Women After Fifty
What do you really need once you pass fifty?
1. Knowledge of many kinds, especially new learning. It’s good for the brain and spirit. Knowledge about ways to create sustainable inner happiness is particularly crucial for ongoing well-being.
2. Other people who have lived through the same history you have. It’s comforting and fun to remember the same music and films, for instance, or to reminisce about the 60’s and 70’s with others who were also there.
3. Rich relationships with family, friends, and acquaintances of different ages. This is the key to happiness, psychology tells us.
4. Meaningful occupations, even after retirement. A sense of purpose is the foundation of the good life at any age.
5. A place to live that suits your changing life style and other changing needs. This may mean making completely different choices than you have made in the past.
6. Good habits to sustain the best health you can have. What you do to exercise and what you eat may need to change with time. Being mindful of this fact helps.
The list goes on.
I’ve mentioned just a few of the most important things to attend to once you enter what is now called “The Third Age.”
How can you pay attention to them without getting overwhelmed?
I think the best way to expand your life and move in the direction you ultimately want to go is to start talking about various possibilities with others. Exploring options, discovering what resources are available, listening to what others have learned or experienced or are thinking–all these actions contribute to your ability to make good decisions for yourself.
You want to optimize your chances to have a satisfying life however old you are. I started a blog for women that I’ve named “Creative Aging for Women” to explore this topic. Click on its name to see what I mean.
But more than that, my husband and I have started a blog called “Music and Happiness” (click on name to view) to demonstrate the ways listening and responding to music can be used to increase deep and lasting happiness in people over 50. This is extremely meaningful to us, not only because it challenges us to grow and learn ourselves but also because it allows us to bring beauty and joy to others.
Watch this page for announcements of workshops and virtual gatherings on these topics.