Midlife Adventures

Single, without a child to care for, and in her 40s, Mom decided to get into the clothing industry. She starts working for her niece Linda and her husband, Joe. Linda is the daughter of Mom’s oldest brother, Richard.

Joe and Linda started a very successful aloha shirt business. Tom Selleck started wearing their shirts on Magnum P.I. and the business takes off.

With Linda’s help, Mom immerses herself in the clothing and fashion industry, eventually going on her own. She became a Sale Representative, selling clothing to retail stores across the state. Mom loves it! She gets to travel, meet people, and everybody loves her.

By now, Mom and I are good. She accepts the fact that I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and that I’m ok, not weird, fanatical or brainwashed. And, as long as I was happy, she was happy for me.  

By this time, I had my own business in the computer field and could support myself. So, the ‘not going to college and wasting my life’ thing was no longer an issue.

As for Mom, she was have the time of her life in her ‘Midlife Adventures’!

Mom worked hard, and she also played hard. She loved to travel.

Sometimes she would travel with Linda…other times with Auntie Bea…sometimes with her cousin Rose…or with her long time friend Daisy.  Mom traveled to China, Rome, Greece, London, Thailand, Malaysia, Egypt, Italy, Switzerland, Indonesia…riverboats, jungles, pyramids, camels, outhouses and the runs…Mom did it all!!!

And of course, there was Las Vegas every year with cousin Rose…

Mom also had a series of boyfriends…Don, Alvin, Walter…maybe some others I didn’t know about too…Mom even reconnected with Dad!!! (See Mom & Dad 2.0)…it was a fun time for Mom.

Eventually, in her mid 60s, Mom retired from sales repping.  She didn’t plan on a new career. She was just bored, and wanted to work to have health insurance.

So she got a job working with her friend Daisy.  Daisy worked in the cafeteria at the University of Hawaii and help to get Mom a job there. So, at 66, Mom was going to college…not to study, but to work in the food industry.

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