Starting Over at 60

After a 30-year marriage crumbled, Paula Harer found herself single for the first time in 35 years. She felt like she had something to say about her experience, so started writing a blog called Starting Over at Sixty. She addresses everything from loneliness and reinvention and offers ways to create a new outlook on life. Move On Magazine talks to Paula about her journey and what she has learned along the way.

You are a champion for women over 60 rediscovering life. What led you to this point in your life? I had been married for more than 30 years when I left my husband, moving to a one room urban loft with my dog, Red, and beginning a new chapter of life. It was a lot to process, and for a while, I just sat there, lost. I was a mess. Being single was not part of the plan. I was going to be a married mother of three for the rest of my life. Well, things changed.

Tell us a bit about your blog Starting Over at Sixty.

After about six months of settling into my new life, I was still miserable. I just couldn’t seem to get myself moving forward toward healing and starting over. One evening, when I was particularly lonely and sad, I just started typing. It all came pouring out of me: how broken hearted I was, the loneliness, the depression. I couldn’t stop the words from flying off my fingers and onto the page. It was a surprise to me that I had it all inside me waiting to pour out. So, I kept writing.

It felt good. Now, I write for women over 50 who are single.

What are some of the issues and topics that you explore? And, what’s the main message that you want share?

I cover topics in Starting Over at Sixty such as loneliness, lack of confidence, the need for new dreams and dating. I want my ladies to feel important, confident and relevant.

If you are a single woman over 50, 60 or more, you still have a third (maybe even half) of your life left and I hate to see women waste that most valuable time. I feel like it’s my job to tell it like it is, while offering hope and the idea that life can still change for the better.

I am good at helping other women affect change in their lives. When they read Starting Over at Sixty, they see their own story on the page. And, they see someone who was totally broken and was able to turn it around. That’s the message for sure.

What does the future hold for Paula Harer?

My life is good and it is only getting better. I love working with single women over 50 to help them find a path to happiness and success, whatever that is for them. I get so excited when I talk with a woman who I know I can help. Really that’s what it’s all about.

You talk about transitioning from “cocooning to killing it.” What are your top five tips to ensure that women can make this transition?

How about I give you one tip five ways! I think the most important thing a single woman who is over 50 can do for herself is to be good at making new friends.