AG+G Weekly Wrap-UP #1

What to expect here at Aging With Grace + Grit

Photo by Fineas Anton on Unsplash

Welcome!! :) I’m so glad you are here. Pull up a chair and grab your coffee and favorite blanket. This is the first in my series of Weekly Wrap-ups.

What you can expect here at Aging with Grace + Grit:

• This space is a Community of like minded women over 50 cheering each other on as we walk forward, heads held high, standing strong, & aging well. If this is you, or about to be you, then you’re in the right place. Welcome :)

• An article on Tuesday of each week about topics concerning us as we age. Everything from changing looks, energy levels, myths on aging, menopause, to our outlooks on life. We’ll take a look at cultural issues around aging, and aging females in particular. (After all, I am an aging female so it seems like a good place to stand.)

• Interviews with women in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. (If you’re reading this & would like to be a subject of my interview series, please let me know in the comments & we can chat about it. I’d love to have you participate.

• A Weekly Wrap-Up email over the weekend. This will include things I’m loving right now. Sharing relevant articles and products. Highlighting articles from those of you lovelies who subscribe to the AG+G newsletters. (I’m all about sharing the love!)

Aging With Grace + Grit by Kathi Roach is a reader-supported publication. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. For as little $5 a month you can continue to stay in the know & help this community grow.

Products I’m loving! (I don’t make any money from these…just sharing good finds with you.)

• One thing that’s grown in importance to me as I’ve aged is the importance of sunscreen and moisturizer. This face serum: Neutragena Ultra Sheer Moisturizing Face Serum with SPF 60+ I bought it on a whim because I like Neutragena’s sunscreen in the Summer. I wanted something I could wear under my makeup. It is weightless and odorless (win + win!) I have pretty dry skin, so I wear it under my moisturizer, but it could be used alone too.

• These: Tan Luxe Illuminating Self-Tan Drops I mix one drop with my moisturizer or foundation every few days to maintain a natural looking glow. These also are weightless and odorless (another win + win!)

My Favorite Subscriber Article of the Week:

Having just lost my Dad at the end of August, Sydney Michalski’s essay resonated with me. You should subscribe to Sydney’s Substack. :)

Fall Seasons

My Favorite Substack Growth Article of the Week:

This essay by Kat River about her first year on Substack really touched me. She’s quickly become one of my favorite reads here on Substack. If you don’t subscribe to her, I highly recommend her newsletter.

Look dad! I'm a paid writer.

Autumn in the Mid-Atlantic + the joy of Spontaneity without our kids!

I live in Maryland. For those who aren’t familiar with this region, it’s the little state on bordering Washington DC to the North. One of my favorite things about living here is that we can quickly drive to North to Pennsylvania and New York or head South to DC and Virginia. All of these are easy day trips for us. We are lucky! Maryland is a state mostly known for crabs and the place where the Star Spangled Banner was written. We also love our state flag. (I’m not exaggerating when I say love. IYKYK) You’ll see it proudly worn on hoodies, pants, stuck on our cars and waving from every flagpole. We are part of the Mid-Atlantic region and joyfully experience all 4 seasons. Autumn has quickly become my favorite. It’s warm days and crisp evenings are the things Hallmark movies are made of. I know everyone says the New England region is the place for Autumn leaf peeping, and I don’t disparage that. However, the Mid-Atlantic region is a darn close second.

This week my husband and I (We are both retired!!) made a trip to the Shenandoah mountains in Virginia. This is something we do a couple of times a year. These past few years when it’s just been the two of us, it’s been so much fun!! This time, in addition to taking in the beauty of the vibrant leaves, we spontaneously toured an Over 55 Community. It was one of the most charming settings I’ve seen. The community is an Active Community surrounding a lake and hugged by the Shenandoah Mountains. It was beautiful. The community, made up of individual homes, offered walking and biking trails, lakefront living, kayaking, fishing, a gym, restaurants, cooking classes, an art studio, pickleball courts, and lots of community activities. We both were ready to sign up and make the move. We still have two high schoolers at home so we aren’t quite there yet. We are a few years out from making that move, but it’s certainly gotten us thinking of our next chapter and what we want it to look like.

Here’s the community if you wanna check it out: Lake Frederick 55 and Over Community in the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains

Do any of you live in an Over 55 Community? What are your experiences? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

The Golden Bachelor, are you watching it?

Are you watching The Golden Bachelor on ABC + Hulu? I am. It is refreshing to watch a show about older people. Newsflash: Life doesn’t end in our 30’s. I’ve noticed as I’ve aged that a disproportionate number of TV shows, Movies, and Books revolve around very young main characters. Those with a main character aged 50 & up are few. As someone in my mid- 50’s, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching a show centered on contestants 60 & up.

For anyone who isn’t up to date on the show, here’s a brief summary. Our bachelor is named Gerry. He’s got classic good looks. He’s 72 and has aged well. He is a midwestern widow and is at a point in his life where he’s ready to find love again. He’s got definite “good guy vibes” and is quite charming with his awe over the women. It is obvious he’s really trying to connect with the women and get to know them. In his words, “he’s looking for the one he can’t live without.” The show is set up in the franchise’s typical style. 22 women live together, date our guy, and vie to be chosen as his love. Each week a batch of ladies is eliminated via a rose ceremony. No rose = adios.

Now you’re up to date on how the show works.

Let’s talk about the women. Let me repeat that a little louder, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WOMEN! Oh. My. Gosh!!!!! (Yes, that’s a lot of exclamation points, they deserve them.) These women are beautiful, stunning, gorgeous ladies. They make me look forward to aging. A few look like they’ve had some botox or maybe procedure here or there, but the majority have beauty in their natural faced wrinkles. These women are vibrant! They’ve led full, rich lives and have experienced many ups and downs of. Most are widowers themselves. A few are divorced. Watching the women tell their stories adds incredible depth to the show. I’m hooked. Not for Gerry, but for the ladies.

Most of the shows have involved a hokey group date while one lucky lady has a 1 on 1 date with Gerry. Gerry seems to be having the time of his life connecting with multiple women. I’m curious to see who he ends up with. It makes me so happy for them to be finding this second or third chance at love.

Spoiler: Gerry has narrowed the field to 3 remaining ladies. Faith, Leslie, and my Theresa. Next week he visits their families!

Here’s a Book with a middle aged Main Character:

I’ve been intentionally reading books with main characters near or over 50. I am loving them!! I found myself growing weary of books with main characters in their 20’s and 30’s and set out to start reading books with characters I could relate to. There is depth and beauty of character gained with age and I have loved reading about women with many layers. I thought it’d be fun to share some of these here with you.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

“For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late. 

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.”

This was my favorite book of 2022!! A lovely story of about resiliency & unexpected friendships. I adored every character but especially Marcellus, the octopus, he’s perfect.

I listened to this book (for free on the Libby app!) and can’t recommend the audio enough. The narrator who voices Marcellus is a delight.

My rating: 5 Stars

Have a lovely week friends!!

Xo, Kathi