Welcome to Next, a brand-new BDN section for and about Mainers in their mid-50s through mid-70s. They are the first wave of aging baby boomers, sometimes referred to as “the young old.” At 61, I am one of them and one of you.
We are people whose children are grown, who are retired or looking toward retirement, whose lives have a bit of wiggle room for volunteering, making new friends, serving local communities, traveling, exploring new hobbies or considering a job change or a relocation.
The Next generation also faces significant challenges: staying fit and healthy as we age, caring for elderly parents, maintaining employment, financing retirement and staying connected with adult children.
These are matters I know about firsthand.
From 2002 to 2011, I wrote about health-related issues for the BDN — important work that built my knowledge base, polished my professional skills and strengthened my self-confidence. I left the newsroom after my 30-year marriage ended in 2010 and the sudden death of my ex-husband the following year. I needed a change of scene, and I went looking for it.
It was nerve-wracking to launch myself into the job market in my late 50s, when the nation was in deep recession and Maine’s business climate felt so shaky. I worked in a temporary position for few months while I looked for a permanent job. I felt fortunate to find a challenging position in a midcoast Maine community, providing the change I needed without completely uprooting my life.
Over the next three years, I developed new professional skills, completed a graduate certificate in public health, moved through some temporary living situations, put my beloved old cat to sleep and bought a car by myself for the first time ever. I navigated changing relationships with my adult sons and other dear family members. I lost my 103-year-old dad. I joined a choral group. I made new friends and kept up with old ones.
I stepped carefully into online dating. Eventually I met the man who a few weeks ago became my husband. I have added his two lovely daughters to my life and a baby granddaughter and a new circle of in-laws and family friends.
While these forces were at work in my personal life, other changes were taking place in my workplace. I actively missed the energy and variety of the newsroom, and when the BDN was willing to welcome me back this summer after a nearly four-year hiatus, I jumped at the opportunity.
My goal for Next is to engage you, my readers, with stories that reflect and further your own lives. I want to establish a dialogue about the issues we’re grappling with, explore opportunities for growth and profile individuals whose experiences and insights can lead us forward.
You’ll find this section each Saturday in the Bangor Daily News print edition and online under the “Next” tab on bangordailynews.com daily. You can also follow me on Twitter @MegatBDN and “Like” the BDN Maine Next page on Facebook. Please check in often and tell me what’s on your mind. We have a lot to learn from each other.
