Anniversary

I moved from NYC to Cape Cod exactly a year ago. I had no real idea what I was doing or what life would be like here. Oh, I'd been here often, Rachel and family live here. But I was starting a new life. I knew about doing things on my own, I had plenty to fill my time [writing, books, quilting, piano, exercise].

To my surprise I found I have skills I did not know I had and that the bothersome [I won't way painful for it wasn't really] shyness of much younger years was gone. I had learned some of life's lessons about getting involved, going to some effort to make connections and above all I knew I did not want to stagnate with little mental stimulus beyond the challenge of writing a book I've been researching for years. I resolved those problems by becoming involved with the local Academy for Life Long Learning, enjoying courses, teaching a writing course. It's been exhilarating -- seeing DVDs of operas, documentary films, Shakespearean plays, above all meeting many people who also are vital and interesting and very alive in the last third or quarter of their lives. Closer ties with family has been warm and with the astonishing addition of a great-grand child -- astonishing not for any physiological reason but the psychological ah-ha of aging being physicalized by a new human being.

I have some questions to answer later in the week [I'll post about most of it then] the first of which is "What is your definition of successful aging?" I've thought of an answer; To reach 70+/- and find that your bucket list is fairly short and that everything on it is gravy. If that's the case you have lived a fulfilled life. More may be good [getting that book written and published] but not attaining it would be only disappointment, not regret, and so on with places I would like to travel. It's going to be a week of thoughtfulness due to a panel discussion Tuesday so I'll come back this general topic.