Life After Retirement

Several years ago, while I was going through a major downsizing exercise, I came across a vision board that my son had created in 5^th grade. Of course, he had no idea what a vision board was at the time, but, it was clear that this was the result of his creative effort. His visual collage was both beautiful and eerily prescient. Read More

Does the meaning of life change after 60? That’s the question I found myself asking, recently, as I sat in a small cafe, writing and preparing for the week to come. As I wrote, teenagers walked past the window, arms filled with shopping bags. Moms navigated the busy street with toddlers and buggies. Women in their 30s and 40s hustled past on their way to work. Some people looked organized and purposeful. Others looked frantic and vaguely confused. But, regardless, they all seemed to be going somewhere. Whether they knew it or not, their lives had a purpose — perhaps a purpose defined by their life stage — but, a purpose all the same. With so many options available, life after 60 feels entirely different. So, the question struck me.
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The feminist movement gave women many gifts. Whatever your opinion about “women’s lib,” most efforts to achieve equality and independence have been helpful. Women can vote, own property and enjoy a wide range of legal and financial freedoms. Women truly have come out of the shadows and chosen to take off their invisibility cloaks. Read More

When I was 12 years old, I spent a lot of time imagining how my life would unfold. I created a wonderful plan, complete with well-defined dots, connected by entirely straight lines. I soon realized that the map I drew in my mind was sketched in pencil, not in ink. Read More

Women, especially older women, often feel invisible. Like many women, I spoke out in the 1960s. I pushed hard to build a career in a “man’s world” and I started the Sixty and Me community to give women over 60 a voice. Read More

Nancy Collamer is my guest on this latest episode the Sixty and Me Show. Nancy is a well-known career coach and author of a book called “Second Act Careers: 50 Ways to Profit from Your Passions in Semi-Retirement.” As a blogger for Next Avenue and Forbes, she writes about issues facing older women in “semi-retirement”. Read More

Beauty is a timeless and elusive concept. Like love, it means something different to almost everyone. Perceptions of beauty are shaped by society, culture and personal preferences. Read More

What would a city look like if was designed for women? The idea of “women friendly urban planning” might sound strange, but, the truth is, men and women use public transport, streets and parks in very different ways. City planners have started to examine how these differences should influence the way cities should be designed.

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I just watched a TED talk given by a young mother named Stacey Kramer. She explained that she had recently received an amazing gift. Her gift was the size of a golf ball, yet, its impact on her life had been massive. It had brought her family together, made her feel loved and appreciated and allowed her to reconnect with friends. It had helped her focus what was important in her life and re-established her faith. Read More

What do medieval beguines, communal living apartments, the Golden Girls and Suzanne Braun Levine all have in common? They’re all examples of how women can support one another in dealing with the challenges of getting older. There are many things that today’s women can learn from the idea of shared living communities.  Read More