I'll Cry Tomorrow. By Lillian Roth. Lillian Roth was an American actress who was an alcoholic. Because of some tragic events in my childhood and because of my nature I believed that I would have become an alcoholic as well. The book, along with other influences, convinced me to never take a drink of alcohol. I never did. You can't become an alcoholic if you never take a drink. I have 5 or 6 friends/co-workers/relatives that I know are alcoholics whose lives are ruled by alcohol. They live absolutely miserable lives. My life was definitely changed by that book.
I am 80 years old and live in a Continuing Care Facility (Independent, Care, and Memory Care) and will live here for the rest of my life. I will get progressive care as I need it. Right now I am in good health and live in the independent living part of the facility (600+ residents). Moving here simplified my life tremendously. No house to take care of. Good meals are provided. Housekeeping provided. We are surrounded by people in the same stage in life and a well-trained staff of people. I pay $4,600/month for my wife and I to live here. Social security and retirement checks pay for most of that. The rest comes from savings.
A few comments from my perspective: the #1 killer of older adults in loneliness. They become isolated and are, frankly, forgotten. I see people here where I live have their spouse of 50-60-even 70 years die and they go into depression. A friend here had his wife pass away recently. Everyone made sure to include him in daily activities and conversations. Here it is not as bad because there are always people around to talk to and do things with. That is so important to older people who are alone. We are a social animal and need contact with other people. People here have group meals where 6 to 8 people put tables together and eat. Lots of stories and laughing. There are lots of social activities and events here too. As people age they do not want to leave their houses - mobility issues or cannot drive as well, so living here means getting out and seeing people is just a matter of opening the door and walking (or riding) down the hall to a public area where there are always people. I belong to several groups (watercolors, table tennis, and ukulele) and my spouse plays mahjong and bridge every day. People meet down the hall 2 or three evenings a week for sing-a-longs someone organized. We use the beautiful gym and pool a few steps away where there are exercise classes everyday.
It was hard giving up our nice house that was full of memories and things we were comfortable with but it had become a burden. Something always needed fixing. It was a cluttered, disorganized, and sometimes dirty mess. There were people in our neighborhood that had no friends and relatives. They were utterly alone every day with nothing but a TV, a phone and maybe a computer that confused the hell out of them. Very sad. Life can be a hassle. Moving here lifted a huge load off my and my wife's shoulders.
Not everyone of course can afford living the way we do. But you can.
If you haven't saved a nickel for your retirement, it is time to do so. Our savings over the years has allowed us to do what we are doing now and allows us to travel extensively all over the world. We have never been rich. At the time, it was hard to save. Because we did not have top level jobs, we had to sacrifice but it was, looking back, worth it because now we live a safe, dignified, interesting, and healthy life. And our kids do not have to worry about where to put Mom and Dad or to dispose of a house full of what they would consider junk. That has all been done. Our kids fully support our decision to come here to live. We live very simply without a lot of material possessions that just clutter things up.
So save your money and pray that we get politicians that realize that inflation is the enemy, the real enemy of older adults. A few years of what these clowns lie to us and call 'temporary inflation' and our hard earned savings will be gone and they will still have their mansions, servants, boats, and air planes. Think about that when you vote the next time.
"Days of Wine and Roses" influenced my life completely. I saw it when I was a teenager and never took a drink of alcohol because of it and the book "I'll Cry Tomorrow" about Lillian Roth that I read at almost the same time. Anyone can become an alcoholic and it starts with taking one drink. I never took that drink because of the movie and the book.
There is no such thing as 'maths'. It is called 'math' which is short for 'mathematics'. I have an advanced degree in mathematics. No one ever called mathematics 'maths' while I was in college. Absolutely no one. They would have been laughed out of the room.
I'm 78. I do the same. I select problems from Codeforces or Codewars and work on those. I did enter contests for awhile but needed more experience to successfully compete.
I learned python a few years ago and have experience with several other languages as well. Python is perfect for someone like myself. To me it is a thing of beauty.
I read a lot - history and biography mainly. Favorites: The Fatal Shore and Empire of the Autumn Moon. Travel 2-3 times a year. Been to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America as well as all over North America. Favorite place? Singapore.
Walk 2 miles+ a day.
Am a top backgammon player on ZooEscape.
Been married 51 years today and been blessed with 3 great kids.
Not rich but comfortable. Always been a saver or what my sister calls a cheapskate.
Am definitely slowing down. Am more cranky. And think the world is going crazy. Other than that life is better than I expected it would be at this age.
Costco will shut you down if you start playing the 'buy it -return it' game too much. They monitor that. Stand around the front desk a bit and watch the used up crap people return.
I heard from an In-N-Out employee that store managers make 6 figure salaries and there are two of them in each store.
In-N-Out, Costco, and Chick-fil-a employees all seem to work really hard and are unfailingly good with customers. I had a problem in a Target once, talked to an employee about it and he went to 'check on it' and never came back. Just left me standing there.
