Lisa's Life After 50

What do you prioritize? What gets left out?

I’ve learned in my fifty plus years that self-care is always a priority. Find other ways to free up time when needed. If you don’t, it’s a waste of life.

I’ve struggled with weight loss for about half my life. I decided last year that it was a priority as part of my health. After three months of meal planning, going to the gym, and using apps to keep myself accountable I was unsuccessful. I had the conversation with my physician, and luckily we agreed that help was needed. I started on Tirzepatide and have lost most of my planned weight. The last 20 lbs are proving to be the hardest. More to come on my journey.

A little over 2 years ago I sold my house and moved in with a friend to wait out the housing craze and perhaps by another, low maintenance home or condo. I’ve kept my eye on the market with a Realtor and on Zillow. Until this year, nothing was popping up that really interested me. Then suddenly some good options came up. I wasn’t expecting to be able to afford something in my current neighborhood. Tower Grove is expensive. But, a couple condos came available in nearby Russell and although I loved the style, location and building, they didn’t allow rentals and the renovation possibilities were restricted. So, that was a no go. Then the Thursday before Good Friday, three condos popped up on Zillow. I immediately text my Realtor to check on them. She could get an appointment to see one, one was small and didn’t allow rentals, and the other she couldn’t get an appointment until after I was going out of town. She gave me a number to call to see if I could make headway and it payed off. I called the president of the HOA to just ask questions about the building and requirements, but got his voicemail and left a message as such. The president of the HOA must have forwarded that info to the seller. I quickly received a call from the seller and was able to ask the questions, as well as, luckily, the seller was at the condo and said I could come over to see it! After seeing both condos and weighing the pros and cons. I decided to try for the smaller and cheaper option, not only due to cost but the ability to rent the unit. I put in my offer and after some of the usual hoops, I am under contract with a fast approaching closing date! I may soon be changing my address…

With all this blogging, learning, successes, and failures, I really need to give my family and friends props and a billion thank yous! They have been my rocks, sources of strength, sounding boards, and so much more. I have always leaned on my family and they have been there for me, but I’m trying to be purposeful about telling them how much I love and appreciate them. I have different groups of friends in my life, as most do. I have friends I’ve met through work, through my hobbies such as live music and ridding my motorcycle, and I have friends I’ve had since childhood (which are unofficially adopted and family). They all listen to my woes, concerns and rantings. They congratulate and celebrate all my baby steps and victories. They accept my apologies for bad moods and negativity. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. While I’m not putting names into my blog without permission I hope they all know how much they mean to me. We all need community, a village, social circles to, at a minimum, keep us sane…

With that being said, my family and friends are also getting older. I’m trying to be helpful in those needs as well. My parents have gone through some major milestones in the last few years and it makes me painfully aware that they won’t always be around. They frustrate me sometimes, not telling me about health issues or things they are going through, because more than ever I want to be there when they need me. Also, my friends, like my self, are starting to have health issues. My best friend has inherited issues that I’m always concerned about, but she’s great about keeping me up to date and informed. Another friend is finding out first hand what heart issues entail and, rightfully so, is terrified. Other friends have ignored health issues and ended up in the hospital for stays, which I always worry about them but can’t always do anything to help out. At this point, I think we all have some mental health issues to deal with. Anxiety, depression, and exacerbation of previous problems that were under control but aren’t now, because life gets hard. Even if I’m not close to someone and hear they’ve passed, I worry about the people I know that are close to them. Grief is hard enough, but even harder when you are already loaded down with emotional baggage.

Life is hard. Life gets busy. Just don’t forget to prioritize appropriately. Our own health and time with family and friends cannot be given back. You can find ways to make more money but not more time. You hear these expressions all the time. They are true. The older you get, the more you realize you’ve wasted time on things and not your health, people, or experiences. Live now, don’t regret later.