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September
Seniors with Seniors
A successful marriage requires falling in love many
times, always with the same person, said Mignon
McLaughlin an early American Journalist who lived
to be seventy. And that may be the difficulty that
has to be overcome as seniors transpose from middle
age to senior years. The old gray mate ain’t
what s/he used to be.
Keeping that other person hanging around for
much longer is becoming a problem with many
seniors. How do you go to a stag party for the
wedding celebration of a friend when she has to tag
along? How do you go to the sewing bee when he is
carrying your spool of thread? Seniors, who have
traditionally depended on a loyal mate for their
care and company, has become nearly a thing of the
past. Seniors will increasingly fend for themselves
rather than live in an unhappy relationship.
Seniors are living longer and longer and many in
their 50s and 60s are reluctant to stay the course
… that is … staying married to the same
person and being faced with the prospect of a
decade or more in an unhappy eternal bond. Over the
past several years the divorce rate for baby
boomers, most seniors, has surged by more than
fifty percent while the rest of the population has
stabilized in this function at a much lower
percentage. Of course, it is also true that the
percentage of seniors who have never married is
climbing. Many seniors are just opting out of
marriage and venturing into the world of old age by
themselves.
It’s not easy. Most unmarried seniors live
alone. And many are coming to grips with the
seclusion and problems of living alone. Many
unmarried, or recently divorced, seniors confront
economic hardships that couples don’t face.
Sometimes the income just stops after a divorce or
a death of a partner: A job, after all these years
of living off someone else or the government? Now
is the time for change and sitting around
isn’t going to change things.’ Do you
want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action
will delineate and define you’, said Thomas
Jefferson. And most seniors want to be defined as
individuals and responsible people. Life goes on
and then …
‘Now I am on my own’ many seniors
start out by saying. ‘I’ll be the life of
the party even if it lasts until 8’.
‘I’ll become very good at opening
child-proof bottles with a hammer’.
‘I’m a senior citizen and I think I am
having the time of my life, aren’t I?’
The secret is to try not thinking about being
retired or getting older. Occupy, occupy, occupy
your mind with activities and the company of
friends. You had friends when you were half of a
couple, and it’s probably a surety that those
friends are still there. You can’t completely
abandon the life you knew before. But, ‘Keep
away from people who try to belittle your
ambitions. Small people always do that, but the
really great make you feel that you, too, can
become great’ … Mark Twain.
People are living longer these days, especially
seniors, so it is best to make the best of the time
ahead, even as a single senior.
©2012, Patrick
Kennedy
* * *
Man arrives as a novice at each age of his life.
- Nicolas Chamfort
Patrick
M. Kennedy (P Manvel Kennedy) has been a
professional writer, editor, and graphic artist for
over 30 years. He is the author of two books:
How
to Have Fun with
Retirement and his
latest book Being
a Senior Citizen: You rnew phase of life with
many questions looking for
answers. He
currently works from Boise, Idaho. In the past he
has worked from Seattle, Indianapolis, and Las
Vegas. He keeps busy because he knows it is
important when writing or editing any material with
a particular objective in mind, for either personal
use or business goals, to present ideas with
quality, clarity and accuracy. He can do that, and
he does most of it himself, but he occasionally
must call upon qualified associates for
assistance.
"My Resume shows me as an
experienced professional writer and editor who
specializes in the English language. With years of
professional experience in the
writing/editing/graphics field, I offer quality
services to both individual and business clients,
with prompt and accurate solutions designed to meet
their needs, and online editing services and
writing services for easy and quick results.
www.abetterword.com
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