David Debin, co-founder of the Third Age Foundation ( http://www.thirdagefoundation.com )  writes in that organization’s Summer 2007 Newsletter, “Heartfelt emotions like love and forgiveness, compassion and gratitude–even anger and resentment–when expressed in personal writing, can open the door to your true spiritual and emotional Self . . . . Over the years I’ve been convinced that only when you bring forth that which is within you can you see who you truly are. And only when you see who you truly are can you begin the process of change from what you are now to what you are meant to be.”

Examining your past and present is a good way to analyze your possibilities for the future. Many old stereotypes about aging are disappearing. Thanks to medical advances, we’re living longer and staying healthier. Even those eagerly looking forward to retirement often face the “What’s next?” question. Writing can help you figure that out. It can also help you deal with the problems and irritations of life, major and minor, and help you make some important decisions. And perhaps best of all, writing can help you provide a legacy of experience and knowledge that future generations need. Write for your children and grandchildren. Share your stories, serious and humorous, and those stories passed along by your own parents and grandparents.

Here are some writing ideas. You can discover more of your own.

A. Imagine that you have ten or fifteen minutes to introduce yourself to a new acquaintance. What do you want to tell that person in order to convey who you are? What is important to you: your career, past or present; your family; your ethnic background or family origin; your religion; your hobbies or interests?

B. What were your childhood dreams? To what extent have those dreams, or that dream, been fulfilled? Why and how, or why not? How do you feel about your fulfilled or unfulfilled dreams? Can you still achieve some part of your dreams, perhaps in a new or unconventional way? What accomplishments or achievement(s) are you proudest of? Why?

C. What fears, limiting beliefs, or poor choices have affected your life? Have you overcome some of these, or do you still hope to do so? Have you acquired new fears or anxieties?

D. What, if anything, were you or are your addictions? Addiction, in the broad sense, means more than just alcohol, drugs, or gambling, although if any of these is or has been your problem, writing about it may lead to discoveries. But how about less destructive habits that may get out of control: too much TV, too many crossword or Sukoku puzzles, too much eating, golf, bridge, or talking on the telephone? Anything that threatens to take over your life in a worrisome way can be an addiction.

E. Imagine your life five or ten or more years in the future. Where will you be living? What will you be doing? Write about your ideal future, or be more realistic. Or write about both the ideal and the likely reality, and compare. Dare to dream.

F. Have you changed during the course of your life? How, or why, and how do you feel about that change or those changes?

G. How do you feel about aging and/or retirement? Aging is inevitable, so how well are you dealing with it, or the idea of it? Do you see retirement as a blessing or a curse? Why?

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." . . . Carl Jung, Psychologist

Next: A Change of Pace