I have an ache in my right hip. I’ve had it a while. It feels as if my hip is inflamed. It doesn’t matter if I exercise it or not. If I sit in a certain position or walk in certain shoes, then I feel it. The question is whether this is just age or if there’s something to be done. And then here we are back with the age question again.
I have few bodily ailments so far. I don’t have achy muscles as a rule or achy joints. I am not one of those people who has a back that acts up or an old injury that gets worse before the rain. I am lucky so far, I think, or else most people are like this and I simply run into the few who complain about their bodily aches and pains.
But this hip is annoying. I am not sure if I need to go to yoga and stretch it out or walk and get the kinks out or go see a doctor so he/she can advise me. I tend to think moving more could only improve the situation. I believe moving more would improve almost any situation for those of us who are inclined to sit too many hours of the day.
I am beginning to wonder if sitting – or being sedentary – is as much of a mental thing as a physical one. I am not inclined to see myself as a couch potato, but I must admit that the idea of getting up and getting outside to walk keeps hitting a dead-end in my life. What is the trouble? Why am I so resistant?
Tonight I saw a former student who became my friend over months of classes together. She told me that she was starting a new business which involves going abroad to buy clothes from manufacturers and bringing those clothes back to the States to sell to her friends and acquaintances. This is a woman who has come out of a difficult marriage and an even more difficult divorce and is now starting life anew. I found myself for the first time in a very long time thinking, “Ah, starting life anew. Now that sounds interesting.”
I have been doing what I’ve been doing – teaching writing and working with students – for the past 13 years. Before that, my husband and I had our antique décor business where we supplied restaurant chains with antique décor and collectibles – the Chili’s chain primarily for 15 years and over 600 restaurants internationally. So, here I am now in this other field, which I have loved since it allowed me to stay home with my kids when they were growing up. But alas, they are now all gone and I am beginning to recognize that my time to shift may be coming soon. While I bring a level of expertise to this field, I am now aging out of it. Younger people are scurrying in to take my place and I am left wondering what is next for me in this life.
Not that I am out of business. I am not. But I am aware that it’s only a matter of time before I will be out of business. As I get older, the kids will look for people who are younger. I understand that. Now, I need to ask myself, “What’s next?”
Now when you’re a few months from sixty, some people would say, “Hey, how about retirement?” But the truth is that I am not in a position to retire. The recession has not been kind. But even if I were able to retire, I’m not ready to retire. I would like to have a few more challenges in my life, work-wise. But what kind of work or what direction might I go next?
I have no idea, is the answer. I am aware that change might be coming, but what that change is remains to be seen. I do know that I just need to keep my eyes and ears open – and my mind – to new opportunities. I suspect there are many opportunities all the time out in the world, it’s just a question of whether or not we are open to noting them. Right now, I am beginning to feel that I might open myself up again to new adventures related to work. The very idea of that makes me breathe a little deeper. Yes, the times they are a’changing.
This is literally the first day that I have even considered thinking of other ways to spend my workdays. I have been content with my work. I love my students. But I would also enjoy work that involved travel – particularly to far-away places. Not constantly, but a couple of times a year. Now I just have to think about what kind of work would give me the chance to travel off to parts unknown. That is step one. Or maybe step one is just to keep my mind open. Step two is starting to think of alternatives.
Okay, nothing big to report here other than the fact that I have opened my mind up a bit and am letting a little more light in. This is positive since I have a tendency to put my shoulder to the plow and just keep pushing everyday in the same direction. A shift of a few inches will take me to a completely new place over time. That thought is intriguing. I’ll just let it percolate a while and see what starts brewing.
To those of you who have traveled this road before me, do you have experiences to share about your own life? If so, please feel free to do so in the Comments section.
Comments