October 1st 2021

re: singing the praises of older working women

This year, I’m celebrating the 10th time I’ve participated in National Seniors Day initiatives on a local level.

Just over 10 years ago, I found myself running short of retirement savings because of the Great Meltdown. My immediate response was to go back to work. That was an eye-opener for me. I’ll summarize by saying it wasn’t an easy task for a 65 year old woman. I managed to become a gig worker going from one employment contract to the next.

This year, because of the global pandemic, I find myself returning to the workforce after 2 years of rolling public health lockdowns

In my world, it’s so important to wake up with a sense of optimism, meaning and purpose. There are so many needs in the community so it’s not hard to find volunteer opportunities. It’s less likely for a 75 year old woman to find suitable income opportunities in the rapidly changing workforce.

My optimism temporarily fades and then it returns with great gusto. So as always, I continue to seek the “next things” that inspire fully cognizant many other baby boomer older women are following in my footsteps.

This year, on National Seniors Day, I’ll sing the praises of older working women. We’ve come a long way baby, and there’s still more interesting, challenging and important work to be done. Happy Seniors Day.

Signed

A member