At 57, I Am Finally Living Life to the Fullest
Aging is beautiful—and that’s what our new Better Now series explores. Here, we highlight aging and the unique ways that the passage of time has made the lives of women everywhere more beautiful, vibrant, and meaningful.
When you’re young, you dread getting older—at least I did. When I used to imagine myself at my current age of 57, I pictured myself the same way my mother’s generation was in their 50s. I used to think getting older meant losing your health and vitality, because that’s what I saw of the women who came before me. But two things happened to me at 55 years old that helped me gain a newfound sense of freedom and confidence, and truly realize that getting older is a blessing.
“I can still do what I love, but I can choose my own hours”
When I retired at 55 after a long teaching career, I initially thought I would miss working…until that first Monday came around, and my alarm didn’t go off at 5:15 in the morning. I thought to myself: This is kind of awesome.
I truly loved my job. I loved my students, I enjoyed being a cheerleading coach, and it felt amazing to have made a difference in a lot of lives. However, after many years of being at my desk by 6:50 a.m. every single morning and only being able to travel during school vacations, I was ready to pack up my classroom and move on to my next chapter in life. Luckily, I didn’t have to leave it all behind, and found a way to keep my foot in the door by starting my own tutoring business.
Now, I can still do what I love, but I can choose my own hours and take on as many or as few students as I please. I learned that I can stay relevant and engaged—but now I can do the things I enjoy completely on my terms, which has been wonderful.
“Traveling alone made me feel empowered”
In fact, soon after I retired, I was able to truly see just how much my life is better now. A friend of mine called to say she had a week in a timeshare in St Maarten that no one could use because they all had to work. And because I was newly retired, I was able to hop on a plane at a moment’s notice and use the reservation.
It was the first time I ever took a solo vacation. When I arrived, the fact that I was traveling alone really hit me. I was very apprehensive, and self-conscious: Who would I have dinner with? Who would I sit at the bar with? But I put on my big girl pants and decided to grab a bite to eat then head back to my room and read a book.
But what happened was actually just the opposite of what I thought. I met a group of other retired fabulous men and women and we talked and danced and drank and laughed all night. I spent the rest of the week snorkeling, swimming with sea turtles, and lounging at the pool and on the beach, rocking a swimsuit with my 50+ year old body, not worrying that my figure wasn’t exactly the same as it was in my 20s.
Very early on in my vacation, I began to feel empowered. Traveling alone made me feel incredibly self-sufficient, and it forced me out of my comfort zone for the first time—which in turn gave me the confidence to continue new adventures.
During this trip a light switch came on: I wasn’t alone on this journey. There is a world full of other like-minded 50+ year olds who are full of life and (most importantly) living their lives to the fullest!
It’s true: A whole, new, big, beautiful world opens up to you once you hit this phase of life.
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