{"id":5915,"date":"2020-02-07T06:24:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T11:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=5915"},"modified":"2020-02-07T06:24:51","modified_gmt":"2020-02-07T11:24:51","slug":"doing-60-around-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2020\/02\/doing-60-around-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Doing 60 Around Town"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/span>I\u2019m a healthy, engaged, purpose-driven woman in my 60s. I consider myself an empty nester; one daughter has moved out of state and the other is in college, so it\u2019s me and the pets. And I\u2019m fine with that. Really. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m not antisocial, and I <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> want to be invited to parties and group dinners out. I <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> want to see where my daughter is studying abroad. I just don\u2019t want to go.  <\/span><\/p>\n

I was widowed when my kids were 6 and 8, and I believed I needed to do the work, and put in the time, of two parents. And I did, no regrets. I allowed people to think of me as a helicopter parent and did nothing to dissuade them. Life as a single mom was intense, unrelenting and lonely. I was as active and attentive as any parent you\u2019ve ever met. I worked a couple of part-time jobs so that I could attend school functions and sporting events. I coached, camped, cheered, baked. I did everything moms from two-adult households did and more. I went out to dinner where my daughters wanted to go, saw movies they wanted to see, took them to the farm every summer\u2014their dream vacation. Our shared memories are priceless to me. I\u2019m not feeling old, not feeling tired. I feel semi-retired from parenting, and I\u2019m content.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before my husband and I married, we traveled. A lot. I was in my late 30s, he, 20 years older; we seriously considered having stamped passports a viable alternative to having children. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now, friends and family are scattered around the country, and still, I don\u2019t feel compelled to pack my bags. I am happy for childhood friends who are hiking the Appalachian Trail or kayaking the Colorado River in retirement. It\u2019s just not for me. I\u2019m not in a financial position to retire. I enjoy my work for the most part, and serving on the board of education and my other volunteer activities are very rewarding.<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t feel compelled to embody someone else\u2019s idea of what their 60s should look like. Run a 10k, run a company, run to the airport, if that\u2019s right for you. For now, staying closer to home feels just right to me. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 I\u2019m a healthy, engaged, purpose-driven woman in my 60s. I consider myself an empty nester; one daughter has moved out of state and the other is in college, so it\u2019s me and the pets. And I\u2019m fine with that. Really.…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Doing 60 Around Town<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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