Filed under: Humor, Outdoor Recreation & Hiking, Uncategorized

Making a Major Life Change After 50

I moved many times in my young adult life. I moved from home to college, college to law school in Madison, WI, from Madison to a new city in Wisconsin for my first job, then back to Madison for my husband’s promotion, then to my hometown of Manitowoc, WI to raise my daughter when he wanted a divorce—all within a period of 10 years! However, since I met and married Terry in 1989, we have lived in the same house that we bought two weeks before our wedding—23 years ago.

Now, however, at the age of 53 and ¾ we are making the move to Taos, NM. We will be leaving behind everything we have known throughout our 23 years of marriage: our jobs, extended families, friends, running, biking, rollerblading and skiing routes, favorite camping destinations and the like. We are leaving.

The reasons we are leaving are good ones. We “fit” in New Mexico somehow. In a town that accepts what anyone brings, we can be who we are. There is music, dancing (which is something that drew us together but that we can no longer find in Manitowoc), intellectual stimulation, acceptance of the unique and unusual, as well as a multitude of hiking, climbing, skiing, camping and other outdoor opportunities. We never fall short of things to do when we are here. In short, we “fit.”

But the dynamics of moving at age 50+, after living in the same home for 23 years, is very different than moving after living in an apartment for 2 years and having only yourselves to be concerned about. There is an entire life I am leaving behind here.

Manitowoc is a place that, while it is a great, safe place to raise children, has little to offer Terry and me. We are very active people; the majority of Manitowoc residents are not. It is a meat and potatoes community.

We prefer chicken and vegetables, as well as hiking in the mountains, camping in national parks and living large in the outdoors, where the majority of Manitowoc residents do not want to inconvenience themselves too much. In other words, we don’t “fit” well here.

Given that we are young and energetic enough to move now and the kids are not here any longer, we have decided that now is the time to make our escape. There is nothing tying us, or our children, to this community. With Terry’s Social Security and Retirement, and my income from teaching college classes online, we will have enough to meet our basic needs, though we won’t be living an extravagant lifestyle by any means. Thus, the time is perfect for us to make this move.

So, why is this so hard? Is it that I will really miss Manitowoc? Not really. We have had some nice times here, but I really am emotionally ready to move on. I am ready to let go of my past and to embrace my future. To be continued…

Read more about Wisconsin campgrounds and things to do in Wisconsin.

Last 5 posts by Diane Berry

• Racing the Chama Chili Ski Classic - February 17th, 2013
• Another Winter Family Adventure - February 10th, 2013
• A Winter Family Adventure! - February 3rd, 2013
• The Forest in Winter - January 27th, 2013
• A Lookout in Winter - January 20th, 2013