Author and award-winning columnist Abigail Trafford was one of the first journalists to understand the social revolution that was being ushered in by the age wave and she was another big first – the very first guest on the Growing Bolder Radio Show in April 2006.
Abigail was one of the first to say it’s never too late for a new job, new hobby, and new goals, and now, in her latest book, she’s also saying it’s never too late to find love.
Her latest book is called “As Time Goes By: Boomerang Marriages, Serial Spouses, Throwback Couples and Other Romantic Adventures in the Age of Longevity.”
She said people are finding love for the first time or again with the same spouse, and this is what’s so extraordinary about this new stage – it’s opening up so many avenues and possibilities.
As we get older, the key to our well being is our relationships, Abigail says. It’s not just our romantic interests; we need friendships, a circle.
She says one of the interesting things she’s discovered about aging is how it changes how your brain works. In the first part of your life, you have an enormous to-do list filled with things like education, raising a family, building your career. But when you reach a certain point, you start using the other side of your brain more – the emotional side. For men and women, this makes them much more sensitive to others and to our own feelings. That means we put a priority on relationships.
Abigail also tells us about a new phenomenon – a generational role reversal. She says the older generation is shocking the younger generation because we’re much more open to new relationships during this lifestage than previous generations were.
Find out why she believes we’re so much better at relationships at this lifestage and she describes a new issue for this generation: the Retired Spouse Syndrome.