Latest / Aging ain't for Sissies / Owning Your Space: A Candid Guide To Solo Aging
Transcript
- 0:03SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to AgNA for Sissies.
- 0:06SPEAKER_00: My name is Marcy Backis, and I am your host.
- 0:10SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, what an insane weekend here in Chicago or week.
- 0:14SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm obviously dropping this a couple days late.
- 0:19SPEAKER_00: This is coming out on Monday, the 17th of November.
- 0:23SPEAKER_00: Why?
- 0:24SPEAKER_00: Because nobody pays me to do this and I can drop them whenever I want.
- 0:29SPEAKER_00: No, but really life got a little um out of hand for me, and I just wasn't able to get to it on Friday like I normally do.
- 0:36SPEAKER_00: But let me just tell you about this crazy week in Chicago last week.
- 0:39SPEAKER_00: So Monday, mini blizzard, like snow that actually stuck in the city, which doesn't usually happen, especially when we had some warm days before it.
- 0:50SPEAKER_00: Anyways, great snowstorm on Monday, a little bit on Tuesday.
- 0:57SPEAKER_00: Um, Wednesday and Thursday, we could see the northern lights.
- 1:01SPEAKER_00: Craig and I drove out to behind the planetarium to a dark area, and we were able to see them.
- 1:07SPEAKER_00: Um, not as good as the night before.
- 1:09SPEAKER_00: The night before they were very bright.
- 1:11SPEAKER_00: Seems like I'm always a day late and a dollar short, but I honestly didn't think there was any way to see them that night because it had been so cloudy.
- 1:19SPEAKER_00: So, nonetheless, we did get to see a variation of them, a very light one, but very exciting.
- 1:25SPEAKER_00: One of my bucket list items.
- 1:26SPEAKER_00: So check, check.
- 1:29SPEAKER_00: Let's see.
- 1:30SPEAKER_00: And then Friday and Saturday were 70 degrees.
- 1:36SPEAKER_00: So wherever you are, if you want to talk about whiplash weather, go from a blizzard to 70 degrees.
- 1:41SPEAKER_00: Throw in some northern lights, and you've got yourself a week here in Chicago.
- 1:46SPEAKER_00: I have a lovely little pumpkin mug.
- 1:48SPEAKER_00: I'm drinking some hot chocolate.
- 1:49SPEAKER_00: Excuse me.
- 1:52SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
- 1:53SPEAKER_00: I don't know about you, but sometimes I'm I'm doing this in the afternoon.
- 1:58SPEAKER_00: I normally do it in the morning, but I had a very early doctor's appointment.
- 2:01SPEAKER_00: Blah, blah, blah.
- 2:02SPEAKER_00: Enough about me.
- 2:03SPEAKER_00: But I do love a hot chocolate in the afternoon.
- 2:05SPEAKER_00: Kind of satisfies that sweet craving.
- 2:07SPEAKER_00: I get the Dunkin' Donuts hot chocolate that goes in my Keurig.
- 2:11SPEAKER_00: Recommend it highly.
- 2:12SPEAKER_00: It's delicious.
- 2:13SPEAKER_00: It's just delicious.
- 2:14SPEAKER_00: And I'm drinking it out of my pumpkin mug because I'm savoring the last bit of fall here before Thanksgiving hits in a couple weeks.
- 2:22SPEAKER_00: My son Alec is coming.
- 2:24SPEAKER_00: Kyle cannot.
- 2:25SPEAKER_00: Kyle started a second job, a new job for the school district of Torrance.
- 2:31SPEAKER_00: So Kyle just wanted to make sure when I bought the tickets, the government was on strike.
- 2:37SPEAKER_00: And we weren't sure if Kyle would get back in time, blah, blah, blah.
- 2:41SPEAKER_00: I'm sure you all have had these issues.
- 2:43SPEAKER_00: Alec is coming.
- 2:46SPEAKER_00: Been invited to my lovely friend Mary Allen's home for Thanksgiving dinner.
- 2:52SPEAKER_00: I'm excited.
- 2:52SPEAKER_00: Craig is running in the turkey trot in the morning.
- 2:56SPEAKER_00: Gotta love that 70-year-old out there hustling.
- 2:59SPEAKER_00: That guy's got some hustle.
- 3:03SPEAKER_00: But he did have some nerve, really big nerve on Sunday.
- 3:08SPEAKER_00: So Friday night I got really sick.
- 3:11SPEAKER_00: Stomach.
- 3:12SPEAKER_00: Sick Saturday, Sunday.
- 3:14SPEAKER_00: But Friday I had gone to a place with the best cinnamon and Sathers, the best cinnamon rolls in Chicago.
- 3:20SPEAKER_00: Had gone there for breakfast on Friday and grabbed a couple extra cinnamon rolls and two pecan rolls for Craig.
- 3:28SPEAKER_00: So he munched his big old pecan rolls up on Saturday.
- 3:33SPEAKER_00: And on Sunday, he had the nerve to ask me if he could have one of my cinnamon rolls.
- 3:38SPEAKER_00: Hell no.
- 3:39SPEAKER_00: Step away from the bag, sir.
- 3:42SPEAKER_00: I don't want them to go to waste.
- 3:44SPEAKER_00: They're not going to be wasted if I have to throw them in the freezer.
- 3:47SPEAKER_00: I still haven't eaten them yet.
- 3:49SPEAKER_00: I still can't eat.
- 3:50SPEAKER_00: But um, nonetheless, yeah, some nerve, huh?
- 3:55SPEAKER_00: What does he think he is?
- 3:56SPEAKER_00: I don't know, but I'm gonna welcome you back to Aging 8 for Sissies.
- 4:00SPEAKER_00: This is a place where we embrace our wrinkles, celebrate our gray hairs, and absolutely refused to retire our sass.
- 4:08SPEAKER_00: And I am your host, Marcy.
- 4:10SPEAKER_00: I'm 64.
- 4:11SPEAKER_00: I stand 5'11 and I weigh none of your business.
- 4:15SPEAKER_00: Better than I've weighed most of my life, I will tell you that much.
- 4:18SPEAKER_00: Um, still rocking the boho meets conservative wardrobe.
- 4:23SPEAKER_00: I am as scattered on my wardrobe as I am in my life, loving my favorite colors: black, white, pink, blue, and green, and refusing to let aging lose my mojo.
- 4:37SPEAKER_00: And today, um, today's topic we're diving into it always doesn't get the glamour treatment.
- 4:43SPEAKER_00: Aging solo.
- 4:45SPEAKER_00: We're talking living alone by choice or by circumstance, and how to do it with style, resilience, and a little humor.
- 4:53SPEAKER_00: And yes, still plenty of friends, purpose, and maybe even adventure, because solo doesn't have to mean sad.
- 4:59SPEAKER_00: If anything, solo aging means owning your space, literally and metaphorically.
- 5:06SPEAKER_00: And yes, I'll dig into my own aging moments.
- 5:11SPEAKER_00: They may not be solo, but sometimes living with Craig is like being solo.
- 5:16SPEAKER_00: Let's get started.
- 5:18SPEAKER_00: All right.
- 5:38SPEAKER_00: Solo doesn't mean rare, it means relevant.
- 5:42SPEAKER_00: I have several friends that are solo and live very exciting lives.
- 5:47SPEAKER_00: A little bit with their children, but mostly on their own.
- 5:51SPEAKER_00: They do cover five profiles of people, aging alone.
- 5:55SPEAKER_00: There's the divorced, the widowed, the never married, natural loners, and those basically reinventing life after a big change.
- 6:06SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna tell you, if you don't fall into any of those categories, you're still gonna learn some things here today.
- 6:12SPEAKER_00: Now I know what you're thinking, Marcy, fabulous as usual, but living alone sounds lonely, scary, and expensive.
- 6:20SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna tell you there are bumps.
- 6:22SPEAKER_00: The article shows solo agers dealing with stuff like reset of finances after divorce.
- 6:28SPEAKER_00: Hello, new budget.
- 6:29SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna tell you when there's a new budget, when there's two of you, when you both completely retire.
- 6:34SPEAKER_00: So that's nothing that people that aren't solo deal with.
- 6:39SPEAKER_00: Grief after a spouse dies, having to build new social networks when you haven't needed them before.
- 6:49SPEAKER_00: But in this key, there's also resilience.
- 6:54SPEAKER_00: They're adapting.
- 6:55SPEAKER_00: They're saying, okay, universe, you gave me this solo chapter, I'll make it work with friends, with travel, with music, with purpose.
- 7:04SPEAKER_00: And that, my friends, is a good foundation for our conversation today.
- 7:07SPEAKER_00: How to make solo aging work.
- 7:10SPEAKER_00: Now, when we were on our trip to Ireland a couple weeks ago on a tour, there were a couple of solo people touring.
- 7:18SPEAKER_00: I loved it.
- 7:19SPEAKER_00: I thought, if I ever am solo, which dear God, that's never gonna happen.
- 7:26SPEAKER_00: Craig's gonna outlive me by 20 years, I tell you.
- 7:29SPEAKER_00: And that's fine.
- 7:30SPEAKER_00: But if it was, I would like to be that person that goes on a tour by myself.
- 7:37SPEAKER_00: Let's flip the script and talk about the wins from the article, because solo doesn't have to be a pity party.
- 7:44SPEAKER_00: Actually, far from it.
- 7:48SPEAKER_00: One profile, Claire Davis, age 59, Los Angeles.
- 7:52SPEAKER_00: She said solo aging gives you the autonomy to center your own needs.
- 7:58SPEAKER_00: Yes, ma'am, that means I pick the travel, I pick the volunteer gig, I pick the color of my curtains, and maybe change them mid-year for fun.
- 8:07SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, it's funny because I think for years, my best friend Lynn lost her husband when she was in her 30s.
- 8:15SPEAKER_00: And she's had a few relationships, but never remarried.
- 8:18SPEAKER_00: I've been married now twice, 34 years this time, only like a year and a half the first time.
- 8:24SPEAKER_00: I know that might shock some of you that know me.
- 8:27SPEAKER_00: Anyways, um, we always joke that she reminds me why I don't want to be single, and I remind her why she doesn't want to be married.
- 8:36SPEAKER_00: So I think there's always pluses and minuses to everything.
- 8:40SPEAKER_00: So I think having to do all your own choosing is a pretty nice thing.
- 8:46SPEAKER_00: Changing your bed spread in the middle of the year and not having to explain to anybody why.
- 8:52SPEAKER_00: Let's also talk about what they did right in building a network.
- 8:57SPEAKER_00: She realized that if she had no spouse, no children, no siblings to rely on in the usual way, she would need to build a kind of family of friends.
- 9:05SPEAKER_00: So if you are out there and you art fit this, see the old model as spouse and kids built-in equal support.
- 9:14SPEAKER_00: But solo aging says maybe I build support my way, community, friends, neighbors, purpose.
- 9:22SPEAKER_00: Resilience and reinvention.
- 9:25SPEAKER_00: Another profile, Vicky, age 83 in Wyoming, she lost her high school sweetheart husband of 54 years.
- 9:32SPEAKER_00: That's tough, you guys.
- 9:34SPEAKER_00: Dealt with cancer and said her generation, we've seen everything, that's what makes us strong as we are.
- 9:41SPEAKER_00: No pity.
- 9:42SPEAKER_00: She's still showing up, she's still living.
- 9:44SPEAKER_00: Now, having gone through cancer myself, and a lot of, I have a lot of health challenges.
- 9:50SPEAKER_00: Uh too numerous at this point to mention, but I try to stay positive.
- 9:55SPEAKER_00: I really do.
- 9:56SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't know why.
- 9:59SPEAKER_00: I guess that's just me.
- 10:01SPEAKER_00: I just want to keep moving.
- 10:03SPEAKER_00: And I think there's a lot to be said for that resilience.
- 10:06SPEAKER_00: But I will tell you this Saturday, as I was laying in bed feeling awful again, um, I did have my own little pity party, but then I stopped that.
- 10:15SPEAKER_00: So sometimes you have to.
- 10:18SPEAKER_00: Preparation and knowing who you are.
- 10:24SPEAKER_00: Leon, an 84-year-old in San Diego, never married, never lived alone, had a stroke, is in a wheelchair.
- 10:32SPEAKER_00: So he had to build systems, accept help, but also maintain connection.
- 10:38SPEAKER_00: When my doors open, people know they can come in and talk.
- 10:41SPEAKER_00: That's a lot.
- 10:42SPEAKER_00: That to be alone and then have health issues, sorry, needed a little bit of hot chocolate.
- 10:51SPEAKER_00: That's a lot.
- 10:52SPEAKER_00: Go on, go, Leon.
- 10:53SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
- 10:55SPEAKER_00: So, yes, we're talking being the boss of your own life, making decisions, building your version of a family, which sometimes can be better than the one you were given.
- 11:04SPEAKER_00: And some of us have partially the one we were given and partially ones we filled in, and that's okay too.
- 11:11SPEAKER_00: And yes, dealing with the financial resets, the health resets, and the social resets.
- 11:17SPEAKER_00: And also some fun resets, don't forget those.
- 11:21SPEAKER_00: But there's a lot.
- 11:24SPEAKER_00: Okay, time for your what-to-do list because you're not just listening, you're doing.
- 11:30SPEAKER_00: Aging A for Sissies means you step up.
- 11:32SPEAKER_00: Here's your solo aging playbook.
- 11:36SPEAKER_00: Financial check-in.
- 11:38SPEAKER_00: If you've become solo by divorce or widowhood, revisit your budget, your retirement plan, your emergency fund.
- 11:46SPEAKER_00: The article's profile shows folks who had to reset finances when the partner has gone.
- 11:51SPEAKER_00: And that only makes sense.
- 11:52SPEAKER_00: But I have to tell you, I had to take a quick break because Craig came in.
- 11:58SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I just wonder.
- 12:00SPEAKER_00: Now, y'all know I have had a lifetime of medical problems.
- 12:05SPEAKER_00: I've had more medical appointments.
- 12:07SPEAKER_00: I've had to make more, even just in the last two weeks since I got home from Ireland, I've been to seven or eight different doctors and an emergency room visit.
- 12:16SPEAKER_00: That man had the nerve to walk in here and tell me, I've been spending my whole day making doctor's appointments that my doctor needs me to make.
- 12:25SPEAKER_00: I was like, oh my God, you're whining to the wrong person, Buster.
- 12:30SPEAKER_00: Move along, sweetheart.
- 12:32SPEAKER_00: Oh, just what the the admitigated gall of complaining to me.
- 12:38SPEAKER_00: I just looked at him and laughed.
- 12:40SPEAKER_00: I really did.
- 12:41SPEAKER_00: I said, I don't care.
- 12:44SPEAKER_00: Anyways, we're back to we're talking about.
- 12:49SPEAKER_00: Sorry, that's probably not dubbed very well, but I started talking and then I made no sense to myself.
- 12:55SPEAKER_00: We're talking about that financial check-in.
- 12:58SPEAKER_00: So make sure you have your emergency fun.
- 13:02SPEAKER_00: Many times people have to reset their finances, whether you're solo or not.
- 13:06SPEAKER_00: Life throws us curveballs, life throws us changes.
- 13:10SPEAKER_00: But make sure you have your financial house in order.
- 13:13SPEAKER_00: If you never had a partner, start early on building your safety net.
- 13:17SPEAKER_00: Don't assume someone's going to take care of you, even if you assume that they may not.
- 13:23SPEAKER_00: We need to put together a network of intentional friends.
- 13:26SPEAKER_00: Think of it as a friend family, neighbors, church group, volunteer buddies, book club pals, travel buddies.
- 13:33SPEAKER_00: The article that I was looking at shows how people consciously build these networks.
- 13:39SPEAKER_00: Work on that.
- 13:40SPEAKER_00: Think about where your network is.
- 13:42SPEAKER_00: Think about who your safety net is.
- 13:44SPEAKER_00: You know, I have several friends who have no children.
- 13:48SPEAKER_00: And uh that means you have a very special, you may be a couple, but you may have a very special need of getting your affairs in order after you're gone if there's no one to take care of it.
- 13:58SPEAKER_00: So think about that.
- 14:00SPEAKER_00: Think about all the things in your life that you may need to take care of.
- 14:04SPEAKER_00: Embrace purpose and activity.
- 14:06SPEAKER_00: If you're if you're a loner and your agent, play music, volunteer, travel, learn new things.
- 14:13SPEAKER_00: Vicky Ivy got out with friends for road trips and nature.
- 14:19SPEAKER_00: If you love traveling, explore new cities, the beach, home, water aerobics, continue doing that.
- 14:26SPEAKER_00: Make your solo time rich, not lonely.
- 14:29SPEAKER_00: I'll tell you what, you guys all know that my water aerobics saved my ass.
- 14:34SPEAKER_00: Sorry for the bad word, but it did.
- 14:36SPEAKER_00: Not just the act exercise and keeping me fit, but also the friends.
- 14:42SPEAKER_00: They're invaluable to me.
- 14:47SPEAKER_00: I was trying to think of what else I was gonna add in there, but you know, just get out.
- 14:54SPEAKER_00: Don't be inside all the time.
- 14:58SPEAKER_00: Prepare for health and caregiving roles.
- 15:00SPEAKER_00: Okay, so this is really important.
- 15:03SPEAKER_00: Solo aging means you might not have somebody ready, made to step in if you get sick.
- 15:08SPEAKER_00: And sometimes even if you do, they're not that great.
- 15:10SPEAKER_00: So set and then this is no shade to Craig, although it is shade.
- 15:14SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't trust him to take care of me when I get old.
- 15:17SPEAKER_00: He's not good at it now.
- 15:20SPEAKER_00: When I've been very ill this year, when I've been in and out of hospitals, I was in trauma emergency, and 10 o'clock when it came around, he said, I gotta go home.
- 15:32SPEAKER_00: And he left me in trauma emergency.
- 15:35SPEAKER_00: My heart rate dropped and my blood pressure dropped so low, I almost died.
- 15:40SPEAKER_00: And then I called him and he didn't answer.
- 15:43SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I don't trust him so much.
- 15:45SPEAKER_00: So even if you have someone, you may need to think about health and caregiving roles.
- 15:52SPEAKER_00: After a stroke, you may have to rely on social service agencies.
- 15:56SPEAKER_00: These things are hard to set up by yourself.
- 15:59SPEAKER_00: Maybe in that group of people, you find a point person that will help you with health concerns and health emergencies.
- 16:06SPEAKER_00: If you don't have children, and even if you do have children, my children don't live around here.
- 16:12SPEAKER_00: Pick two go-to people.
- 16:15SPEAKER_00: That's a good idea.
- 16:16SPEAKER_00: I like that.
- 16:17SPEAKER_00: Pick two go to people who know your health wishes.
- 16:20SPEAKER_00: Leave your health paperwork visible.
- 16:22SPEAKER_00: Yes, I said visible because we sometimes forget.
- 16:24SPEAKER_00: If you have a DNR, if you have anything that's important, leave it on the fridge.
- 16:30SPEAKER_00: Also, your iPhone has a medical emergency place.
- 16:34SPEAKER_00: Put everything in there because they can they can access that.
- 16:37SPEAKER_00: Anybody can ask access that.
- 16:41SPEAKER_00: Oh, mental and social health.
- 16:43SPEAKER_00: Living alone doesn't mean being lonely, but you have to pay attention.
- 16:47SPEAKER_00: Check in.
- 16:48SPEAKER_00: Schedule buddy check-ins with your pals, join groups, make a solo social, make dates.
- 16:55SPEAKER_00: Uh, my friend Reba is going to lunch.
- 16:57SPEAKER_00: She Reba is eating a meal out at least once a day with friends.
- 17:00SPEAKER_00: I admire her so much for that.
- 17:03SPEAKER_00: She's always got things going on.
- 17:05SPEAKER_00: And I love Reba because Reba tells me what's going on here in the city of Chicago.
- 17:08SPEAKER_00: And Craig and I have done many things.
- 17:11SPEAKER_00: We did Beatles in the Park because of Reba.
- 17:14SPEAKER_00: We watched Wicked in the Park because of Reba.
- 17:17SPEAKER_00: Um, many things, many restaurants because of Reba.
- 17:20SPEAKER_00: She's amazing, and I just love it.
- 17:23SPEAKER_00: I don't want you to feel stuck or isolated.
- 17:26SPEAKER_00: Address that head-on.
- 17:30SPEAKER_00: Find things to do that you love.
- 17:33SPEAKER_00: If it's gardening, if it's making stained glass.
- 17:36SPEAKER_00: You know what?
- 17:37SPEAKER_00: Get out and do something.
- 17:41SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
- 17:43SPEAKER_00: Time for a little Marcy realness.
- 17:49SPEAKER_00: I do like a lot of alone time, but I have a husband, so I'm not really alone.
- 17:55SPEAKER_00: But I have done a very good job of building my network.
- 18:00SPEAKER_00: I don't want my kids to have to rescue us.
- 18:03SPEAKER_00: I don't want to count on Craig because honestly, God bless the man, but that's not his forte.
- 18:10SPEAKER_00: He can build a beautiful cathedral, he can build a great resort, but taking care of me is not his top priority.
- 18:19SPEAKER_00: And as he gets older, I'm afraid that it's going to be worse.
- 18:25SPEAKER_00: And that's scary.
- 18:26SPEAKER_00: So I've been starting to think about what I need, what we can afford.
- 18:31SPEAKER_00: I've never been able to get long-term health insurance due to all of my health issues.
- 18:37SPEAKER_00: So got some thoughts there.
- 18:40SPEAKER_00: Working on it, maybe a reverse mortgage for you.
- 18:42SPEAKER_00: Maybe, you know, there's all kinds of financial things, and you don't need to do that on your own.
- 18:47SPEAKER_00: There's free financial help for senior citizens.
- 18:50SPEAKER_00: Look into it, find out about it, and know what you have available.
- 18:54SPEAKER_00: Resilience and reinvent reinvention.
- 18:57SPEAKER_00: Vicky, age 83.
- 19:04SPEAKER_00: Oh, I already talked about her.
- 19:06SPEAKER_00: Sorry.
- 19:12SPEAKER_00: All right.
- 19:13SPEAKER_00: So let's not sugarcoat.
- 19:15SPEAKER_00: Solo aging has real challenges.
- 19:20SPEAKER_00: Loss of spouse or long-term care equal grief and rebuilding a life.
- 19:25SPEAKER_00: Financial strain when you have to split up assets after a divorce is going to challenge you.
- 19:32SPEAKER_00: Health vulnerability, which I have when you're solo, I could only imagine.
- 19:37SPEAKER_00: I do have the help.
- 19:39SPEAKER_00: Craig is here.
- 19:41SPEAKER_00: He he he he takes pictures when I fall on my head in the street, like the paparazzi.
- 19:50SPEAKER_00: But I needed those pictures for insurance claim.
- 19:53SPEAKER_00: But none nonetheless, the risk of isolation and being solo doesn't automatically mean connected.
- 20:01SPEAKER_00: You still have to be intentional.
- 20:03SPEAKER_00: So yes, the universe may toss you the solo card, but you get to decide how you play the solo hand.
- 20:10SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm going to tell you look at some of your friends that aren't solo.
- 20:15SPEAKER_00: Some of your friends that are married.
- 20:17SPEAKER_00: I would say when Craig and I lived in California, I was more solo.
- 20:23SPEAKER_00: Here we're very connected, almost too connected sometimes, but it's a good thing.
- 20:27SPEAKER_00: It's not a bad thing.
- 20:29SPEAKER_00: So look at some of your friends that don't have some of the greatest marriages, or maybe their husband is checked out.
- 20:35SPEAKER_00: That may be the perfect partner for you.
- 20:40SPEAKER_00: You get to decide how you play the solo hand.
- 20:42SPEAKER_00: Do you huddle under the covers or do you march out with your glitter sneakers and your own soundtrack?
- 20:49SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's make it actionable for this week.
- 20:52SPEAKER_00: Here are three little tasks.
- 20:54SPEAKER_00: Pick one friend you'll invite over or meet for coffee this week.
- 20:58SPEAKER_00: Starting your friend family group.
- 21:02SPEAKER_00: Check one financial or health document item.
- 21:05SPEAKER_00: So look at your health documents or look at your financials.
- 21:09SPEAKER_00: And I challenge you to schedule one solo adventure.
- 21:13SPEAKER_00: Maybe a city walk, a beach walk, out to coffee down at the beach.
- 21:18SPEAKER_00: If you live near the beach but not go to it all the time, find something that is unique in your area and do it.
- 21:26SPEAKER_00: If you do these, you're already aging like you mean it.
- 21:29SPEAKER_00: Like you refuse to let solo mean margin note.
- 21:35SPEAKER_00: You turn solo into center stage.
- 21:38SPEAKER_00: I want to thank you for spending time with me today on Aging Meat for Sissies.
- 21:42SPEAKER_00: You are not alone, you are bold, you are vibrant, you are choosing this chapter.
- 21:47SPEAKER_00: And more importantly, you are thriving in it.
- 21:50SPEAKER_00: I'll catch you next time with more sass, more stories, and yeah, maybe talking pizza because we know pizza is life.
- 21:57SPEAKER_00: Until then, love yourself, protect your space, dance in your living room, pick a color for your curtains that makes you grin every time you walk in, just because.
- 22:08SPEAKER_00: You've been listening to Aging Eight for Sissies with Marcy.
- 22:11SPEAKER_00: Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
- 22:14SPEAKER_00: If you like today's episode, please leave a review and share it with a friend who's solo aging or needs to start thinking about how to do it their way.
- 22:21SPEAKER_00: I'm Marcy.
- 22:23SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being unapologetically you.
- 22:25SPEAKER_00: See you next time and go out and do something positive.