Living around Friends as you Age – By Aiymes Krued

Living around Friends as you Age – By Aiymes Krued

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As a middle-aged woman, I've started to notice some changes in my body and mind that have me worried about the future. I mean, I can barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning, so how am I supposed to remember where I put my glasses or my phone or my keys when I'm 80?

And don't even get me started on my knees. They creak and pop so much, I'm pretty sure I sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies when I stand up. I'm just waiting for the day when they give out entirely, and I have to hobble around on a pair of canes like some sort of geriatric pirate.

And then there's the matter of my memory. I used to have a pretty good memory, but now I forget things all the time. I'll walk into a room and forget why I'm there, or I'll forget someone's name the second they introduce themselves to me. It's like my brain is a sieve, and all the important information is slipping through the holes.

But the thing that really has me worried is my future financial stability. I mean, I'm not exactly rich and I'm pretty sure I haven't saved enough to retire comfortably. What if I can’t depend on my children taking care of me financially? What if I'm expected to take care of them until I am 85! What happens if my husband leaves me for a sexy 78 year old!

And what if I end up living in some depressing retirement home where they make me play bingo all day and eat tasteless food? I shudder at the thought. Or worse. Stuck in Mumbai, in my small flat, with no sidewalks to walk on the streets, no parks to go to and no clean air to breathe. And my friends not meeting me as they cant get to me with any ease

But then again, maybe I'm worrying too much. Maybe I'll be one of those spry old ladies who skydives and runs marathons and has a sharp wit and a killer sense of style. Maybe my knees will never give out, and my memory will stay razor-sharp. Or maybe I'll just embrace my inner grandma and spend my golden years knitting blankets and baking cookies for my grandkids. I mean, that doesn't sound so bad, does it?

One suggestion that could work, is to get a few like-minded friends, to decide that we will get old together if we can. ?Let’s all of us buy a small flat(s) / row house(s) each, in one development / complex, away from a large city, where the weather is decent, has acceptable social infrastructure and access to good transportation to take us to where we want to go in a jiffy. Eg, Pune, Bangalore, Indore, Baroda, Chandigarh, Cochin etc. Actually, any tier 2 city in India, which is a state capital, may work. Buy something relatively affordable, get a group discount, pay for it in the remaining working years of our lives (I still have 6 years until I am 58, but I look like I have 16 years still left!). Visit that home as a holiday home, for a few years, so that it becomes part of our comfort zone. And then slowly all of us move there once and for all. Once we are comfortable in the new house, we could sell the old house in the large city and use that money to help us live comfortably for the rest of our lives

Maybe there's something to this whole communal living thing. I mean, it could be nice to have a built-in support system as we get older. We could take care of each other when we're sick, and celebrate together when we're healthy. We could share our resources and our talents, and make life a little bit easier for each other as we age. And who knows? Maybe we'll all surprise ourselves and become the coolest group of sliver haired people ever. Maybe we'll start a band and tour the country, or write a best-selling novel together, or invent some kind of new technology that changes the world. Or maybe we'll just sit around and complain about our knees all day. Either way, I know one thing for sure: as long as we're together, we'll be just fine.

Aiymes Krued is a 50+ ex-corporate executive who has been coming to grips with her / his relationships with Money, Work and Happiness. And is winning! She / he can be contacted on [email protected]