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Hey, tough guy, think you've got a challenging and adventurous life?
Well, 64 year old author, Rita Golden Gelman is a self-styled nomad with no permanent address and virtually no possessions. She has traveled the world for 15 years, settling down temporarily in communities as varied as Mexico, Indonesia and Thailand. A lifestyle like this one is definitely not for sissies. Rita's book "Tales of a Female Nomad" describes her travels, and offers a heaping helping of inspiration to anyone who wants to transform their hopes and dreams into high adventure. Adventurous, trail-blazing boomers, like Rita, are what I call "Zoomers".  These days, Gelman is taking her travel experiences "on the road" so to speak. Rita now leads workshops on creativity and risk-taking. What kind of credentials does one need to teach that kind of workshop? Thirteen years of globe-trotting. The way Gelman puts it, "I wanted to do life differently". So she pursued her dream of traveling the world and living in exotic communities from Nicaragua to Indonesia.
Gelman discusses the importance of taking risks in order to realize your dreams and, through her own riveting experiences, illustrates the benefits of pursuing personal goals. Living without a home for 15 years, Gelman says she missed not having a lot of the creature comforts, especially access to a telephone. "It was hard to be out of touch and almost unreachable. I would write letters and send them off into space." It often took two or three weeks for her letters to reach their destination. Then the answer would take another two weeks. "E-mail changed my life", boasts the world traveler. Now days, Gelman can communicate with her family and friends as often as she wants. Did Gelman have any clue that globe-trotting would become a lifestyle? "I never thought about how long my journey would be. I just began. The truth is, I try not to think too far ahead. Too much planning can stop you from doing what you really want to do. I have no idea what I'll be doing a year from now." At a time when most folks lives are winding down, Gelman is loving every minute of her new, adventurous lifestyle. "I take it a day at a time." Sometimes those days turn into years. This globe-trotting author spent eight years in Bali. "I don't feel I have to be constantly on the move; I like to stay in one place long enough to become a part of a community. The photo (right) shows just how many lives Rita can touch when this determined author becomes part of the local community. "I will stay for as long as it feels right. But I don't want to own a house or lock myself into a place forever." So what's the next chapter in this author's life? "I remembered the dream I'd had when I was a young woman. I used to imagine myself in a canoe, paddling up the Amazon and stopping in tribal villages. I had buried the dream when I became an adult and started a family. But when I suddenly found myself free and able to make decisions without asking permission, I realized that what I really wanted to do was take off on a journey that would bring me into other cultures where I could learn about different ways of living life." Here's a bit of advice for those who share Rita's love of adventure. "Connect, connect, connect. With interaction, we are reminded how much we are alike. There is joy in opening up to the world and in reaffirming the oneness of humanity. And age frees us from many daily responsibilities; we have no excuses to put off pursuing our dreams. Despite a very busy lifestyle, Gelman is sharing her experiences with others who might require a little inspiration in order to get started on a whole new, adventurous way of living. One of those efforts is AARP's "Creativity Workshops" targeting the 50-plus generation. The goal of these workshops is to encourage people to be creative in their lives, to view age as a liberating experience in which we can revisit our dreams. In addition to writing about world travel, Rita also authors children's books. In fact, this busy lady is the author of more than 70 children's books, including award-winning "Inside Nicaragua", and "More Spaghetti, I say!", a staple in many first grade classrooms. Hey, readers, why not turn your dreams into an adventurous reality? Learn more about adventurous lifestyles at: www.aarp.org/creativity Afterall, if wealth was determined by the number of smiles one creates, you might say Gelman is rich beyond her wildest dreams. Photo Credit: Fleishman-Hillard See related articles in the AgeVenture archives.  Zoomers Re-Invent Retirement
Retirement Doesn't Work
Ziglar Helps Boomers Become Zoomers
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