“Head in the sand” is definitely not Kate Ligare’s approach to aging and downsizing.
Because she took early retirement, she has lived with people 10-15 years older than she for the past decade. She has seen what happens when people ignore the realities of aging. A medical crisis sends someone into a situation for which no planning was done and with predictably poor results.
In light of that, she is now on the waiting list for a CCRC (continuing care retirement community) not too far from her home in Jacksonville, FL. Friends have told her she isn’t old enough, but she feels ready emotionally to move to the next place she plans to live. She already knows a few people there and knows others on the waiting list, but she looks forward to branching out. She consciously seeks diversity in her friendships.
She’s also moved ahead with downsizing, selling a second home in Colorado and donating 14 boxes of books to the library book sale and 112 photo frames to her local Goodwill.
Body awareness coupled with mindfulness also has had real meaning for her. She started exploring this 15 years ago after her husband died suddenly. Over the years, she has participated in Rosen Body Work, Tai Chi, Nia dance, Pilates, and sports acupuncture as well as massage and meditation. She finds it all highly effective in restoring calm and equanimity. She found this very useful on January 6, 2021. Shaken by what was happening at the Capitol in DC, she was tempted to cancel the virtual Pilates session she had scheduled. Her instructor persuaded her to go ahead with it and she felt so much more centered afterward.
Kate has been involved in many nonprofit boards, generally focusing on social service needs in her community. Right now she is focused on enabling the local Boys and Girls Clubs with the technology they need to reach youth who cannot come to the clubs after school due to pandemic capacity restraints. She connects also with a knitting group and two book clubs. No one knows what the future may hold, but Kate feels more relaxed knowing that she is as prepared as possible. It does mean facing some tough realities earlier than one might like, but on balance deciding what makes sense and following through with the required actions brings her a certain peace of mind.