Age and Life's Choices

Health is of prime importance to me at this stage in my life

The only thing influencing my decisions is my finances. I would love to travel. As much of a loner as I was when I was growing up, I still liked to do things and go places, preferably alone, sometimes with someone else. I had a wonderful vacation several years ago when I asked a friend if she would like to go with me to Washington Island. She said yes, and we became best friends during that trip. It was the best three days of my life. Literally. When I was married, we only did one spontaneous trip. Even when we lived on Guam for 16 months, we never explored the island like I wanted. Life is so much better now that I live alone.

I haven't really wondered how much age is an influence. However, I was having a discussion with my husband and eldest son (age 24) about age and life experience. The discussion began about a 22-year-old becoming the youngest MP (member of parliament in the UK. The young MP was interviewed but had not been taken seriously. The interviewer seemed too focused on their age rather than their ability. The interviewer asked questions with the assumption that age equals experience. The discussion with my husband and son went off on various tangents, as our discussions are wont to do! One of the 'age equals life experience' things was about getting married and having children. By the time I was 22, I had a 3-year-old! One of the things that I pointed out was that, yes, this 22-year-old may be young but he must have been good at whatever he did/does/is doing to get to be the youngest person in his position. We also said that we could just as easily question why someone two or three times his age might still be in the same position and not moved up the ranks. One thing my son mentioned was that my husband had achieved all sorts by the time he was 25 (he was a father, he had reached the rank of captain in the army, earned a degree, travelled the world, and done lots of things). He'd had a lot of life experience (good and bad). I am in my 40s and still haven't done a lot! Then there are lots of people who haven't really had much 'life' at all - no real hardships, just trudging along with no ambition! To answer your question about the priorities guiding decisions, I don't feel that's ever been guided by age but more the particular period in life. As I said, I had my children young whereas I have friends my age just having children now. My own decisions have always been based on what is best for my children and for my family. I'm not saying I always made the best decisions but family was my priority. Now, my children are all adults so it's different. My sons still live at home so they are, of course, a factor in decisions I make. But my priorities are different now. My husband, my career, and my personal goals are now my focus.

I always prioritized stability, even when I was young, so I continue as I always did.

I want to prioritize stability because it will help me a lot for life.