It is never too late.

Whatever you do, it can’t be another chore. It has to be a joy. It has to make your core being feel happiness. Remember that you are in your last quarter of your life. It’s time not to care about what the world thinks anymore. I don’t! It’s time to please YOU. We pass this way only once. Find your passion and do it!

There is a book you might enjoy. It’s called “The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Mid-Life” by Marc Freedman. You can find it at amazon.com. #weekendcoffeeshare #dailyprompt #amwriting #writing #blogging

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