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PERSPECTIVE

Ex-Pat Life Isn’t Always Easy; Advancing Age Only Adds To the Difficulties

A few things to consider before you decide to retire abroad

Janice Macdonald
Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age
6 min readDec 15, 2024

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Languedoc, France (all photos by author )

When I moved to France at 68, I had no idea that in just over ten years, my right hip and then my right knee would both need replacement surgery. At 68, it never crossed my mind that I’d look at a flight of stairs with a bit of trepidation, that my vision would ever make me reluctant to drive at night, or that not driving at night would limit my social opportunities and I’d no longer be able to attend the concerts and gatherings I’d once enjoyed.

At 68, I hardly thought about my age at all. Unlike my daughter back in the States, who did think about it. You’re fine now, she’d say when we discussed my decision to move to France, but what when you get really old? What if you need someone to take care of you, what then? I’d shrug off her concerns. Not that I felt invincible, I just couldn’t imagine ever not being independent and self-sufficient.

Even now, at 80, I still can’t imagine a time when the three flights of stairs leading up to the garret where I live will ever be reason to think about moving elsewhere. I can’t imagine not driving or going for walks. I can’t fully imagine the inexorable decline that comes with every…

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Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age
Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

Published in Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” (Frank Lloyd Wright) Non-fiction pieces, personal essays and occasional poems that explore how we feel about how we age and offer tips for getting the most out of life.

Janice Macdonald
Janice Macdonald

Written by Janice Macdonald

At 68, I started a new chapter in my life: I moved to France. Alone. It turned out to be quite the page-turner. Still is — even when age insists on a part.

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