To 60 & Beyond

Wisdom for Women of a NO Certain Age

“A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.”

~Melinda Gates

I'm Penny, and I'm a recovering People-Pleaser

I've worn a lot of hats over the years (including they oh-so-stylish faded velveteen huntcap with nylon harness I'm sporting in the photo on the right). What I'm starting to realize is that, regardless of the hat, I'm generally happy with who I am and what I'm doing.

Most of my adult life I've been a professional horse woman. Even when I had other jobs, (which was often), they were usually secondary to owning and running a horse farm, teaching riding on a freelance basis, braiding horses manes for horse shows, or writing articles for horse publications.

When I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 64, a lot of patterns in my life suddenly made sense. I've always preferred being self-employed, which can be helpful when you have this rebel soul that doesn't know what to do with itself.

As I've gotten older, other people's opinions and rules and conformity tend to make me want to run away screaming into the night. But, I'm a recovering people pleaser, and I spent many years trying to live up to the opinions and rules and conformity. Sound familiar? Don't worry, we'll dig into that!

How it all started...

Writing to my future self in my journal helped me tap into a deeper wisdom and unlock answers to previously unanswerable questions.

In my late 50s, I started writing to my 60-year-old self. I figured that being a few years ahead of me on this path, she'd have some answers. So, I started journalling my conversation with "60". "Dear 60", I'd start, and then write from the heart about all the things I couldn't get a handle on (there were a lot of those!). And as I wrote, I felt like 60 was listening. When I was done laying it all out - 60 would write back to me, and the wisdom she channeled was such a comfort. Most of the answers I sought were right there, I just hadn't gone looking in the one place wisdom is found - deep within ourselves.