SOME BACKSTORY

Ten years ago when I quit my job, I intended to find other work, something new maybe, probably somewhere else, but I didn’t know what or where or when. I hadn’t lived here a full year yet when my husband died unexpectedly. I debated moving “back,” but I wasn’t sure where that was. Back to South Dakota? That job wasn’t available any longer. Back to Minnesota? Sisters and friends, but those long, harsh winters?? I actually applied for a job there but changed my mind before the interview was over. No, thanks. Back to New Mexico? Been there done that, but I’d be near to my youngest son and his family. But I’m liking the trees and water and East Coast access to things. To California where my other two children live with their families? Earthquakes, wildfires, traffic, cost of living?? No, but thanks anyway. To Ohio, where another sister lives? She calls it the Armpit of the Country, which I don’t necessarily agree with, but again, winter, and sort of random. I thought, if I’m going to go somewhere random and start over, I might as well stay here and avoid the hassle of moving. For now. I gave myself a year to figure it out.

LIVING SOLO + RETIREMENT = ?

Fast forward ten+ years, and I’m still here, still not working (except for some infrequent consulting work or temporary gigs to make money for travel or another specific purpose). This is the longest time in my entire life I’ve had the same address, and I’m liking that my roots have gone a little deeper – as opposed to going wider every other time I’ve moved to chase my career or make better choices.

I’m still solo, and more single than I was – meaning I believe a new widow is still married for a long while when she’s grieving, but now I’m actually enjoying my new lifestyle. I have adapted to my life as an occasional mom, grandma, aunt, and sister. I volunteer as a dog foster mom, am active with my local HOA board, and help out with the annual Christmas Market. I’m a friend, taking plenty of time to tend to relationships with those I’ve met over the years who live far away. Believe me, I am eternally grateful that we no longer pay for long-distance phone calls!! I travel, I shop, I read, I walk, I talk.

Did I mention I shop? Thrift, consignment, antique, and the occasional boutique and full-on retail department stores. I think I’ve filled the void that was caused by suddenly living alone with stuff. Old stuff, new stuff, big stuff, little stuff, collections of stuff, and just stuff stuff. It’s fun, it’s creative, it’s interesting. It’s a cheap thrill most of the time. I’ll bet some of you can relate to the thrill of the hunt! And in a house with empty spaces, both physically and metaphorically, it’s not problematic. And it’s definitely not hoarding, lest you are concerned for my mental health!! I admit, though, a house has regular and annual and aging-parts maintenance need$ that take up a significant amount of time.

INTERRUPTED BY A MYSTERY HEALTH CHALLENGE

Then a couple of months ago I had my first big health scare, the root cause of which is still a mystery. So for months now I’ve had to go to doctors and submit to scans and ultrasounds and blood draws, even a biopsy (benign, thankfully). When the medical profession and insurance hacks fail me, I’ve consulted Dr. Google and ChatGPT regularly to help me understand what might be going on with my body. All I know for sure is that something is out of balance, and since I don’t know what, I feel vulnerable. Trust me, this kind of thing got my brain working overtime. Like a Mexican jumping bean, I have bounced around the concepts of Days Numbered, Lost Independence, and Better Do It Now.

CHOOSING TO SIMPLIFY

The result is that I’ve recently volunteered to become a beta client of a new program in town, one in which a “silver sherpa,” a kind of senior’s life coach, helps you prepare to change your lifestyle through planning (and motivation) for downsizing, decluttering, organizing, simplifying, and acting on the idea of The Next Thing – the next place, the next way of life, the next version of you. I’m finally ready for that. I want to make the necessary choices about who, what, when, where, and how while I can still do that – and do it the way I want. You might think I’m still young (only 67) to be thinking about these kinds of major shifts, but the way I see it, it’s a process, and a fairly long one at that. I planned to give myself another year to clean house, to think about my options, to let go of stuff, to prepare myself mentally for a smaller house but a larger life. As you might guess, I’m already off to the races! In other words, it very likely won’t be a year-long process for me.

I invite you along on my journey. I’ll share about the sherpa program, the Downsizing Event program I’ve been attending, my thoughts, the detours, the process. If you get anxious to know more and more quickly than I push out my posts, it’s Ben Munson at the Memorie Group here that I’m working with.