Seasoned Voices: A Writing Journey of Connection
art by Pearl Richard
Flavoured with insight.
Infused with heart.
Let’s Begin Here
Writing, like travel, has become one of the ways I make sense of the world.
It slows me down. Sharpens my noticing. Helps me share what I’m learning without telling anyone what to do.
Truth be told, writing online can be a lonely business. Over the last year, a group of women bloggers began meeting regularly online. We were drawn closer by both our similarities and our differences, our shared interest in deeper thinking, and plenty of opportunities to laugh while learning together.
Seasoned Voices emerged from those conversations. The idea of collaboration grew from that same desire to make sense of things as we go, without rushing to tidy conclusions.
We are five women writers, each shaped by different journeys. Some came to writing later in life. Some returned after long pauses. All of us arrived with our own reasons, and our own questions, about what feels worth paying attention to now.
Guided by the rhythm of the seasons, we explore shared themes through individual lenses. We spend time chatting about a theme and then crafting our own take on the topic. Our writing won’t aim for conclusions so much as to deepen the conversation.
Consider this post an introduction, a chance for you to meet the women behind Seasoned Voices. You’ll find a glimpse into who they are, what draws them to writing, the perspectives they bring to this collaboration, and where to find more of their work if you feel inclined to keep reading.
While this may feel like a slight deviation for a travel and well-being blog, I believe it belongs here on Travel Bug Tonic. Reflections and deepened connections are a way of travelling slowly through life. We can tend the storyteller, and honour our journeys as they unfold.
Tracy
Pearl
The Pits and Pieces
“My blog, The Pits and Pieces, is where I can practice being a writer. It is a little corner on the internet where I articulate my thoughts, opinions, comment on books I’ve read, show my attempts at art (and even poetry). It is where I ponder this aging journey as a woman, and hopefully, connect with other women on a similar path of reflection and discovery. Some people create scrapbooks and photo albums, I journal and write and blog.
Blogging can be a vulnerable thing, in that you allow others a glimpse into your interior life. And that interior may be messy and chaotic, sometimes unpredictable, sometimes rich and meandering. You are allowing others to form opinions and judgements on that interior life. Writing is a solitary pursuit. But once you launch your words, not knowing where they may land, you expose yourself. You throw out thoughts and words, reach out a hand, inviting people to simply read, or read and engage, not knowing what may return to you. My hope is that I find myself in a network, perhaps an unseen community but a community nonetheless, that helps us thrive in this stage of life.”
Linda
The Precious Days
“There was a joke going around social media:
Them: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Me: “Retired.”
Ba dum dum. In my case, pretty accurate.
Retiring. That was the door that would open up space to consciously live the challenges and triumphs of later life. Retirement is a fresh, clean page, an expansive landscape on which to center the everyday fears, longings, musings, and choices that I believe I have in common with so many women of a certain age.
Writing. That would be my medium. I have flirted with being “a writer” since middle school. It started with a few poems, then pieces published in the high school newspaper. As a college English major, my passion for writing essays took top priority. Then the work world took over, and my love of writing took a backseat to the tasks of my profession. When I retire, I thought, I’ll have time to write.
Blogging. My first retirement goal was to set up my blog, "The Precious Days.” I write about my retirement as a journey to discovering new meaning in later life, exploring a self free from work identity, hustle culture, and pressure. It’s a blog about slowing down, examining life– past, present, and future–and living those precious days with curiosity, reflection, and gratitude.
It is my hope that through my blog, women will find ideas and experiences that resonate, along with “a lot of reflection and a little inspiration.”
Joan
W.I.S.E.R. Woman
“I haven’t always thought of myself as a writer. I journaled off and on for decades until 2016(ish) when I began my blog. It was only then that writing became a meaningful and regular part of my life.
Although writing was and is an act of self-expression, it quickly became more than that, a way to explore my own growth, to help make sense of being a woman in midlife, and to offer reflections that I hope support others walking alongside me.
In my work as a life coach, I support women in midlife and beyond to navigate change with more ease and compassion. I created The Tap and Write Studio, a safe space for women navigating transitions, ready to release outdated beliefs, connect deeply within, find clarity and inner wisdom through a unique combination of EFT tapping and therapeutic/reflective writing.
I joined Seasoned Voices, an amazing group of writers, because connection, community and supporting one another reflects my personal and professional values. I look forward to adding my voice and reflections to the rich tapestry of experiences we all bring to the page.”
Helen
Ageless Possibilities
“In 2020, when I launched Ageless Possibilities, I wanted to step into this later stage of life with intention, trusting that curiosity, passion, and a sense of purpose were not behind us - they were waiting to be claimed. I wanted to write about how life had shaped me as I stood on this threshold. I hoped to challenge the tired narratives about aging. And, I was looking forward to reflecting on the ageless possibilities that are open to us.
Fast forward six years. I am now writing about my lived experience as an older woman - someone who makes more intentional choices, has let go of long-held expectations, and now focuses on what truly matters. I am no longer trying to make sense of my journey rowing north. Now, I paddle these waters with more clarity about where I am going.
Ageless Possibilities is not a guide to aging well. It is my space for reflection. It is an invitation to join me in unfolding a deeper relationship with ourselves and with the lives we are living.”
Seasoned Voices. Five women writers, each coming to writing along differing paths.
Pearl, Linda, Joan, Helen, and I are eager to speak the truth about growing older. Flavoured with insight and infused with heart is our tagline, and our words carry the simple belief: stories matter. Stories that bubble up as we reflect on the unexpected freedoms and surprising adventures at this time of life. Stories that break through the surface when we refuse to shrink into aging’s tired stereotypes. Together, we draw inspiration from retirement’s blank canvas, filling it with broad strokes of wonder, truths told a little raw, and the vibrancy of possibilities cracked wide open.
We'll use the seasons to guide our shared blogging adventure, bringing our individual perspectives to common themes. You’ll recognize a Seasoned Voices piece by its cover artwork and the links to each of our takes on a topic. Our hope is that our collaboration will feel like a conversation among women of a certain age – gritty and real in some places, lit by reflection in others. And we hope you contribute to that conversation too.
We know there are many of you out there who feel the way we do, and we hope that our cross-pollinated blogging inspires a deep connection. So if you’re interested in the company of women willing to go there, join us back here in mid-February when we’ll launch the first instalment of Seasoned Voices.
