Monday 17 February 2020

Monday

So John enjoys reading mundane posts.   Well on the whole I would guess that when one reaches my age most peoples' lives are mundane - or if they are not then they would wish it were so.   One of the plusses of reaching my age and ( at present) being relatively fit, is that most of the pressures of a working life have disappeared.  Alright I have to walk with a stick but compared with many folk in old age that is just a minor irritant.   I do have one major irritant, which I would have dealt with in my stride when I was younger, but it will eventually sort itself out.

But really I think the trick in old age is not to consider one's life 'mundane' - it is not called 'the third age' for nothing these days.   Sixty is now called the new forty so presumably eighty is the new sixty - or that is how I am looking at it.   So here are a few tips on how to stop old age being boring.   Yes I know, there is one major fact in this. You have to have enough money to pay the bills and a little bit over so that money is not a major issue.

1.   Have plenty of friends.   Value their friendship,
      make time for them, invite them round for a 
      coffee and a chat, or go out for one if funds 
      permit - or even for lunch.   Search around - 
      many places now have special pensioners 
      lunches.

2.   If you are mobile enough  then consider the
      idea of a dog.   You would not believe the
      number of people I have met while walking
      Tess.

3.    Join things.   There is a thriving U3A in my
       little town and it offers plenty of choice in
       courses - in addition to an over 60,s club 
       (which is well attended).   In addition there is
       also a local Probus, a W I, several study
       groups , a local Camera Club - I could go on.

In my experience few people come to you - you have to go out and look for them.   I could count on my fingers the friends who call hoping to find me in.   They are special friends who are dear to me and who know I am always pleased to see them and 'put the kettle on' when I see them on the drive.

The U3A class I have joined is my Book Group.  We meet in one another's houses on the first Monday in each month, we take it in turns to choose the book and we meet and talk about it over a coffee and a biscuit.   If everyone comes there are eight of us.   This month's book, chosen by M, is 'Olive Kitteridge' by Elizabeth Strout - a
very good book indeed.   Last month's was Elizabeth Gaskell's 'North and South' - also a really good read.

So my advice is - don't let old age get you down, don't let it become a mundane, daily trudge - as so many people seem to do as they get older.   My intention is to go out, meet folk, do things (as Rachel does - it is lovely to read of her exploits- although I do realise that she is very much younger than me and can hop on and off a bus or a train and plan wonderful trips abroad (which I did twenty years ago but wouldn't attempt now).

And, like John, I  love reading about what she does - her cats, her trips into Norwich, the classes she attends, the films she sees, the way she makes friends and the way she and Sue from Suffolk (also a blogger) meet for a coffee and a chat.   It is these things that make the world go round, make one forget about Coronavirus, about HS2, about Boris's exploits, about what Donald Trump is up to.   I leave all that to the next generation.  Maybe that is selfish but this is really 'me time'.   I make donations to one or two of my pet charities, I try to help anyone when it is within my power to do so - other than that I try to live life to the full and I do urge you - if you are over 60 and retired - to do the same.




27 comments:

wherethejourneytakesme said...

I love it that you are so active in making the best of everything and going out there and meeting people. My mum would give anything now to be able to get out and about still, but sadly spends most of her days indoors now as she has become very imobile in a short space of time. My advice to anyone is to do it all while you still can.

JayCee said...

Yes, Rachel's is one of the blogs I look for first each day. It's always a good read.

Brenda said...

Well said. Your blog is one of my favorites.

thelma said...

Housewife 49, that television show, or perhaps if we are being 'mundane' Mrs Dale's Diary, (if anyone remembers it) says she giggling to herself! Lots of good advice though from you Pat.

Helensmum said...

I'm 62,fit on the whole and endorse all you say.Thank you.My beloved dog died in November and I felt fit enough to start again- just - as she is a bundle of mischief.
Keep well,keep interested,
Ann Marie

jinxxxygirl said...

I think living life to the full should be done at any age Pat. Life's too short and you never know when your time is up... So no one might not have the relieved pressure of being retired.. but one should always look for ways to make one's life full... or as full as you want it to be.. i for one enjoy some down time.. 'just me time'... Without that i find i get cranky, shorttempered and not pleasant to be around.. I too love mundane blogs... and by that i mean just blogs about everyday life.. because invariably that life is different from my own so i find it interesting to see what people are up to.. Its like peeking in someone's window with permission...lol Hugs! deb

Rachel Phillips said...

Agreed, and thank you.

Oklahoma Girl said...

I agree with your thoughts and suggestions about getting older. I love your blog. It is my favorite and the first one I read every day.

justjill said...

Well said. I must try harder!

Ruth said...

Old age is our last best adventure! Every age has its good and bad times, so now I'm taking it day at a time to see what happens next. My time is running out, and every day's a blessing to enjoy the best way I can. You are such a wonderful inspiration, Pat. I've always been a loner, so that's not going to change, but I'm happily busy doing all the things I love, quietly at home. Books are my companions, and if the weather's too bad to walk around my garden, the view from the windows while watching the seasons come and go is the icing on the cake. My husband has health issues, so I pray I'll be here, healthy enough myself to care for him when he needs it.

May you enjoy good health and many more happy years!!

Pamela said...

Whilst I'm happy for you and those who are able to take your advice sadly we don't all have that advantage.
I would dearly love to be one of those people you're advising. I'm now retired but my husband of 40 years has dementia, amongst other disabilities. Instead of being a wife I'm now a full time carer for him. I would love to have some "me" time, but there isn't a minute in the day or night that I can call my own. If I did have that time I would sleep! Glorious sleep, so often taken for granted, is now a case of a couple of hours at the most before I need to be up again in the night with him. With no children and no other near relatives I have no other help. Before anyone mentions social services and "support" etc I can assure you I've tried, there isn't anything, mostly because my husband can't abide anybody else coming into the house and won't go anywhere for respite.
Enjoy your time when you can, for those of you who have a husband/wife/partner things can change in an instant, making "me" time something only to be envied and dreamed about.

Heather said...

I think we have earned our 'me time' although at first I felt guilty about having it. I have found that living alone is not the awful thing I imagined it to be and having moved into a small flat I have plenty of time to enjoy various hobbies. My neighbours are all very friendly though we do respect each others' privacy, but there is usually someone to chat with.

Jean Winnipeg said...

I do like everything you have written about the importanceof getting out and doing things and staying engaged. At some point when I was doing a lot of looking after grandchildren I realised I needed more adult company and joned a library book club- a good decision. I also go to a local fitness centre which is also a social event, there's always someone my age to chat to. I do work at keeping in touch with friends. One of my friends is about to move away - so I have agan been considering how I ccan meet more peope.

Bonnie said...

This is a wonderful post! Thank you. I think there are many, like myself, that fail to take full advantage of their retirement. Bloggers like yourself, Rachel, Sue and many others offer excellent examples of retirement time well spent. I have many wonderful blogger friends but find it difficult to meet people where I live. I have "acquaintance" friends here but no close friends. You have some very good suggestions.

Anonymous said...

I am 65 and I love your blog, your wise words and your good disposition.
Your blog is the first one I read every day.I will try to follow your good suggestions!!!
Take good care and please continue to write on your blog!
An from Ottawa,Canada

Joan (Devon) said...

Oh, if only it were that simple.

Red said...

For any seniors who can volunteer that's an excellent thing to do. We have to keep moving. One of my friends told her husband to move or else she's have to dust him.

the veg artist said...

Like Ruth, I'm quite a loner, and feel it's important to be happily busy at home. Just as well, as my disability has kept me at home since mid-December (bar one day). For many reasons, several mentioned by others, being house-bound comes to many, and whilst I totally agree that getting out and about is important while we can, being content at home when we can't, is also vital.

Joanne Noragon said...

Well said, especially join, join, join.

Alphie Soup said...

You've listed quite a line up of activity and interest choices for still mobile, older people, Weaver Pat.
I read 'Olive Kitteridge' some years back; compelling reading.
Alphie

Ann T said...

Severe hearing problems have made a lot of socialising impossible due to the acoustics of venues, or volume of happy chatter, which is lovely for those with hearing, but makes it impossible for me to follow anything. It is depressing to sit in a group laughing and chatting, and having no idea what they are talking about. Friends try to explain, but the time delay just frustrates all of us, and they cannot keep it up. Lip reading is impossible, when people interrupt each other, I get whiplash trying to keep up (like being at a tennis match). I have now got a cochlear implant which is brilliant in a small quiet room, with no more than 3 people, but even that cannot cope with noisy groups or cafes with noisy coffee machines. I would love to be more sociable. Look after your hearing! Ann T. Love your blog.

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