“We were born for reinvention—to remake our lives, to bring back and revive our true purpose and potential. We are here to be changed and to make change, not to remain static.”
– Caren Merrick, serial entrepreneur
Every year, we watch the calendar flip to a new year, and we celebrate. Many of us reflect on the past year (or years) and how we arrived at this moment in time. The next thought is often, “What’s next?”
In post-retirement years, it’s easy for folks to stay settled in their ways. Why bother to do anything differently? What’s the point in trying new things? I’m comfy in my slippers, watching repeats of The Property Brothers on HGTV.
But what if . . .
Research shows that “people who spend more time learning tend to have neural networks better equipped to adapt to the changes brought on by brain [aging and] disorders.” (The power of neuroplasticity: how your brain adapts and grows as you age, mcpress.mayoclinic.org, 2024, Sara Youngblood Gregory.) So, if learning new things is a key factor in increasing the brain’s cognitive agility and how it copes with change, what would that look like for you?
Some older adults take up new hobbies (learning a new language, musical instrument, or artistic skill); others volunteer (at non-profits meaningful to them; with social justice, political, religious organizations; at grandchildren’s schools); still other seniors have taken larger steps in reinventing themselves through major life shake-ups (moving to a new community, dating after years of living solo, starting a freelance business). Many seniors write books—memoirs, poetry, novels, essays, even blogs for websites they want to support!
Travel is also a draw for many retired people who have more time on their hands and a few extra dollars in the bank. Visiting unfamiliar places opens the brain’s neuropathways. “The social interactions, mental stimulation, physical activity, and healthy cuisines can delay the aging process,” according to a study published on ScienceDaily.com, September 5, 2024. (Travel can slow the aging process, WashingtonPost.com, September 20, 2024.)
Perhaps you have a skill you never had the opportunity to use in your previous working life. Do you enjoy balancing budgets? Are you interested in social media? Have you always loved photography, but it didn’t make sense to pursue that professionally? Maybe now’s the time.
In the New Year, as you look expectantly into the near future, take a moment to look inside, as well. What new version of yourself can you share with the world, and how will that shape you? If learning new skills, participating in life in new ways, can improve the quality of your aging journey, what’s holding you back?
Laura Ingalls Wilder was 65 when she published her first book in the Little House on the Prairie series. Colonel Sanders franchised his first Kentucky Fried Chicken at 62. And this: Fauja Singhstarted running in marathons at age 84!
OK…I’m kicking off my slippers now. What about you?
Made with love by structure & heart studios
"Forks & Knives" was born as part of a long journal entry, a cathartic release. In 2003, despite being happily married to my second husband, insomnia visited me regularly. My brain pushed and pulled, working through hurtful and confusing memories that defined the rocky journey of my first marriage and its ultimate demise. The finished document sat inside my computer, unread, for seventeen years.
When I retired in 2021, I revisited the document, hesitantly. “Is this worth reworking into a novel? Would anyone care about this?” I asked my best friend, my husband Stephen, to read it. Bonus for me: He taught American literature for more than twenty-five years (!), so I knew I could trust his opinion. Happily, he confirmed, “Yes, it’s good. You should work on it.” Then he introduced me to Brian Kaufman (www.authorbriankaufman.com) and Penpointers, the Northern Colorado writer’s group that Stephen had belonged to years before I met him. Over the next year and a half, my self-focused monologue transformed into a work of fiction that would appeal to people outside my immediate circle of friends and family. At least that’s my hope.
Whenever I mention what this book is about, I'm invariably met with, "Yeah, my mom was a drinker," or "My son was sober for a while, but . . ." There are millions of stories like mine out there -- people who have loved/lived with alcoholics/addicts and struggled to hold on through the pain. But there are ways we can help and support those we love without losing ourselves. This novel alone can't help those still working through those dark days, but maybe some of the resources here can play a role.
