Aging Fearlessly: Welcome to Suzanne’s new blog

I never contemplated what it would be like to grow old. Life was always so full and interesting that I was too busy to think ahead. When my husband, Don, and I retired to Deer Isle in 1997, I was 53 and looked forward to the many adventures we would have in Maine. But life has a way of forcing you to deal with issues for which you are unprepared, and experiences pop up that in hindsight could have been handled better. My goal for this blog is to share insights and hints from my personal experience as well as yours, plus resources you can use to deal with issues that face us as we age in Maine.

Every two weeks I'm going to imagine that you've come over for morning coffee and we're sitting chatting in my living room or on the front porch if the weather is nice. Today I'll begin by telling you a bit about myself. I grew up in Washington, DC and went to college and law school in Colorado. I first lived in Maine in the early 1970s and quickly fell in love with the state. After I married Don in 1974, we lived in Boulder, Colorado, then Tacoma, Washington, but Maine always remained my touchstone. Several vacations and two sabbaticals in Maine convinced us that we should take early retirement so we could live here year-round. We chose Deer Isle because it was quiet and gorgeous but close enough to "civilization" to meet our shopping and other needs.

Before retiring, my professional career included practicing law, directing a variety of citizen advocacy organizations and two foundations, and being a freelance photojournalist writing primarily for the New York Times. In Maine I've volunteered for a number of nonprofits but devote my time now to AARP Maine's advocacy work. As for "extracurricular" fun, I love to read (anything but science fiction), garden (except right after it rains) and try new recipes (made "tomato bread" yesterday).

Why, you might ask, is this blog titled "Aging Fearlessly?" Because at 77, I find there is little to fear. Death? Well, that's going to happen to all of us. Things that bothered me earlier in my life no longer do. I don't worry about what people think of me, which frees me to take public stands on important issues, reach out to legislators I've never met, and be my own fierce advocate in sometimes difficult personal situations. Do things still scare me? Yes, but rarely. Cataract surgery was one. I've found, however, that thinking of myself as fearless is empowering, a term I would usually dismiss as mere psychobabble, but in this case it is accurate.

I look forward to chatting with you about many subjects concerned with aging in Maine, and I hope you'll suggest topics you'd like me to explore. My goal is to provide insights and information that will encourage you to look at issues from a new perspective, or delve into a topic you've not considered. Some subjects will be fun to explore, others will be difficult but important. When I refer you to resources, they will be ones I've read thoroughly, believe are reliable, and offer easy-to-understand information. I hope to challenge you to find your own path through the maze of aging in Maine, especially rural Maine. And I'll leaven all these sometimes-difficult discussions with a bit of humor, a sassy thought here and there.

In my next blog post, I'll focus on tips to help navigate your healthcare system.  If you have specific questions on this topic, or any general comments, please be in touch. Your reactions, ideas and personal stories will help make this blog an interactive experience for AARP Maine members. You can reach me at me@aarp.org. Please put "blog" in the subject line so your comments will reach me.

 

See you again in two weeks!

Suzanne Spitz Carmichael