Preface

 Preface

-I did not grasp all the details – and many more – right away. They came to my notice with time and as a result of necessity. I would be in the direst of dire straits, facing a bleak future, when some small thing, some detail, would transform itself and appear in my mind in a new light.

It would no longer be the small thing it was before, but the most important thing in the world, the thing that would save my life.

How true it is that necessity is the mother. How very true!!-

    From Life of Pi, Yann Martel

The original title of this book was “Necessity is the Mother.“ I thought it was very appropriate and was happy to have found it, but the experts advised against it.  “Many libraries and bookstores,” they assured me, “go by title to identify a book. You want keywords in your title that will put your book on the right shelf so the right people will find it.”  That was a difficult decision because it embraces our strengths and awareness, our basic instinct to nurture and protect, and our willingness to take action.

“Single Aging Women on Insufficient Retirement Income” was my second choice. I am afraid it reflects our situation very well and touches the majority of us in one way or another. It doesn’t describe, however, the potential and the dynamics of the Lady Boomers’ generation; it does not even hint at the untapped resilience, the bounce, the intelligence we possess and will bring with us to this stage in life.

It doesn’t matter how prepared or wealthy we are, the coming years will challenge us all, on many levels. There is only one way to influence the process and that is by showing up, so “Showing Up For The Golden Years: Resetting The Retirement Mindset” it is.

Living alone in my empty nest, my body aching for no apparent reason, I realized I had entered the transition from midlife to senior. Here I am, 60 with some 20-30 years ahead of me if the statistics have a say. For many of us, including me, reality is shaping up to be very different from the plans and dreams we had for this stage in life.

It seemed a logical time to look back and analyze decisions and choices I have made over the years that brought me here. I needed to understand; I needed to look at all aspects of aging and what it means to move into seniority.  I wanted to better recognize the path I am on, so I can make good decisions about my future and, in the process, create a structure to organize the coming turmoil. This book is the result of that brainstorm.

There is still a lot of work to be done. I need to find my Self, I need to learn to empower that Self, to value and be valued for my role in society. This is true for all of us, as CEOs or as nurturers or all pursuits in between.

My writing was done with American women in mind, regardless of skin tone or country of origin.  Many of us are from other countries and cultures, brought up with other norms and values.

We chose this country, however, over our “home country” to live our lives, to birth and raise our children, and eventually to die and rest forever in these grounds. That makes us American women, whether we feel the same as the women born and raised here or not.

The more flavor and diversity we bring to the discussions, the more space we will create for people to join us and the stronger we will be. All women together, I am sure we will paint a colorful image, but the canvass, the underlying structure, is the American way, mixed and mingled as it is. I think it is important that we join the hard-earned liberties and broadened horizons of women in America. Isn’t that what attracted us to come here in the first place?

I want to see us gathered around the table to discuss and design the next thirty years in our unique style, as a continuation, rather than an end of life.    

May this writing be the beginning of a beautiful journey for you into the wisdom years of your life.

- From Showing Up For the Golden Years

by Marielle Higler