Did you ever watch a flowing stream as it carries a leaf rapidly forward, jarring it left to right and pushing it over and under the rocks and stones in its path?

Sometimes our lives may seem like one of those streams….and we’re the leaf.

We, being swept up by the responsibilities, duties and hectic schedules of our existences, continue forward, at times habitually, juggling the many hats we wear of mother, father, head of household, employee, business owner, driver, coach – and so on.

And then, one day, it happens. We wake up and find ourselves approaching the age of retirement with the children that were so dependent on us grown, and jobs that once seemed so demanding winding down to become a thing of our past.

So, then what?

Well, there are the financial plans that were made and perhaps a change in our living environments – possibly a switch to a condo in place of our traditional three bedroom home or a move out of state. But, I am referring more to “then what” with our time.

Quite often, we can view our age and the oncoming of this significant milestone we call retirement, as an end to all that we’ve come to know, and that can be very scary. We may feel a lack of purpose or seem out of sorts now that every one of our days is no longer hectic and full.

But, we shouldn’t.

Let’s not view this time as a door closing on us, but rather as a opportunity to rediscover ourselves, our abilities and our dreams! Retirement is the perfect time to revisit that in which we were always interested, but may have put on hold while we tended to more pressing things. Perhaps you remember wanting to someday rent an RV and go on a cross-country road trip, or maybe you always dreamt of learning how to sail, paint, or take up ballroom dancing.

I had never even tried to write a song of my own until I reached the age of 50. One day, needing a jingle for my website, I decided I would compose it myself. Who knew? Suddenly I was writing, mixing and producing my own songs as if I had been doing so my whole life. It came so naturally. My husband, who is so cute, would bring me little things like a pad and pen to keep on the nightstand in case I thought of lyrics during my sleep (which I often do, by the way) or a waterproof recorder so I could voice a tune in the shower.

To me, music is such a magnificent medium. It can lift us when we’re down, make us feel young and silly, set a romantic mood, energize and motivate us! Whether your preference is jazz, or classical – pop or country, it matters not. Music has the ability to envelope the entirety of us – swirling through, around and inside our emotions as it carries us to another place.