WHEN I HELD MY BOOK 'RETIREMENT REBEL' I CRIED.

 

For the last three years I have been travelling around Great Britain in my motorhome. It has been a rollercoaster of a ride as I navigated severe storms and not least two lockdowns during the pandemic. It has all been worth it to finally see and hold my book RETIREMENT REBEL by Siobhan Daniels published by Vertebrate publishing. 

This week I travelled up to Sheffield to the publishers with so much nervous excitement. What would the book look like, what would it feel like? What would the people who have worked on it think of the book and think of me for that matter.

I managed to negotiate the hills of Sheffield in my motorhome to finally pull up by their offices. Thankfully there was plenty of room for me to park up 'Dora the Explora'. Armed with cakes, to sweeten the mood if necessary, I tentatively made my way to the front door. 

I pressed the doorbell and waited with baited breath for someone to appear. I need not have been worried. The door was opened by a women with a fabulous warm smile.  Rae told me that everyone was excited about meeting me and they had thoroughly enjoyed working on the book.

 I felt so relaxed and happy immediately. Many of the staff who I have worked with remotely gathered in the room and it was wonderful to finally put faces to names. They could not have been more supportive. They even got me a wonderful gift of a hat and buff. 

It felt like a family and I was so appreciative of the support because I have always fought for everything in my life in survival mode without much backup. So this gave me tremendous sense of belonging.

Nothing prepares you for that overwhelming sensation when you see hundreds of pre-ordered copies of your book piled up high on a desk. 

I walked over and took hold of one of the books and examined the amazing cover,  there was a woman sitting in her chair with her woolly hat on, overlooking mountains, rivers and picturesque countryside, with a little Robin at her feet and a rainbow in the distance. I really think it has a feel of me and depicts my nomadic life so well. I just burst into tears. It was a dream come true, I was now an Author and people were going to read and hopefully be inspired by my book. I have always wanted to help women to live their best lives. I do not want them to feel as bad as I have felt at times in my life. This is intended to be an inspirational book for both young and old. Young women must use their voice to instigate changes in society on the way we view and talk about ageing. Lets change the narratives and images of what it is really like to age nowadays. Lets see the importance of both young and old collaborating to ensure we are enabled to age positively in life and more importantly in the workplace. So many women are struggling at work as they get older, they tell me that they feel lost, voiceless and marginalised. As we face the prospect of having to stay working for longer before we can draw on our state pensions we need to improve things. We need policies in place to facilitate that. I want to get discussions going to instigate that change.

Alongside all that I want my book to reignite that spark in women to have their adventures and to do more things for themselves. To live in the moment more. Often they have given up what they truly wanted to do in their lives to bring up families or focus on careers. They need to realise that we only have one shot at living and they need to grab the opportunities now to live their best lives. They do not have to be as crazy as me and give up their home and most of their possessions and hit the road for years shouting to anyone who would listen, that ageist attitudes have to change and women in their 50s,60s 70s and beyond have a voice and we want to be heard and we are not going away.  Just simple lifestyle changes can have a massive impact on how we age more positively. Things like going for walks, joining a choir or just meditating each day. The important thing is taking time for you, so that you feel your best version of you.

I was truly in a pickle in my mid fifties, so unhappy with life but going through the motions because I had bills to pay. Then I turned it all on its head and now live with very little but I have so much more quality , so that they can feel this way too. I am sure it is the same for many men as they age. I am relatable for lots of women and I hope that somewhere out there that there is a man shouting out for other men to help them age as positively as they can and to challenge ageism.

My book RETIREMENT REBEL by Siobhan Daniels, out on October 20th , is a good read for men too, so that they understand the need for a lot of women to find their inner adventurer and feel a sense of purpose. Maybe they can plan those adventures together. 

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