The Ups and Downs of Aging

by annemariedemyen, posted in retirement

I have been retired for an entire eight months now, so it is time for another update of how things are going!

Finances – contrary to virtually every column I have ever read on retirement, we did not become destitute the day I retired. Granted, my husband is still working, but I am fairly confident that even when he does retire, we will not end up under a bridge. Maybe these dire warnings in finance columns are not meant for Canadians. We have Old Age Pension and Canada Pension, plus Dan will have a work pension. We have public Medicare and reduced costs for prescriptions, insurance and the like. Plus – working costs a lot of money that us retirees do not shell out. (Like restaurant meals, or take out meals or quick cooking meals, clothing, vehicle expense, aspirin and the like). 😊

Appearance – Inevitably, looks change as we get older. Some fortunate people actually get more attractive and distinguished looking as they age. Some of us get wrinkles, move all of our weight to our waistlines, and look like dandelions that have gone to seed on our bad hair days. I choose to avoid mirrors, wear stretch pants, and feel beautiful, anyway. ☺️

Health – Health can be challenging as we age. Apparently when you hit 65, your warranty runs out and parts start to go. That does not mean you have to believe every advertisement or meme out there. I still have my hearing and my sight is as good (or as bad) as it has ever been. I have only fallen down once and found I couldn’t get up. (That incident involved a bottle of tequila and a hot tub, so whatever🙄). I haven’t started to pee a little when I laugh (phew – that is a relief – cause I laugh quite often since I retired). My joints seem to be holding out – except I pulled something in my left knee the other day and that hurts like hell. Other than my sinuses, lungs, heart, and this knee thing, I think I am doing relatively well. 👍

All in all, retirement is still working for me. I am happier and more content than I have ever been. I love being able to live my life around Dan’s schedule and spend time with him. I love having time to rest and relax – it feels so decadent. 🤗 I love having time to remember the good times that I had in my life. This morning I was going through some Christmas pictures from when my kids were tots. They were so cute and sweet and precious. I miss my little ones, but I am happy that they are all grown up and have their own little ones now. It is funny, we enjoy the time when our kids are small, but we are so busy taking care of them that we do not fully appreciate that time until we have time to cherish our memories of it. Thank goodness for retirement!

Old lady, bad hair day🤣🤣🤣

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43 thoughts on “The Ups and Downs of Aging”

  1. Hahaha, you had me at dandelions gone to seed, and not all of my weight is sitting on my waistline but definitely in the middle one third section of my egg shaped bod. Have a great day Annemarie…

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I hear ya sister! At least our home is paid off. And the car. Save on milage when your husband drives trucks😁
    Same with my parts. Their warrenty is running out.Just have fits over being ripped off by pharmacological costs. My phenobarbitol cost $5.a month for 40 yrs. Now its up to $150!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Our home is paid off, also – and small enough that the upkeep is very reasonable. Yikes to the drug cost! We still have Dan’s drug plan for now but we had to sign up for a government plan when I turned 65 so that will kick in when he retires. Fortunately!

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  5. Glad your retirement is going well. And you are right about our children and being so busy taking care of them. It seems they grew up in a blink. You have a great sense of humor, and you are beautiful! Enjoy your day!

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Aww.. Thank you, Betty! Enjoy yours as well! (And yes it seems now that they grew up in a blink but having three of them in a 42 month span, I remember thinking that some days felt really long.) 😳

    Liked by 2 people

  10. 🙂 Haha! Brilliant!

    I have cut hair for 35 years now and always grateful and amazed that clients stick with me. I travel hundreds of miles every 6th week back south just to cut hair! But it works both ways – they love me and I love them! Peas & loaf xo

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  12. Wow – that is amazing! I could never be a hairdresser – I don’t know how hairdressers can stand in one spot for days on end. I would drop like a rock! I am sure your clients appreciate your dedication and I am glad that you love working with them. 💞

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  13. Ha. I’ve never really thought of it as standing in one spot. In a strange way the ‘mirror’ is the clue. It gives so much distance and yet when you speak/work with someone it is generally about 3″ from someone’s ear that you speak to them – far closer than a lot of conversations. It is a strange and perfectly natural place to be.

    The punters and the stories and the opportunity to listen and tell is fundamental.

    Still, I’m only doing this until I decide what I really want to do with my life! 🙂 I still fancy being an astronaut… best not to rush into this things!
    Peas & loaf xo

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  15. My grandmother always said that as we got older God was kind. When she go up in the morning she didn’t have her glasses on couldn’t tell how bad she looked and when conversations bored or upset her she turned off her hearing aids. Love that perspective!

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Love this! Happy to hear that things are going well and that you are getting the time to enjoy all of your hard work 😊. After reading, I was inspired to stop and take a moment to appreciate what I have right now, despite all the chaos going on around me 🤣. My kids are growing up so fast and life seems to be flying past at warp speed…I need to enjoy some of this now…if that’s even possible lol! Thank you!

    Liked by 2 people

  20. Aww, love your post! And your hair doesn’t look so bad! ❤️ Retirement sounds WONDERFUL! I have some years to go before I can retire and I was planning on just cutting back to part-time hours. Anyways, glad you are doing good! Thanks for sharing! 🥰😀

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  21. Thank you! My hair has always had a life of its own. I am used to it. 🙂. It would have been nice to ease into retirement by going part time but it would not have worked for me. Good luck and keep looking forward to retirement! It is good for sure!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Mrs Bear and I have been retired for a couple years now, and are enjoying it immensely. My frugal wife put money aside for decades for these moments, and our USA SS is nice. In addition, and unfortunately, COVID-19 has improved our finances. We aren’t traveling or buying much. Our lives, geographically and financially, are pretty simple right now. We hope that will all change in the next year. In the meantime, we stay safe, work out, play golf, and dream of hitting the road again.

    Liked by 4 people

  23. Oh, I forgot to mention that my wise Mrs Bear says that if you get up in the morning and something doesn’t hurt, then something is wrong.

    Liked by 3 people

  26. Well, I think you look great, if you have wrinkles they are well hidden. I am in my 80’s and thankful for every grey hair and wrinkle…I feel they were all well earned. My sweet hubby prepared well for us to have it good in our retirement years. I really enjoyed this post.

    Liked by 2 people

  27. Thank you! I am glad you have prepared for a retirement where you can afford to enjoy it. I have wrinkles – I think it is just because my phone camera is not that great that they do not show up in pictures. It is funny, I look in a mirror and see the the exact wrinkles that I saw in my Dad’s cheeks once he hit his sixties. I always wanted to be just like him. 😂

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Pingback: Turning 70

  34. Great blog! I’d take being older rather than younger any day. Im way more confident now than when I was 20. Health issues and stuff aside, the experience that age gives you is way more useful.

    Liked by 1 person

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