Here are some of the thoughtful answers I received. Honor Your Eccentricity Throughout our lives, most of us strive to fit in. Whether we are in fifth grade, high school or at work, we want to be accepted by the people around us. I gained a sense of humility, or reduced expectations, about life that many conventionally popular people never achieve. Thus I was better adapted to being old in America, a country where everyone over 60 is fundamentally considered to be weird.
Many happy retirees believe that they have lived harder lives than many of their contemporaries.
One reason my women friends repeatedly emphasize is that they have no trouble keeping busy outside of the workplace. After retirement, homemaking responsibilities such as cooking, shopping or cleaning out a closet, coupled with time spent helping children and grandchildren, not only give many women a reason to get up in the morning but also a way to express love and caring. By contrast, many retired men have way too little to do. Dogs figure prominently in the lives of many fulfilled oldsters. Not only is a dog a friend and companion, but it also helps the older person in several other important ways, including getting exercise, making friends and feeling needed.