One of my favorite writing gigs is providing the “Second Act” stories to The Wall Street Journal’s Encore section twice a year. Second Acts focus on those who find a new passion in their fifty-plus years — be it a career or full-time hobby or avocation. I feel privileged to be able to share the journeys of such a disparate group of people. In the April 23rd edition, I was pleased to have written four articles. I was moved to hear about how an owner of an investment firm decided to open up a chocolate shop to employ disabled workers. There was also a physical therapist who decided to become a whitewater rafting guide, a teacher who launched a nonprofit to generate enthusiasm for the STEM fields in girls and a marketing executive who spends her retirement years traveling the world inexpensively by house sitting. Interviewing these types of individuals gives me hope that there are many exciting ways to spend one’s later years, provided, of course that you remain healthy. I’m sure that the zeal they have for these new pursuits helps to keep them both physically and emotionally healthy as well. I was just as intrigued by another story I told in the most recent Encore issue: a mission of developers of 55 plus active living communities to build eco-friendly residences. They found that older adults crave environmentally sustainable living, partly because it’s economical as well. I look forward to continuing my coverage of the ways older adults are embarking on their senior years with great enthusiasm and joy. I’m always looking for Second Act candidates, so if you know of anyone who has made an interesting late-in-life career switch, please contact me!
Julie Halpert 