Author
Excerpt from Aging Adventurously at 80
Have you ever dreamed of writing a book? Did you nod yes? We have something in common!
My dream started more than 25 years ago, but I don’t think I realized how many people had the same dream until 2024, my big year, the year I turned 80 and my first book, Milepost 75: Aging and Exploring Life Trails with Wonder, Resilience, and Love was published.
I had originally thought selling 1,000 copies would be a reasonable and rational goal. I quickly learned it wasn’t, but I received so many other benefits.
One benefit was that a weight had been lifted. That unfulfilled dream of writing by book was finally achieved. I no longer felt like I was carrying around that heavy did not finish in my head.
During my career as an operations manager at the telephone company I loved being able to create. I created reports that depicted results in a way that demonstrated to my team they were making progress. Later on at Walt Disney World and Limited Brands where I worked as an organization development leader, I conducted organization assessments that provided insights with interview summaries that helped to inform and influence behavior. Now readers were telling me I had written a story that delighted them, informed, excited, and actually inspired them to change their behavior. I was creating again. It was nice to exercise that muscle.
My memoir also created stronger connections with others, family, friends, even strangers.
And maybe the biggest benefit of all was that I learned so much about myself. Isn’t that funny? I wrote. Then I read what I wrote and learned things that had never dawned on me before. Lessons from each event, trip, and adventure. Lessons from the way my late husband, Arnie, and I created a mutually satisfying and rewarding retirement.
I embraced many more reasons to be grateful.
I even discovered a new life purpose.
My life has been changed for good. Because I wrote my book.
But here’s the deal, while many readers have told me they enjoyed reading about my events and adventures and were even inspired, they also told they were equally if not more intrigued with how I managed to capture my big dream of writing my book and getting it published. Especially after it sat in my head for more than 25 years. Especially at this advanced age.
“Thank you for sending me your book!” My neurosurgeon said as he walked into the exam room for my post-fusion surgery check-in.
“You’re welcome!” I paused, smiled, “Did you read it yet?”
“Well, I read my chapter,” he said with a big grin. We both laughed.
“And I’m looking forward to reading the rest on the plane on my honeymoon trip.”
“I hope you enjoy it. Most people say they loved reading my book, but what they really want to know is how I managed to write my book and get it published.”
His face lit up. “That’s what I want to know, too! I want to do that.”
And that’s it. After folks tell me they enjoyed reading my book, quite often the next question is, “So, how did you manage to write a book and get it published at 80?” They continue with something along the lines of, “I have a book in my head too. I want to write a book like you. I have this story, but I can’t get started. How did you do it? Get unstuck? Stick with it? Finish it? And get it published?”
I give short answers. I give long answers. Most ask for even more detail. They stand, stare, and wait for more specifics. People tell me about the spectacular stories in their heads. They want to get unstuck. They want to know how I finally did it. I have explained how I finally managed to write my memoir and get it published so many times that I decided to write another book that answers their questions.
I am delighted people are interested in learning how I wrote my book.
But here is my caveat: This is not a typical how-to book. It is not a book on how to become a best-selling author. The is a how-I-did-it book. It’s a book about how I achieved my goal. My path. My results. My way.
One common question is, “How did you get started, especially after all those years?” Another is, “How did you deal with writer’s block?” These questions and many others helped me to dig deep and reflect on the many aspects of my writing journey. They created a new awareness of the opportunities, situations, decisions, even struggles that had an impact on my writing process. This book seeks to answer those questions from my own perspective.
I want to let readers in on the conversation that I’ve had with so many others. And this includes you. Thank you for taking this writing journey with me. So, let’s sit down with a cup of coffee and chat. I will share the answers to many of the questions I received. I hope this book answers many of your questions, too.
These are my unique experiences. The steps I took. The lessons I learned. And I’m delighted to share them with you. I was fortunate in terms of timing and resources with no imposed deadlines or need to make a living through my writing. We had saved enough while I worked so I did not have to work after I retired. My life was full, but I had control over how I spent most of my time.
This book is actually another memoir so I doubt you can use my journey as your roadmap, but perhaps you can glean a few ideas and approaches. I hope you will enjoy reading my book-writing journey from early inspiration to final accomplishment. Another adventure.
Another dream captured. Another reason to be grateful.