Coming Soon: Man-o-pause
For my next book, I want to explore, in some depth, what it is like to be a late middle-aged man at a key period of change in life. Putting dates on this stage is fraught but it’s somewhere between about fifty and sixty-five, depending on individual circumstances. It will be different for all of us, but I believe there are some themes that may illuminate and some shared experiences that may reassure. I’m acutely aware that middle-aged men are not a demographic that engenders much sympathy in society and, as a group throughout history has not covered itself in glory, but I’m a late middle-aged bloke so what the hell. I’m also conscious that many women go through similar change periods but a) I’m not a woman and b) how on earth do you ask women some of the questions I’ve been asking myself?
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The kind of topics I want to explore are:
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Leaving work / semi-retirement / full retirement – self-esteem, social engagement, a purpose, ego, etc.
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Our health – are we in ‘snipers alley’?
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Family breakdown and kids leaving home – becoming suddenly less useful.
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Death of a parent and our shifting roles.
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Finding ourselves unable to use the new technology, which seems like the room gets gradually darker as we approach.
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