Being Content in My Advanced Years

 I have to face it, I am old. Some say that 77 is the new 55, but I dispute that theory. I know what it was like at age 55, and this ain't it, kid! Contentment is crucial to my existence today. 

I live alone. My life partner passed away many years ago (15) and the years since have been a series of ups and downs for me. Adjusting to living alone was the big hurdle. Learning how the checkbook was kept was another and just managing to get everything within and without the house was a daunting thing facing me every day. I was only 62 and still working. I was gone a lot. When I was home, I had lots of things to do to keep me occupied. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, bill-paying, mowing the lawn etc., etc. kept me busy.

Then came retirement. I had lots of time to get all the mundane stuff done. I began developing my few hobbies a bit more. I began to read more. I learned how to crochet. I took a class and learned, and the constant repetition of the hook and yarn was calming and certainly habit forming. I also wanted to learn more about watercolor art and have learned to do meager paintings, none of which I would want anyone with any knowledge of watercolor painting to see, but I like them.

I guess the whole purpose of this treatise is to say that I have found contentment. I have gotten used to being alone and have to say that I love and cherish my alone time. If I get lonely, I either call up my grandchildren who live close by and chat or they show up on my doorstep for a visit. I go to lunch with friends, and am still very active in the music department of my church. (Chancel choir, men's' quartet, solo work) and am semi active in a small group of knitter and crocheters. I love my home and love being in it. I still do everything within the home. My one luxury is that I hire the outside work, mowing, trimming and snow removal, done by a local firm here in my city.

You may be wondering why I referred to my wife as my life partner. She was more than a wife to me. She was my partner in all things. We both worked hard, play hard, and loved much. We raised two wonderful children together. Together we did it all, by ourselves and had a ball doing it. Life was fun and exciting for both of us...until it wasn't. She died unexpectedly. It was 15 years ago this week. I miss her even now. Though, through tough times adjusting and readjusting over and over again in those years since, I have found my niche. That niche is called "contentment."