Still Surviving at sixty five but happy?

Posted in Current, Journey

These days we often get more than the three score and ten of the old recitation. We grow up, become adults raising children and often take care of our parents as well. Finally, we come to an age where there; are not obvious things to do. You’re too old for the conventional job market, maybe you can do volunteer work if all else is well. Then again there’s a crowd of new job seekers who don’t need to be told what’s modern and hip.

This is a tough situation that many find themselves in, but if you still have your spouse and retirement money you can do ok entertaining yourself investigating rhe US or perhaps something more expensive if the finances are there for it.

Then old age often comes with a host of health problems, major and minor and the money needs careful management to keep everything going. So a lot of entertainment becomes cable tv and a lot of youthful dreams of travel go up in smoke. Perhaps if you’re lucky you manage to avoid the healthcare system taking you down to bankruptcy, because we can’t possibly allow for a public system that might ensure everyone’s health and still manages transplants and other expensive required procedures. Why not just extend Medicare to everyone and eliminate Medicaid, Force companies to pay in taxes what they were paying in premiums toward healthcare or hide the expense in tariffs and other governmental fees.

For me though the biggest problem is loneliness. I was just at an crafts show and I figured I might make someone’s acquaintance no such luck. My heart was lifted when someone asked if I needed help getting up after I had a fall, so at least people are still compassionate.

I’ve been trying to make new friends through different groups I’m part of, and be flexible thinking about what groups I can take part in, I’ve had some luck – I think I’m up one or two over the last few years.

Yet if I’m entirely honest I have nothing to complain about. I have family as well as a number of close friends as well as the other less close acquaintances. Most of the time I’m relatively happy and not kvetching about things.

6 thoughts on “Still Surviving at sixty five but happy?”

  2. Hi Rachel. I’m Rachel Rand and MtF too! I found your site right after I chose my new name. I’ve been following your blog for probably 6 months or more (I just haven’t figured out how to post). I’m 52 years old. It’s cool seeing all of your posts!

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    1. Hi,

      Good to meet you. Is there a particular reason you copied my name? I would so much prefer if you would pick a different first, middle, or last name. After all, what if I were to do something bad, you’d hardly want to be mistaken for me?

      When did you transition?

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      1. Hey, sorry about being so daft about the name. I don’t know where my head was at when I wrote that. Thanks for readying the blog entry despite my foolishness.

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  3. Hello Rachel! Sorry about the name conflicts. My dead name was unique to the world with Rand as my first name. Now as Rachel Rand, I’m not unique anymore and I actually like that. I like introducing myself as Rachel in stores. With Rand, I always had to repeat myself or even spell it out. With Rachel, people get it instantly. If they do say Rachel? back, then all I have to do is say YES!

    I started HRT in September 2022. It’s been an excellent journey so far. I was still confused about myself (I’m not gay, but I’m not straight either) until I read Jennifer Finney Boylan’s She’s Not There book in January of 2021. I had been cross dressing around the house full time and going out once in a while for a few years before that. I’m enjoying seeing my style evolve.

    I can relate to your loneliness that you posted about. I’ve always preferred intimate situations rather than crowds. I’m absolutely terrified introducing myself. Once I get in with someone, I’m great. But I’ve spent a good deal of my life in isolation. I was so isolated during 9/11 that I didn’t even see it on TV until 4 months later.

    But I had two loving, older partners in the last decade. I badly needed love and they delivered. Many romantic meals and coffee by the fire and piano. Both of them died, so that makes me a double widow. I’ve found some support groups that I’ve been doing for a few months now and I’m turning out to be pretty social. I had two new friends to dinner the other night, so I guess I’m making progress. But you know, I’m younger and still in relatively good health.

    I’ve enjoyed reading some of your other posts on the web. All these words to say, I’ll be your friend Rachel.

    Hugs,
    RLR

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