Growing older to a lot of women means "doing without" even more things and more often that they've usually done. Why?
I've been reading a lot of posts lately where women say they're becoming even more lonely than ever; they never have anything to look forward to; they feel as though they're sitting in a corner and nobody cares!
If you're mobile, can get up into a bus without too much pain and discomfort; even have a car and can still drive, then there are some things that you can do to improve your daily plans. There's much to be said for "volunteering" and this isn't a bad idea at all. Think about joining an auxiliary at your local hospital and "man" their kiosk or small cafe team; join a group of ladies who go visiting shut-ins; sit and talk with other women who are undergoing chemo or other treatments. Add your presence to work at a charity shop. If you like animals, offer to "pet-sit" occasionally. Ask your council about having your home address being added to the "Safe Houses" for school children to come to if they feel anxious about other people in the street at school home-time (you'll need a Police Clearance as well). All these things can be fun and you meet a lot of people - young and old. If you're more outgoing, then why not put a notice up in the local coffee shop and invite other ladies to join you for say a Wednesday morning coffee-get-together at that same coffee shop.
Why not do an on-line course in a subject you have a special interest in, or a course at your local Neighborhood House. There are many "hobby" classes available - painting, crafts, scrapbrooking, cake making; cookery etc. But then you're probably an expert in all of these things already, having done them during your earlier years. But hey, there's no reason why you can't do "refresher" courses in these things - it can be fun and there's always someone you'll meet that will make the course and the morning (or afternoon) well worth while. And most Neighborhood Houses have a "coffee morning" anyway - women are invited to attend at no cost and it's great to have a chat even with strangers in this non-intimidating environment.
Write a family journal - everybody seems to be interested in genealogy at the moment , but it's sometimes the little personal anecdotes that are more interesting and important to family members. Put your memories down on paper. Even if noone else "seems" interested, then at least you will have performed something for your own pleasure. If you have a computer then you can quite easily draw up family "trees" and add photographs to your journal (and you don't necessarily need special computer software for this - basic word processing and adding photos is all you really need).
There are those women who have "always" been active - played bowls; attended elderly citizens meetings; gone on bus trips with other groups; been part of a garden group; a book club; groups attending theatre and cinema outings. Many other women have been too busy with family and other commitments to follow these things through their younger years. As far as career women are concerned, their whole lives have been filled with meeting dead-lines and agenda of employers, coupled with managing a home and bringing up a family. Who had time for hobbies or other interests?
Yet there are some slightly "outrageous" things you can plan to do. What about taking some lessons in ballroom or line-dancing (yep, there are classes sprinkled all around the city and suburbs and people who are wonky on their legs all go and have a wonderful time!). Belly-dancing is something that is both pleasurable and beneficial, especially if you suffer arthritis. I can speak from experience here. As a timid and shy person, I found belly-dancing was so liberating and empowering - I surprised myself by having so much fun. Save up and have a birthday fling on a Harley Davidson bike (most places have this sort of "tourist" thing available - you can pretend you're a tourist and this will open countless doors of opportunity for you.) And imagine how jealous your friends will be when you tell them you rode a Harley Davidson with a great looking "bikie" - in leathers! Get a photo if you possibly can, so you can boast about it. I reckon boasting if more than half the fun.
And maybe you're not so mobile? We'll talk about that a little later. To be continued ......
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