Finding Happiness

Sometimes, when we get older, we forget about our dreams. We forget how they made us feel – the passion, ambition, excitement, enthusiasm, desire. We forget how they once took up our entire waking moments… and probably some of our sleeping ones, too. But those dreams…

The other day, I innocently asked my grandson what he would like for his upcoming ninth birthday. He thought for a moment, then gazed intently into my eyes and answered explicitly, “No books, Nana. And nothing you knitted…”

Most of us have a special place we go to that always makes us feel safe and happy, no matter what is going on in our lives. Somehow it brings us calmness and clarity, helping us to think clearly, and feel at peace. For some it might be a place you go to be alone…

And no, this is not a joke! But it could change the way you think about getting older. Have you seen the movie Up in the Air? George (we’re on a first name basis; he just doesn’t know it yet), plays a traveling corporate downsizer who makes a living flying across the country…

I passionately believe that every woman has the power to build her dream life after 60. One of the first steps on this journey is to learn to see the world with a sense of optimism, regardless of what is going on around you. Over the last several years, I have had the opportunity to talk with hundreds of women in the Sixty and Me community. In doing so, I have noticed some interesting commonalities between the most positive members of our group. If you are not a natural optimist, I hope that you will find these traits inspiring. Make a conscious choice to build these habits into your daily life. They have the power to put you on the path to happiness and positivity. Here are the traits that the happiest women I know have cultivated to get the most from life after 60.

When traveling or spending time with family, I pause to say to someone I’m with, “Look, we are creating memories.” Or I’ll turn to pause and say, “Stop – look at what we are doing right now.” It’s my way of grounding myself at the moment, forcing a pause to truly appreciate…

An old friend and I were chatting recently via email. She had sent me a photograph she had taken of me earlier that day. I replied that it made me notice how very white my hair is and that I needed a haircut…

I know I am not the only woman who has weathered the storms of marriage and motherhood, emerging with unexpected battle scars. As we age, we gain perspective, realizing that the journey we imagined often takes twists and turns we never anticipated. Five years…

When I was 57, there was a day of reckoning. Truth be told, it ran longer than a single day. It was more like a series of “dark and stormy nights.” The nest was empty, and while we were delighted to see our three sons flying solo with minimal turbulence, their need for guidance from us was dropping sharply…

I have worked hard to make my single life pretty amazing, so I am not sure whether I would ever want to fall in love again. Living on your own can be wonderful… and so liberating! But if I did, I would like to make a contract, something I think would have been life changing…