Life After 60?

Yes, life after sixty. Just think of the quote; You're never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.

I had a dream at age 5. When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I'd always reply; An artist. I knew it then, in my heart, that I was an artist.

Giraffe rock painted for a friend

My mother disagreed.

Let's remember my mother grew up during the depression. She saw the worse of it and although her father always had a job times were lean and the man she married wasn't so lucky. My father came from a family of 12 children. Only 6 survived to adulthood. He quit school in the 6th grade to work to help support the family yet he was one of the smartest people I've ever known. I think it bothered him that he lacked even a grammar school education, but I know that had he been given opportunities, he would have gone far. He was kind and fair. His family was tough as nails, they had to be to survive with 12 kids and little money during those times.

Anyway, my mother said, "Artist don't make any money, pick something else."
Always the good little girl I believed my mother and wandered most of my life looking for that something else. I've worked retail, as a dental assistant, bartender, office manager, more retail, waitress, election clerk, sales manager, marketing director, human resource director, etc. I just floated from job to job as the opportunity arose and never really felt fully satisfied. Some were more interesting than others, some challenging (I loved the challenging jobs) and some were frustratingly boring. None touched my passion. Marketing came close, but the place where I worked was micro managed so it had limitations.

I wrote some books. Got a few more almost done. Yes, writing is in my heart, too, but I guess it's just another kind of art. A few books up on Amazon and really should get the others up soon. Working on that!
I wrote for the confession mags before they went under. Loved those stories.

Now at age 61? My kids moved 900 miles away. Let's face it, New Jersey is a hard state to start out in. They got out and I'm glad they did. Both bought their own homes and built a life. I missed them terribly. It was decision time.

My husband and I started investigating our options. If we moved down to be closer to them what could we do? How about our own business?

So here we are in Florida. No, not to retire. We are starting our own business and yes, it involves art. (More on this later.)  Right now we're in a kind of limbo doing the prep work for our new biz while living with my youngest daughter. I miss having my own home. Hey! This is the first time in over 30 years I didn't have my own house to take care of. But things here are going good. We're crazy busy getting this off the ground and since we're starting from the bottom up it's going to take months to get from leases & lawyers through the build-out process to the Grand Opening.

For a while I felt a little panicked. What have we done? Sold our home, left everything we ever knew and now we're ... homeless?  Then I go back and think;

You're never to old to set a new goal or dream a new dream. 

Family Tree painted for a friend. 

If I'm 60, why don't I feel old?

I remember my mom at 60. She was overweight, grey and only went out to go to senior meetings. I'm not sure what they did at these meetings but I think it was maybe card games and snacks. Now, I'm 60 and although I need to lose about 30 lbs, I'm not very grey and do more. Is 60 really the new 40? Am I really in better health than she was at this point?

Mom always had a bad hip problem, but as young as I was, I don't know exactly what caused it. When I started having hip problems I did more stretches and exercises and when it does act up, I can usually "fix" it. Sometimes I wish I could go back and help her with her health problems with the science that exists now. It would have saved her a lot of pain and maybe given her a longer life. She passed at 65 from complications of a heart attack. She had type 2 diabetes which made her recovery more difficult. I think during my mother's time it was believed you didn't move forward after a certain age. You hit your sixties and it was all down hill from there. That believe was instilled by society and opinions of others. It was just the way it was. You'll go grey, get arthritis, just sit down and wait for it.

So, I'm 60 and determined to be in better health from here on in. I've joined Weight Watchers (for the 3rd or 5th time?) and decided it's way past time I took control.
Science tells us that weight training and cardio can keep you in much better health in your sixties and even seventies. Here are a few examples;

Eighty year old body builders;
Ernestine Shepherd

Dr. Jeffrey Life

Check out this guy's website. It's informative and inspiring!




So maybe age is just a number, 60 is the new 40, and we've got more mountains to climb and there are victories to be had. Let's go get 'em!

Packing Up Memories

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes! My life is going into plastic tubs and cardboard boxes with a prayer that it all makes it to Florida without getting crushed.

We're in the countdown. Four and a half weeks to go. Today, another lovely snowy day in New Jersey, I'm tackling my office. This used to be my youngest daughter's bedroom, but after she moved out to start her own life, it became my office. Desk, printer, file cabinets, and built in cabinets. Since we started de-cluttering when we listed the house, there's not a lot here to pack. Books, a few odd manuscripts from books published on Amazon, lots of notebooks filled with scribblings from the soul and story ideas, and a couple of decorative items. I could probably get this room done by noon.

Harder still to pack is the memories. Chunks of time nestled in my heart. Waking kids up for school, picking colors for their rooms, setting the furniture just so. Memories to hold and rooms to let go of so we can build new memories with the kids in Florida.

Tomorrow or the day after it will be another room. Another four walls of memories. Years ago my oldest daughter wanted to sleep in a hammock. My husband strung the thing across the room and there she slept, nestled in a neat macrame hammock with pillows and blankets and her dog. It was quite a sight but she loved it and it made that room uniquely hers. And mine in my memories and my heart.

We one time painted my youngest daughter's room pink with a bright pink rug that she picked out. When we put it all together the room practically glowed. My husband and I exchanged glances that effectively said, "What did we do?" But my daughter loved it so we kept it. It was her room and her joy to have so it was right.

Memories. Wonderful, warm memories of hammocks and pink rooms and a happy family. Now, at 60 I look back on all the years with a contented yet wistful feeling. I miss having the kids home. I miss family dinners and running to band practice and lazy days by the pool watching the kids play.

Packing is bringing back a lot of memories.

Open House! Come on in!

An open house can be stressful, but we've done a few and the one tomorrow will be no different. We're up early straighten up the house and clear out.  Sometimes we go to Barnes & Nobel to sit in the cafe, sometimes to the movies, or see whatever else we can find to do.

I've spent the last few days saying goodbye to the house and welcoming the new family. I now refer to this as "that house" and "their future home" instead of my house. I'm ready, Universe! Let's go get a Florida house!

I used to foster dogs but since the house is selling, I'm not taking one right now.  Selling a home with dog hair on the furniture and that sometimes sweet smell of wet dog, isn't always that easy. Selling without animals, they say, is easier.

I just miss having a dog in the house soooo  much!

Today I watched a couple of Doxies for a friend and I had the best time playing and loving these two beauties. They were extremely sweet and gentle and loving. They are my friends foster pups and they are such good dogs I know they will get adopted fast. Hopefully together. 

It was just really nice to have dogs in the house, even if just for a little while.
Plan for future?
Sell house
Move to Florida
Buy house

Rescue a dog (or maybe two!)

To Love a Home

We'd like to move to Florida so we listed our home. It's a nice home and to open my heart to you: I'm in love with it. I raised my kids here, went through the majority of my life here, and worked on it and in it. My husband practically rebuilt most of it to our own design. It's very personally ours.  It will break my heart to leave, but both my kids moved to Florida and I know I will not be happy until I'm near them again.

I've often said I wish I could take this house with me and I wonder if that energy is preventing us from moving forward.

I need to release my house to the next family. Let it go so I can move on to the next part of my life.  It's been said you can't move forward if you're holding on to the past. The past was beautiful and has so many happy memories, but it's time to make new memories. Time to let this beautiful home find a new family to raise. It's a good home for kids, a nice neighborhood, good schools.

Dear New Family,
This is a home of love and laughter. You can grow and be happy here. It will be a beautiful life.
Welcome home,
the other family

I release this home to the universe. I release this home to the new family that will love it and take care of it.

God bless you home. I'm ready to move on to a new life and a new home. It's time.

Hello Unemployed Life

After almost 4 years with a company, I've been laid off. Not a surprise. I had watched them laying people off, firing some, and crying about money. I was the recruiter and who needs a recruiter when they're cutting staff?

So, now I'm looking at other jobs/careers and checking out the possibilities. I think of my strengths and where I want to be in five years. I want to be in  a place where I'm challenged, kept busy, and maybe discover new things. I want a job where I believed in the vision of the owners. That they were good and honest people and wanted the best for their employees.

The place I left had been failing in more ways than one. They played favorites, showed disregard for the feelings of their employees, talked a good show, but didn't follow through. There were lies. I hate lies. It made me extremely uncomfortable and went against my moral code. Management told me to lie and forget about it. Shameful. Being laid off wasn't the worst. It freed me from the crazy little liars and hopefully stopped me from being dragged down to their level. I think when your bosses ask you to lie for them, its a major warning sign.

So, now I shop for a job. Find a place where I can do good things. That's what I want. to do good things and make people happy. Is that so much to ask?