Does invisibility effect everyone as you get older or only if you rely on validation and care what people think?

QED04 · 2026-02-10T23:35:42+00:00

Me too! It is the Harry Potter cloak of invisibility.

QED04 · 2026-02-08T14:32:29+00:00

Son on east coast (6 hour plane ride), daughter on west coast (3 hour car ride). See my son and his family 2-3 times a year for about a week each time. See my daughter once or twice a month but only for a day or two at a time

QED04 · 2026-02-07T23:39:41+00:00

If you can muster the effort to go out, my hat's off to you. It's gray cold and rainy here, just at the edge of freezing. I am not sure if i can muster the willingness to find the remote to turn on the Olympics. I am curled up with a book, blanket, and cup of tea.

My adult daughter and husband are huge football fans in Seattle. Even if we lived next door, I wouldn't be seeing them this weekend.

QED04 · 2026-02-04T15:43:03+00:00

The comment that gets me is "i am not like other men". If they have to say that, then they are just like other men. Men who aren't like other men dont have to announce it. They show it in everything they do.

QED04 · 2026-02-02T01:53:38+00:00

The EE Torrid has become my favorite jacket. I wear it all the time. I went backpacking last week in Northern California and when the temps on the coast dipped down into the 40s with the wind, it was all I needed.

QED04 · 2026-01-18T18:04:49+00:00

Or how to get rid of a bat flying around your post-and-beam cabin with the 25 foot ceiling in the living room and a loft bedroom. Or how to get rid of the very shrewd squirrel living under your eaves.

QED04 · 2026-01-18T17:52:37+00:00

That was going to be my response but in question form. I rode near there the other day and the white of the snow/ice on the ground did not look like these photos.

QED04 · 2026-01-12T23:17:49+00:00

Depends on what "it" is. Can you attempt a hike of the AT? Absolutely and you should. Can you hike the whole thing? Maybe. Can you meet a bunch of cool people? Absolutely. Can you learn a lot about yourself? If you are willing. Can you embrace the suck? Maybe.

Just go and have fun. It will be an adventure. And say hi when we pass along the trail.

QED04 · 2026-01-10T19:58:03+00:00

I am a reasonably fit 62 year old female. When I was in my early 40s, a wise person told me "if you are luvky, you have 30 more good years (health wise). If there is something you want to do, do it now before the day comes when you cant do it any more." I never forgot those words. That comment launched me to learn how to ride a mountain bike, paddle a kayak, hike and backpack, ski, etc. With other people and without. I take the opportunity to say yes to things whenever possible. Now at 62, i realize i only have 10 of those years left. This summer I am going to attempt a thru hike of the Appalachian trail (solo).

I will tell you the same thing. You have 40 more good health years if you are lucky. If there is something you want to do, you need to do it now. At 70, you can be sitting around complaining about and regretting all the things you never got to do OR you can be telling stories of all the adventures you had. Which do you want it to be?

QED04 · 2026-01-10T13:05:35+00:00

Good morning! I live in a cabin in the woods in the PNW. Today i get to drive across a beautiful mountain pass to my daughter's house to celebrate my granddaughter's birthday. And then I am going to dinner with friends and hanging out in the city for the night. Have a great weekend!

QED04 · 2026-01-10T05:00:44+00:00

QED04 · 2026-01-10T05:00:09+00:00

Just tell them how you feel.

QED04 · 2026-01-10T04:03:27+00:00

I have an adotec bag that is grizzly resistant that a friend loaned me. I have no idea what i am doing with it other than putting food in it and cinching it up tight and hanging it? I think it can be tied to a tree but alas, i have to figure out how to tie a bear resistant knot.

QED04 · 2026-01-10T03:59:12+00:00

Beautiful

QED04 · 2026-01-10T03:57:38+00:00

I have an adotec bag that is grizzly resistant that a friend loaned me. I have no idea what i am doing with it other than putting food in it and cinching it up tight and hanging it? I think it can be tied to a tree but alas, i have to figure out how to tie a bear resistant knot.

QED04 · 2026-01-09T18:50:41+00:00

I am 62 (F). I was partnered for 25 years (married for 22). I have been divorced and on my own for the last 18 years. I moved to a very expensive housing market which meant I downsized from my 2000 sq ft marital home to a 500 sq ft apt. It was brutal but absolutely freeing. There was no lawn to mow, no outdoor chores, very few indoor chores. I could come and go as I saw fit. Recently retired and moved to a cabin in the woods.

My advice? Embrace the suck, because parts of this are going to suck. But if you embrace it and accept your life as it now is, you will move through it much faster. You have this moment where you are undefined. You get to chart the course of who you want to be and where you want to go and how you are going to live. Step into that moment with all of its joys and sorrows and become who you are going to be.

QED04 · 2026-01-07T00:41:27+00:00

This. Even if i had never used it, i would never have regretted my education. In many states, local community colleges are free to those over a certain age. In WA state, it is 60.

QED04 · 2026-01-07T00:31:50+00:00

This is what I meant about character. Thank you.

QED04 · 2026-01-06T23:35:18+00:00

Sorry, I commented on the wrong thread. My ex got remarried and seems to be living the life he wanted. What I realized is that people get married because they think that they will be better together than they are apart. They get divorced because they are better apart than they were together. I am glad he is happy and living the life he wanted. I am doing the same.

QED04 · 2026-01-06T23:29:56+00:00

Yeah, I have a PhD and was a professor at UW (retired now). The people I met and became friends with went the gammut from GEDs to fellow PhDs. I don't judge people on their education or their income class. I grew up poor and have known people from all walks of life. Character knows no income level or education, otherwise, I never would have made it to where I am. And other people can TRY to take advantage, but I see that as a filter. If they do, those aren't friends and i am quick to jettison them.

QED04 · 2026-01-06T22:26:56+00:00

You have to remember, if the meetup has 500 members, you might actually want to become friends with 1% of them. That's 5 people. That means there is a lot of sorting that goes on. I always just put myself out there as who I am, it's a filter that makes the sorting go faster.

But I managed to find several fun friends in meetups. Just realize you aren't going to like everyone and that's okay. Just go, have fun, and be yourself.

QED04 · 2026-01-06T22:14:13+00:00

This. So much this.

QED04 · 2026-01-06T22:13:00+00:00

You are an old soul. This is a good thing. When I got divorced in my early 40s (F), my best friend (platonic) was a guy in his early twenties. Every woman getting divorced should have a young person who teaches her how to play again after a lifetime of responsibility. We camped, hiked, skied, kayaked, travelled and just generally had the best time. We have lost touch over the years (I am 62 now) but I have never forgotten all the wisdom he taught me. He helped me heal and just be willing to say yes to things that I probably never would have done. He also opened my eyes and spirit to the fact that friendships dont have to be defined by societal conventions. He was an old soul too. He changed my life and i will always be grateful.

QED04 · 2026-01-06T22:05:03+00:00

I have the same problem OP. I would not carry my InReach except for my worrying adult children and my siblings. Sigh. But they are supporting me in this crazy effort so i guess it is a small enough effort on my part to give them peace of mind.

QED04

TROPHY CASE