Friendships

Last Thursday night, I found myself at a hotel bar at 10pm. I was very proud of myself for staying up so late. I know, I know – retirement means I don’t have to get up early. But the truth is, I’m an early-to-bed kind of person…

The next time you see a tree, let it remind you of the value of friendship and community. When I turned 70, I found myself stunned and lost, wondering “Where did everyone go?” I had recently left full-time work, and around the same time, my grandson, whom I’d raised, launched into young adulthood…

The air inside the market carried the scent of yeast and something faintly floral. Coastal fog clung to the redwoods, but here the light through salt-hazed windows came in warm, settling over bins of produce and jars of honey. The space, built from reclaimed cedar, felt worn in the right places…

I don’t know about you, but as I get older, my tolerance for small talk decreases. I used to be in a profession in which schmoozing was important. I often took CEOs of public companies out to dinner to discuss their business goals. I advised many management teams and formed meaningful relationships with the investment community…

Let’s say the quiet part aloud. Some senior communities feel like high school cafeterias with better lighting. There are cliques. There is whispering. There are women who decide who is “in” and who is quietly pushed to the margins…

The world is changing for 60-year-old women. We no longer have the social context that we enjoyed as a wife, parent or co-worker. Building community and creating a network of like-minded friends is a challenge, but not impossible…

Based on our many conversations with women over 60, a quiet theme keeps emerging. After a big life change, retirement, relocation, or both, many expected community to feel easier. With more time and fewer obligations, connection seemed like it would naturally follow…

“I don’t care what anyone thinks” is one of those sentences people say casually and often, usually without pausing long enough to test whether it’s true. It has the rhythm of independence and the posture of courage, which makes it attractive…

I started a new life in my late 50s, after my husband and I separated. It was not anything I ever expected at that age. Like many women, I had built a life shaped by shared history, and when that life changed, I found myself standing…

When any big life event comes round, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, anniversaries, it is easy to remember what we were doing on the same day last year, or many years ago. Magical childhoods waiting for Santa to arrive, Easter egg hunting, unwrapping birthday presents, forever weddings.