At 60, Denise Taylor began again: downsized, got a divorce, embraced single living, and set off on a journey that included a vision quest, game ranger training, and time living with a Maasai tribe. At 64, she completed her doctorate exploring how people find meaning after full-time work. That research became the seed for ThriveSpan, one of nine books, a model, a philosophy, and a way of living more consciously in later life.

"I could see the future," Denise said. "If I were going to make any changes, I'd better make them now."

Single living was difficult. She realized that she had no friends. Denise and her ex-husband had done everything together. There'd been no room, time, or convenience of friends. But she put in the time and energy and developed enough social contact to make her happy.

But the beauty of being single allowed Denise to make her own decisions. She no longer had to placate her ex. "There was such freedom," she said. "Every decision is mine."

You'll want to listen to Denise talk about her experiences as a vision quester (Is there such a thing?), her time spent with a Masai tribe, and the owner of four acres of woodland. "Nature has influenced me in so many ways; it certainly influences my writing and the connection I feel to Mother Nature."

https://denisetaylor.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/retirement-relevance-question-who-we-without-doing-dr-denise-taylor-9vn1e/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisetaylor/?originalSubdomain=uk

"We don't want to be younger versions of ourselves: We've worked too hard to get where we are today."

"Aging is a process of living." Guest Tracey Gendron, professor, author, and activist, reminds listeners that we don't want to be younger versions of ourselves: We've worked too hard to get where we are today. However, the way we learn about aging is filled with misconceptions. We've never learned the truth; instead, we think of aging as a process of physical decline and don't look at the "growth part." Yes, Tracey says, loss and decline are real. There's no getting around that. But so is change and growth. Research shows that as we age, we tend to focus on things that make us feel better, and we are much more able to "prune" the relationships and things that are not working for us. It's part of the wisdom we gain. We understand that we've wasted a lot of time on people who don't give us joy. "The world gets smaller but richer because it is filled with people and things we love.""Older Women & Friends" is richer with Tracey as this episode's guest.Her book, Ageism Unmasked, has garnered oodles of praise like this:“This book is a must-read for anyone who is aging — and that is every one of us! "Jill Vitale-Aussem, author of Disrupting the Status Quo of Senior Livinghttps://www.traceygendron.com/homeAgeism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It- https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/700435/ageism-unmasked-by-tracey-gendron/9781586423223/OR wherever you buy books

It's a new trend, well, maybe not that new. Couples in committed relationships are choosing to live apart. Interesting, eh? The couple might be married, maybe not. Perhaps they are divorced; maybe a partner/spouse has passed away. Whatever the circumstances, these couples agree that they don't have to share the same space to have a happy, healthy relationship.

Vicki Larson, today's guest, has written LATitude: How You Can Make A Live Apart Together Relationship Work. "It seems as if women 50-plus are the movers and shakers," she says. "Many women (and men) are uninterested in replicating past marriages or long-term commitments."

While the statistics don't tell the whole story, it is estimated that ten percent of American couples and those in other countries are living together apart. "It's becoming much more common than we thought," says Vicki.

Vicki tells the story of her own parents, who lived apart for ten years. "It didn't faze me," she says. Her mother left New York City and moved to Florida. She had had enough. (They eventually lived together again.)

Vicki points out that there are no rules when it comes to LAT relationships. Couples fashion whatever works for them. For some, the idea is terrifying. For others, it is a grand creative adventure.

What are some of the benefits of living apart together, according to those who've embraced the arrangement? It gives some breathing space, a "room of one's own." For others, it brings a sexual novelty to the relationship. Still others subscribe to the sentiment that "absence makes the heart grow fonder."

There are, of course, downsides. The romantic partner may not be accepted by the other partner's children. The negative response from some ("Why even get married or commit when you're not living together?") can cause tension between friends and acquaintances. And there are feelings of jealousy/a lack of trust between some couples.

Again, Vicki stresses that living apart together is not for everyone and is not better than traditional relationships, just different. Deciding to live separately requires a lot of discussion, decision-making, and change. But for some, the setup is exactly how they want to live, what for many is a second or third shot at a long-term romantic relationship that works.

https://www.vicki-larson.com/

https://www.facebook.com/vlarson/

https://www.vicki-larson.com/books

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickilarson/

How to contact Wendy Battles, host of Reinvntion Rebels

https://reinventionrebels.com/about/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendyabattles/