Are You Ready, Because This Is Happening...

A memory from age 4 ~ Favorite Song

THE BEATLES "Do You Want to Know a Secret"

What exactly is happening, with me anyway?  Age... aging,  You know how you go along holding steady from your 30's through, apparently, age 50 (at least in my case) then BAM! I mean, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... Suddenly you cannot seem to stay awake during daylight hours. I need to have at least one morning nap and one early afternoon nap!  I. know.  So you tell me.  Is this official "I'm old" phase?  I'll admit, this is a bit concerning.

It's been several weeks - hell, months - that my plan has been to sign up for AARP... mostly to see what kind of perks are available to The Husband and me now that we've reached the Golden Years - wouldn't you know it, the first known use of the term GOLDEN YEARS was 1964 - the year I was born.  So yeah, I think it is approps to apply this term to describe my current phase in life.  And although I often hashtag #ImOld on some of my Twitter posts, I'm not that old, I'm just older than a majority of Twitter followers and followees.

Anywho, evidence of this shift in my daily routine (granted, I'm always up for a lovely mid-day nap), happened this Summer when my kids and I spent weeks enjoying EW's list of 55 "must see" movies every 13 year-old should watch.  What happened? Nearly every viewing had to be interrupted due to my inability to stay awake! I needed to have a lie down midway through all these great films - never had that happen before; same with books, two or three pages in and I'm nodding off.  This is bad, yes?  It's totally an old lady thing, right? Or maybe I just need to start taking a multi-vitamin again, Or, break the habit of going to bed past 2:00 am. Or maybe, eat balanced meals and healthy snacks throughout the day.  All of those habits need some tweaking, and that's where I thought AARP might be worth a more in-depth look.

Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying that AARP membership means it's all down hill from here... god no!  I actually see it as joining an inclusive club with vibrant, productive, and eager individuals full of wisdom and knowledge who could offer sensible advice.  Fun should begin at 50, right? I'm all for that, who wouldn't be.  So this is happening to me, but I don't think I'm doing it right.  And no, I'm not ready for this... age 50.  One thing I am willing to explore is the possibility of reinventing myself.  And what do you know, AARP has this really nifty website, Life Reimagined, designed to assist and guide you through obstacles that might be keeping you from confidently approaching what should be a purposeful, fulfilling chapter in your life at age 50 and beyond.

Please click here for more information.

I signed up for Life Reimagined beginning of October and find it is already helping me see the possibilities that lay ahead.  This makes me happy.  If you know of anyone in the AARP stage of life who is feeling a bit stuck, please consider sharing this website with them.*


*This is not a paid endorsement.

For more information go to:

• www.aarp.org
• lifereimagined.aarp.org