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How They Met: Peter, 62 and Louise, 55

Peter and Louise have a relationship built on trust, mutual support, and lots of fun with the approach to just say yes to new experiences

Where are you each from?

We are both Australians living on the picturesque Tweed/Byron Coast in northern NSW. Peter’s lineage is Swedish background and I am what people would call true blue Aussie!  

What are your ages?

Peter is 62 years young-at-heart kind of guy and I am at the fabulous age of 55. 

When did you meet?

We met nearly 3 years ago.

Where did you meet?

We met on an online dating site. 

What were you thinking before you met? Were you looking for someone to be with?

When Peter and I met it was at a really difficult time for me as I was experiencing the worst kind of burnout. It was one of the most debilitating times of my life. I had built a very successful business in which I pushed myself to unsustainable levels. In the early stages of my body starting to break down, my best friend was taking care of me in her home. One day she came into my room and we chatted for a while and she felt one of the biggest concerns she had was that I mostly did life on my own. After a couple of failed relationships I had given up on finding someone so I, therefore, focused on my business denying myself of any real love and connection. 

As sick as I was my friend proceeded to create a profile on an online dating site and put me out there. She was determined not to sit by and allow me to do life on my own again!! I found online dating a nice distraction to what my body was going through and, weirdly enough, gave me that glimpse of hope. There were many moments lying there in my bed scared and confused as to what was happening to me. I felt this incredible sense of loneliness; all I truly wanted was to be hugged, held tight, and to feel safe and protected. I had worked tirelessly in the past to help many others but here I was feeling alone.

“The first thing about Peter I remember is the big, tight hug he gave me and the wonderful big smile on his face”

Peter and I went back and forth by email for over a month and then finally spoke on the phone. I was incredibly nervous as I was still not well. It was wonderful to chat with him; I left most of the talking to him and then Peter asked me out for lunch. Hesitantly, I said yes and when it came to meeting Peter on the day I was terrified as I didn’t know if I could physically or emotionally get through the date. But there was a part of me that wanted to meet him. The first thing about Peter that I remember is the big, tight hug he gave me and the wonderful big smile on his face. 

We have been together since! Over the last 3 years, he has been that gentle loving support that I needed to heal and get back to my healthy, happy self. We thoroughly enjoy each other’s company and we laugh a lot. Because we met later in our lives we made the decision we would say a big YES to all the incredible new experiences we can have together. We have a lot to make up for.

“Because we met later in our lives we made the decision we would say a big YES to all the incredible new experiences we can have together”

Our time together since meeting we have traveled to Maui twice for business, traveled to Fiji, and experienced island culture where we jumped off boats into the South Pacific, visited villages taking clothes and gifts for the children, and doing photography shots for my son’s travel photography business. We said YES to being over-50s models for traveling couples having fun. Peter has also been there as my strength and support helping me to get back on stage to start presenting. Recently we said YES to going on a brand new TV Game Show which airs Wednesday night 31st March (We can tell you the outcome once the show airs, and I have to say it is such a new experience having our faces come up on all the ads for the show) and now we are in the process of saying YES to launching my first book Your Reset Revolution which we have self-published. 

My experience with burnout brewed a new purpose to build awareness around burnout and what the early warning signals are with burnout. Our dream now is to travel and share the wonderful benefits of being in nature and building a life through the lens of wellbeing. 

What were your first impressions? 

A huge big smile and a big hug. 

Where/when were you married?

We are not married, but living life to the fullest.

Is this the sort person you were expecting to be with?

Peter is the sort of person who I have dreamt about but never thought existed! Glad I was wrong. 

“What I love about our relationship is we both learn from each other”

How are the two of you different?

What I love about our relationship is we both learn from each other. I am a very creative person and everything I create has a spiritual essence to it. I also have a huge passion for wellbeing. These are the things I share with Peter and he shares with me his vast knowledge of history and events in the world. We have many special things that we both bring to our relationship and it makes for fabulous conversation. We are never bored!

What is the best thing about your relationship?

Trust is very important to both Peter and me. This trust is on many levels which truly creates that wonderful sense of comfort and connection for us both. Plus, I love that we laugh a lot. We laugh at each other and ourselves.   

How do you spend your weekends together? 

Most mornings we go for a body surf at the beach, we do Pilates a few times a week and walking. Peter loves his game of golf with friends and catching up on the weekly news on Sundays. Sundays are usually quiet, lazy days…

Relationship Advice

What is the best relationship advice you have received or given?

What I have come to learn for myself is having a loving, caring relationship is worth putting yourself out there to find. I put it off for many years and bought into the story about how strong I was as a single career woman and I didn’t need a man. Having a supportive, loving partner has enhanced my emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental wellbeing in ways I never knew possible. It is worth making your personal life as fulfilling as your work life. 

What is one of your favorite vices?

Watching a really good Netflix series.  

What would you say one of his is?

Joining me on the couch to watch a good Netflix series.

How do your different backgrounds add to your relationship? 

We both grew up having to be very independent to create successful lives. We have both had to overcome many different struggles to get where we are today. I feel this serves our relationship in a really healthy way as we both have respect for each of our struggles and we don’t take each other for granted. We have each other to do life with now, and it feels reassuring that we can create anything we want together. 

Plus, every day he tells me I look beautiful — what more can I say!

 

See medical disclaimer below. ↓

1 COMMENT

  1. What a beautiful story! Wishing you both the very best for many more years to come.
    This is inspiring for many in the world. Never give up on your dreams or wishes. Cheers

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The ideas expressed here are solely the opinions of the author and are not researched or verified by AGEIST LLC, or anyone associated with AGEIST LLC. This material should not be construed as medical advice or recommendation, it is for informational use only. We encourage all readers to discuss with your qualified practitioners the relevance of the application of any of these ideas to your life. The recommendations contained herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You should always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before starting any new treatment or stopping any treatment that has been prescribed for you by your physician or other qualified health provider. Please call your doctor or 911 immediately if you think you may have a medical or psychiatric emergency.

David Stewart
David is the founder and face of AGEIST. He is an expert on, and a passionate champion of the emerging global over-50 lifestyle. A dynamic speaker, he is available for panels, keynotes and informational talks at david@agei.st.

 

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