Hello everyone! As is the usual case, I set down to do my writing for the weekly blog and book bubble on Sunday afternoon, and this week is no exception. But for this week, however, I’m feeling more than just a little nostalgic about life and the road I’ve traveled, so much so that my book bubble and blog title actually focus on the cross-roads we face as we inch closer and closer to those ever-looming “golden years” (A discussion about the naming of these years and the blatant misuse of the word “golden” is for a later blog).
I’m going to share the actual excerpt from the book bubble here for those of you who do not have access to the Weekly Bublish Book Bubbles Readathon:
“When we’re young, we burst forth into life as if it’s a race. Constantly pushing forward, only occasionally glancing left or right to gauge our progress against that of our peers. As the years roll on, we’ve become so caught up in juggling careers, kids, and life’s plans, that although we may often wistfully glance around, we lack the time and energy to pursue any other avenue. Then we reach mid-life, and we do begin to look around, in earnest. But we’re still a little short on time and energy for the preponderance to have a foothold in real actions. Tack on a few more years, and we’re suddenly having conversations with ourselves to try to plot a course forward for those ever-looming golden years. Now, the crossroad has arrived. Now, we’ve reached a place where choices must be made. It’s in these moments, that a lifelong friend and confidant becomes something to treasure”
For me, those days have semi-arrived. Ever more frequently, I have complete conversations with myself in the shower, on the way to work, or simply as I sit and sip my morning coffee and contemplate what life will look like physically and mentally when I reach those golden years.
For those of my readers who find themselves in this same place, this blog is for you.
My husband and I have spent more than a decade contemplating retirement in that dreamy, someday-kind-of-way. Now that we’re almost there, the haze is dissipating, and a clear view is beginning to emerge.
We’ve finally made the all-important choice of “where” to retire. The Ozarks of North Arkansas won our hearts years ago, and now it looks like they’re going to win over our final years of life.
I guess for us, “where” was really the most difficult part of the retirement cross-road. What to do with ourselves has not, at this point, been a focus.
But for others, “where” is not as important as “what to do to fill up the time.” For Jo and Gina, it’s not the where but the what that seems to be giving them the most trouble.
And for almost everyone I know, contemplating these choices and having a lifelong friend and confidant to help us work our way through the process makes a less difficult journey. It seems much easier to make these all-important choices when you have input from someone who knows you almost as well as you know yourself.
If you’ve not taken the time to read “Memories of Tomorrow, A Prequel,” you might find you can identify with these women of the Ozarks, and their quest for reclaiming their friendship, as they contemplate their crossroads and vision of tomorrow.
It’s my hope that many of my readers can find themselves in the characters of Jo and Gina and, in so doing, find some humor in their real-life choices and crossroads.
Thanks again for being a reader, and I will see you all next week!