For almost 10 years I have been writing to you, dear readers, on Tuesday mornings. Many times over the years people have suggested I should write a book: compile some of my blog posts and put them inside a cover. And so I did.

It has taken me several months to choose 50 of my favourite posts, and yours, and to give them a shape or a theme. I divided them into 5 categories: Doctor Doctor! (about health issues), Family Matters, (because it does!), Social Security (since our social contacts are really important), Home Sweet Home (because where we live gives our lives structure), and finally Towards The Future (which was a bit of a guessing game). Then I had to rewrite everything because there were a few typos and some updating needed. And I added a few new posts where there were gaps.

Next I hired an editor to read my manuscript and make suggestions. I found a cover artist and a cover idea. In September I received my ISBN number from Library and Archives Canada. I took my manuscript to a formatter to add margins and page numbers. Then, with one tap, I sent it to Canada Copy for printing.

Of course there had to be a glitch. Nothing goes this smoothly. On the date I expected my printed copies to arrive, I got a message from the printer saying the order had expired. I spent the entire day chasing this issue. Finally, around 4:00 pm, I got a message telling me that my order had been passed on to the printer. So now we wait.

Meanwhile I have a tentative plan for a book launch and signing. The location is a secret until confirmed. But I am counting on the date: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7th in the afternoon. I will be there to meet you and say thanks for all your support. There will be refreshments and socializing (see chapter 3). You can buy a copy of the book for $20 and I’ll be donating the profits, $5 per copy, to my local food bank. This is a great way to support a good cause. Plus I am helping you get started on your Christmas shopping!

ASsI wait for the books to arrive and the signing location to be confirmed, my mind has been wandering forward. Soon I’ll be 80. A new name for the blog is needed. But Eighty Is Greaty seems a bit insincere! And, where my focus of Seventy In the City has been “a whimsical look at being retired and living in a big city,” I feel our lives are slowing down. We still go to Jays games, and Mirvish shows, Peter still curls and I go to fitness classes, and occasionally we find a new little corner of Toronto that we have not explored before. We still have family gatherings too, but now the “kids” bring the food, as they did for Thanksgiving.

Nevertheless, a big part of our energy these days is spent on the business of aging. Over the past year, Peter and I have navigated pathways through our healthcare system resulting in stays in all 4 of our Toronto UHN hospitals. We have spent a lot of time dealing with technology and its challenges for seniors. We have driven and ridden our way through choices about transportation as we get older. We have studied banking and estate planning and how best to utilize our financial legacy. We have begun to consider options for housing that are available to us. Maybe it’s time to stop being whimsical and start being a little more practical. With laughs wherever we can find them.

All of these ideas and more are percolating in my head as I wait for my book, The Ultimate Adventure: Aging In the 21st Century, to arrive. I’m still not sure what the future past Saturday November 7th holds. But I hope you will join me then to talk about it. Location details next Tuesday.

Sue

Sneak preview – back cover of my new book