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Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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When Life
Doesn't Age Gracefully: The Promises that Didn't Hold Up
Jeffrey Tolback
pexels
As
we grow older, hindsight offers a unique kind of wisdom. We can look back at
some of our choices and see them objectively. Sometimes, the decisions we make
with confidence turn out to be far less enduring than we anticipated.
Trends fade, products fail, and innovations don’t always hold up in the long
run. And while this isn’t a judgment call, it’s a reflection of how time can
reveal the cracks in what once appeared to be solid foundations.
From health solutions to diets and gadgets, not every choice we make ages well.
So let’s take a closer look at a few examples where the long game didn’t quite
work out.
When “Low Maintenance” Became “Too Late to Change”
As
much as we’d like to believe in the permanence of certain solutions, aging isn’t
always about staying the course. Sometimes it’s about knowing when to give up
and change direction.
That said, some of the decisions we make in our earlier years become harder to
correct as time goes on. Take, for example, the rise of fad diets that once
promised rapid weight loss.
In
the short term, they worked. But over the years (and after careful analysis), it
was found that these diets wreaked havoc on
metabolism. They ended up causing
weight gain instead of loss, and even led to serious long-term health issues in
some cases.
Similarly, permanent or semi-permanent procedures, such as hair removal or body
modifications, may have seemed like great ideas at the time. But they often lack
reversibility that we take for granted as we age.
Another area where this shows up is in the overuse of medications. Consider
hormone replacement therapy, which became a popular option for women navigating
menopause. While it was initially thought to be a magic solution for symptoms,
it’s now associated with an increased risk of stroke and certain types of
cancer.
In
many ways, sticking with decisions that no longer serve us is a form of aging
that doesn’t really suit our evolving needs. As we grow older, we may need to
reevaluate the choices we made in our younger days and ask:
Is
this still the best option for me?
The Long Game Isn’t Always the Safe One
There’s an undeniable appeal to the idea of “set it and forget it”. This speaks
to making a choice once, and having that solution simplify our lives in the long
term.
In
health and wellness, this philosophy led to the widespread adoption of various
products and procedures that seemed foolproof at first. But over time, some of
these once-trusted solutions have shown themselves to be far more complicated.
Sometimes with irreversible consequences.
Consider the surge in popularity of silicone breast implants in the ‘80s and
‘90s. They promised beauty with minimal upkeep. However, the FDA issued a
warning in 2023, when they were found to cause a range of
health issues. Some of
these included ruptures, chronic pain, and cancer.
Other honorable mentions: Metal-on-metal hip replacements that caused immense
pain in many patients. And LASIK surgery, once hailed as a permanent fix to
vision problems. Years later, patients suffer from dry eyes among a list of
lasting side effects.
Then there are non-hormonal contraceptives, which have long been a hot topic
despite their popularity. At first, these intrauterine devices (IUDs) seemed
reliable, offering lasting protection while also being low-maintenance. Over
time, however, many women were faced with serious complications that threatened
their health.
More recently, the Paragard lawsuit has brought much-needed attention to these
health risks. Some Paragard IUDs break when being removed, which can lead to
uterine perforation, chronic pelvic pain, and in some cases, infertility.
According to TorHoerman Law, the design of the IUD was never up to standard. As
a result, the device disintegrates long before the full duration of implantation
(usually 10 years).
What We Choose Next Matters More
The
good news is that growing older doesn’t mean settling for what we’ve decided way
back when. In fact, it’s the perfect time to ask ourselves tough questions about
products, prescriptions, and habits we’ve been holding onto.
The
wisdom we gain as we age allows us to make smarter choices, but only if we’re
willing to let go of what’s no longer beneficial. Just because something worked
for us in 1998 isn’t reason enough to still keep it in our lives today.
Retirement life is about enjoying the things that bring us happiness and health.
That might mean exploring new treatments or embracing modern technologies that
are safe and more effective than those of the past.
We
don’t need to keep hanging on to old ideas.
Instead, we should welcome change and embrace the availability of better
choices. It’s our time now to indulge in the peace of mind that comes with
knowing we get to do things better from here on out.
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About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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