Starting Fresh: Finding Purpose and Joy at 50

Tina0601

Tina0601

New Member
Hello everyone,

I just turned 50 and I'm at an interesting crossroads in my life. While I'm not quite at retirement age yet, I've been thinking a lot about what the next chapter looks like and how to make the most of this stage of life.

Living in California as a single woman, I've realized that this is actually an incredible opportunity to redefine what happiness and fulfillment mean to me. I'm no longer focused on climbing the career ladder or meeting others' expectations - instead, I'm thinking about what truly brings me joy.

I'm curious to hear from those of you who have already embraced this phase of life:

• How did you discover new passions or hobbies after 50?
• What surprised you most about this stage of life?
• For those living independently, how do you balance solitude with staying socially connected?
• What advice would you give to someone just beginning to plan for their retirement years?

I'm particularly interested in hearing about retirement communities or lifestyle choices that have worked well for active, independent seniors. I want to make sure I'm building a life that's rich with connections, purpose, and new experiences.

Looking forward to learning from your wisdom and experiences!

Warm regards
 

I should also add that one thing I'm really excited about is the opportunity to travel more! Living in California gives me access to so many beautiful places - from the beaches to the mountains to the wine country.

I've always been too busy with work to really explore and enjoy what's around me. Now I'm thinking about maybe taking up photography or joining hiking groups to meet like-minded people who enjoy the outdoors.

Has anyone here found that their 50s and beyond were actually more adventurous than their younger years? I'd love to hear stories about people who discovered their love for travel, outdoor activities, or other adventures later in life!

Also, if anyone has recommendations for senior travel groups or adventure clubs in California, I'm all ears! 😊
 
Good first post Tina. It's great that you are looking to define what happiness and fulfillment mean now, instead of waiting until you are a senior citizen and/or retired. I retired at 50 (officially it was 24 days before my 51st birthday). To answer your questions:
• How did you discover new passions or hobbies after 50?
Shortly after I retired, my piano tuner who was missing a string she needed to complete the job, hipped me to digital pianos that she said don't need tuning. Next day, in a serendipitous occurrence, I got a letter from my alma mater about a piano sale and a digital piano was pictured. I traded in my studio upright piano and got my first Clavinova at the university's sale within a few days.

My son helped me discover the marvelous features that enabled me to create beautiful music. It was an exciting time as discovered I had the ability to compose in genres I love. A couple of years later, though it was not originally my intent, I released my first album in 2003. I released the second almost a year ago and will be working to release singles as I finish and have my son master them for me.

• What surprised you most about this stage of life?
When I first retired, I was surprised at how busy I was. My mother and husband used to tell me I was busier in retirement than when I was working. My son joked "that's why they call it "re-tired". I became baby sitter, chauffeur, care taker for my mom, somewhat involved in my husband's business endeavors, etc. During this time was also when I found, met and bonded with my half siblings (though we don't use half when referring to each other) as well as my nieces, nephews and "new" cousins.

You've asked good, important questions, but this has gotten long, so I'll answer the others later. I hope you enjoy it here enough to stay with us.

Welcome Delecate Flowers.gif
 

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Hello Tina,,

Revisit old interests to see if there is still a spark in any of these areas that you can turn into new hobbies.

Health becomes less about appearance and more about function, vitality, and longevity.

Create rituals of connection: Weekly calls, lunch dates, or group meet-ups. Consistency matters.

Embrace quiet time for reflection, creativity, or spiritual growth. Don't think of it as loneliness, but rather replenishment.

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Welcome Tina! All sorts of ideas, advice, and possibilities on here for you.
If you use the search button you may find threads already filled with loads
of ideas and comments on topics as you feel the urge to dive into.
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welcome to the forum!🤠🤠

I am in the minority on this forum, when it comes to how I viewed retirement, early on. I am 78 and have been retired since I was 62.

I was never a ladder climber. I was very well paid to be a behind-the-scenes person, making others look good and making NO mistakes in preparing my engineers for overseas power generating equipment outages.

My life was always my son and my horses. When I lost my son, my horses took over. That means retirement had subconsciously already been preplanned for a life with horses.

I eventually remarried and became widowed almost two years ago. I still have the farm, and two horses that keep my sanity, just as they always have in times of tragedy.

I really have nothing to offer in terms of what you are looking for. Just expressing that there are many varied approaches to what retirement looks like for each and every individual. Thankfully, I am a person, by inherent nature, that does not require a lot of human interaction. I would rather spend my time talking to the livestock Vet and his Tech, than chatting about nothing over a cup of tea at an outdoor venue. I very much respect that kind of conversation, it is just not for me.

As @IrishEyes alluded to, if you do a search on this forum, you will find many topics and great comments on the issues that interests you the most.😇😇
 
How did you discover new passions or hobbies after 50?

It pretty much fell in my lap...and it had legs and arms and an irresistible face.

I had to retire a bit early for health reasons. After a major surgery, a couple months of rehabilitation, and several months of traveling, I settled into a little apartment and, living alone, I got really bored, so I decided to join Big Brothers of America. Unfortunately, the program doesn't operate the way it did 30-40 years ago, when my uncle was a BigBrother, so when my sister told me a long-time friend's newborn grandson was taken by CPS and they couldn't place him with the grandmother/friend, I decided to get a foster-parent license.

That baby boy was delivered to me when he was 3 1/2-weeks old, and lived with me until he was around 2 1/2 years old. (I fostered a couple other babies, too, but only for a matter of weeks.)

Being a foster dad was one of the best things I've ever done, and it was one of the best periods of my life. It can also be heart-breaking, but I don't regret doing it.

What surprised you most about this stage of life?

It improved my health.

For those living independently, how do you balance solitude with staying socially connected?

Being in foster care connects you with social workers, activity center staff, preschool staff, and other foster parents... in fact, some days it feels like there's no end of people for you to connect with, but 95% of them are very good people.

And being a foster parent cures solitude 24/7.

What advice would you give to someone just beginning to plan for their retirement years?

Consider doing foster care. If you're not into kids or not physically or mentally able to care for them, consider fostering newborn kittens or puppies or fragile cats or dogs in need of temporary care. There's a huge demand for that.
 
After I retired, I used my now free time to so a lot of volunteering. I flew 110 missions for Angel Flight West, transporting patients to and from their appointments. I also volunteered at a hospice, repairing wheelchair, walkers, and other medical equipment.
I also traveled as a single person, meeting others in the same situation.
To celebrate my 80th birthday, I piloted a WW 2 P-51 Fighter.
 
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