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The Late in Life Writer: Handling more than you thought.

Writer's picture: Halina SchaferHalina Schafer


The Late in Life Writer Jan. 14, 2025


When I started writing my first book in 2014, I never expected to get it published. It was a gift for family members who had the first of the next generation in our lineage. It was an exciting time for me with many changes ahead.


I was newly retired. I was about to move from Connecticut to our home in South Carolina and leave behind the cold weather, snow, high taxes, and high-stress position. Writing for a newborn and the parents would be a joy! After all, I was transitioning to a life of leisure, right?


Relocating in winter (11 years ago today on 1/14/14) is never ideal. I had to pack up my home which was on the market. (My other half's home would take a few more years, including COVID time.) We had bought the house the year before and spent many happy hours by that time exploring the neighborhood and the nearby city. We loved it all! We managed to have a few essential pieces of furniture transported over the previous months, but now we had a real sense of our home. The daily routine was to unpack a few boxes, assess the room layouts, do some gardening, and write a few lines for the book. Easy-peasy!


I now think the concept of "settling in" is a life-long process. Since the move we've dealt with a new water heater, and carpeting that needed to be ripped up and replaced with flooring, and, now, we're looking at re-doing the kitchen in this 25-year-old house. The life of a household is in constant need of attention. Not to mention, but I will, the yard work that is a constant. It's where I found my pet parrot almost 8 years ago!


I now have three self-published books and hope to get the fourth out this year. The fourth was supposed to be out last year, but life got in the way. Like an older home, some of my parts were wearing out. I've been through arthroscopic surgery on one shoulder and will likely need a replacement in the future. So far, I'm "making do" with lots of Physical Therapy and holding my own! My partner had what was deemed a "mild" heart attack or, perhaps better said, a wake-up call. Also in the past year and a half, I had COVID twice.


One foot in front of the other. I'm a list maker. I jot down things as they catch my attention. That doesn't mean I get them done that day. Sometimes, not even in the same week. Since Jan. 1st I've celebrated three family birthdays (including my own) with phone calls and cards, dinner out, and seeing a show with friends. These are the moments that make "the next step" so much more palatable. It's how I recharge to accomplish another task. I got my business taxes done...whew!


I am a firm believer in mindfulness. I try my best to focus on what's in front of me (or top of the list). I shut my cell phone off. I close my office door. I give whatever I am doing my best effort. I've learned over many years that I can handle more than I thought. However, the aftermath is not pretty and requires a good deal of cleanup and reorganizing. Yep, that's at the top of the list now! And this is the pretty side of the desk!


Stay calm and go forward. It'll get done.


Messy desk
This is the "pretty" side of the piles.

Halina Schafer





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