Not long ago, Clareyese Nelson acquired a lute at a garage sale. Now she wants to learn how to play it.
Not everybody would aspire to master an ancient string instrument based on a chance rummaging find. But that's how Nelson rolls — ready to try whatever the world offers up.
Ten years ago, when she was 65, Nelson drew up a list of 65 things she wanted to do before she died (she hadn't yet heard the term "bucket list," but that's basically what it was). She checked off a few items. Then she lost the list.
"I thought maybe I could recreate it," said Nelson, of Minneapolis. "But then I thought, huh-uh."
Now she barely remembers what was on the list. But that hasn't stopped her from keeping physically and socially active. Nelson, brightly attired and cheerfully extroverted, travels frequently — she celebrated her most recent birthday in Paris and London — takes singing lessons, leads rides for her bicycling club, volunteers, sees friends.
"You know, there's something new under the sun for you all the time," said Nelson, who lives in Minneapolis. Goal-setting, she says, narrows your options. She prefers "allowing something different to come in."
Whether they go about it that way or take a more methodical approach, many people find midlife to be a great time to tackle new challenges: a job, a hobby, a sport, or a cause.
That's because people in their 50s and 60s are often experiencing life changes — empty nest, ailing or deceased parents, divorce or widowhood, job loss or retirement, even a paid-off mortgage — that can serve as motivations to try something new.
