Growing [B]older: Take This Poll, Prompted By September

In a frenzy of "back-to-school" energy, I clean out 10+ years of paper files, start a new decade of "unretirement," and ask for your help on what to write about next.

Here on the Maine coast, the curtain thuds down on summer right after Labor Day (the first Monday in September). The weather shifts**: it’s cooler and there’s more morning fog. The tourists leave and our little town feels deserted. It always takes me by surprise and it’s always bittersweet.

But September also rekindles new beginnings. How can my bones remember the back-to-school feeling after more than half a century? I can’t possibly tell you except it must be hardwired. I was a very good student, always wanting to please and striving for A’s. I love new notebooks and freshly-sharpened pencils and a clean desk that’s full of possibility.

Getting ready for something new… or newish

So here I am in September, at 71, getting ready for… what?!

First, in a frenzy of back-to-school energy, I attacked over a decade’s worth of files and papers and decluttered my little office. That entailed two days of frustration, irritability, and overcoming indecision (what to keep, what to toss) but below you can see the result, including a clean desk.

In a “back-to-school” frenzy I filled three jumbo trash bags of paper files accumulated over the past decade-plus.

Now, every time I walk into this room, I feel a “lightness of being.” I unearthed a small whiteboard and propped it up on the shelf over my laptop. If you look closely, you can read: Podcast / Substack writing.

Scribbling on whiteboards makes me feel organized and on top of things but in this case that’s not entirely accurate.

I need your input to create this next new thing (podcast + writing)

It’s taken me a while to figure out what this “new thing” is. It’s getting clearer. I’m looking for a refreshed and renewed approach to making the most of growing old, currently the tagline of the podcast.

That means combining the writing here on Substack with my [B]OLDER podcast — in a way that is fun and doable and that I can sustain.

What I’m writing about

Currently I’m writing on Substack about my own experience as a 70-something, trying to answer the question: what is it REALLY like to grow old?

The land of the old is a foreign country most of us don’t understand and don’t look forward to visiting. I want to write about the ordinary and the profound as I get to know this place.

But I’m wary of too much navel gazing. That seems like an invitation to go down a dark hole. And not much fun.

What I need from you is this…

Tell me what you want to read

What do you care about most on the topic of aging and the foreign land of the old? What is most useful to you?

What can I offer you that will answer a question or engage you in a unique way? That you could only get from Debbie? I’m cringing as I write that but it IS the key thing here on Substack, right?

Do you want personal stories? Trend stories? Inner turmoil — or stats and facts??

That’s a big, open-ended question and hard to answer quickly. So let me make it easier. Below are five story ideas. I want to know which one sparks the most interest. Which are yawns?

A quick poll: five story ideas you can love or hate

See the poll below. It’s a quick way to tell me (and other readers) what your top choice is. But it’s limited to choosing one of five responses. I encourage you to leave a comment to say more.

Key to the poll

1. Debbie’s ongoing existential crises: almost drowning (published Aug. 12, 2023) and counting her wrinkles (published July 28, 2023). One she hasn’t written about: her mother’s sudden death at 92 and how Debbie is dealing with a complicated relationship.
   

2. Lighter stuff: Debbie’s grammar beefs, for example. Why is everyone saying “I” instead of “me”?
   

3. Interviews with interesting people: authors; older residents of her small town; a quirky grandchild and what she can teach us; her husband of 50 years, retired physician Sam Harrington.
   

4. Healthspan vs. lifespan: individual stories plus Debbie’s experiences — her new CPAP machine, for example. She was resistant but is now using it every night.
   

5. Something else: your pick but please reveal what it is in a comment!
   
   

And five more story ideas that don’t fit into the poll

• Planning the next decade: how is Debbie approaching the decade of her 70s? It’s likely her final chapter before old, old age. Does she have a bucket list? What are other “unretirees” doing in their 60s, 70s… and 80s?

• The downside of a flexible lifestyle: Debbie’s permanent home is coastal Stonington, Maine but she lives part-time in New Haven, CT, which is home for four of her grandchildren. How do you stay anchored to family and friends, to daily routines and practices? To your commitments?

• Taking care of elderly parents: the tough reality. Her mother died this year but Debbie’s dad is still going (with round-the-clock care) at 92.

• ChatGPT and Climate Change: will they change everything in the next decade, or two? Debbie is addicted to “climate porn.”

• Death bed regrets: can you predict what they are? Do we all have the same ones (i.e. not spending more time at the office)? Can Debbie use them to plot out her last chapter?

Which of these topics interests you? I’m all ears and will reply to every comment.

Thanks sincerely for your input

There are so many questions related to aging that are worth exploring. What do you want to hear about from me? Your answers will help me find a way to combine Substack writing with my podcast.

Plus there’s nothing more motivating than hearing from you.

** Hurricane Lee is on the way as I write.