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Comment by lstamour | Hacker News Reader

I know a number of folks who remarried and found happiness, and even had kids (!) after 50-55. Life isn’t over until you decide. Engage with the world, try new things for a time and see what sticks.

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I have kids who are successful and seem happy. I sincerely regret ever single sacrifice I made to get them there. I wish I could have my life again so I could fuck it up even better :|

I hope you don't tell them that. Hearing my parents say that would change me forever.

"I'll tell you an anecdote that played a role in my life. I was about twenty-two and one day I was in a terrible state. We were living in Sibiu, a city in the provinces where I spent my whole youth, and where my father was the priest of the city. That day only my mother and I were home.... All of a sudden I had a fantastic fit of despair, I threw myself on the sofa and said "I can't take it anymore." And my mother said this: "If I had known, I would have had an abortion." That made an extraordinary impression on me. It didn't hurt me, not at all. But later I said, "That was very important. I'm simply an accident. Why take it all so seriously?" Because, in effect, it's all without substance."

- Emil Cioran, Writing at Risk: Interviews in Paris With Uncommon Writers

Did anyone force you to have kids?

You have your life now: go and fuck it up as much as you want.

Just to put some statistics on it.

58% of men over 55 remarry and 41% of women marry/remarry after 50.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/fashion/13genb.html

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