My 3rd Act—New Monthly Read!

January 2026 Issue
By Melinda Rooney


David Bowie once said,
“Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you
become the person you always should have been.”

I didn’t fully understand those words—until recently when I retired. Retirement, for me, has been less about slowing down and more about waking up. After decades of nine-to-five corporate work, raising children, trying to succeed as a wife, mom, friend, and co-worker—and keeping pace with the big city—I’ve stepped into what I call my Third Act. And to my surprise, it feels less like an ending and more like a brand-new beginning.

It’s as if I’ve been placed into a kind of witness protection program—set free to rediscover the person who was always there but hidden beneath responsibilities, schedules, and expectations (typically others’ expectations). I’m learning that this stage of life isn’t just about rediscovering who I was—it’s about shedding who I no longer need to be. The roles, expectations, and old definitions that once shaped me don’t have to define me anymore. I’m giving myself permission to step out of my history and into possibility—to become someone new, someone lighter, someone more me than ever before.

What I’m discovering is both simple and profound. Joy, thankfulness, purpose, and self don’t have to come from a career, grand gestures, or bucket-list adventures (though those can be wonderful, too). They can be found in slower mornings, nature trails, boat rides, conversations with new friends, an impromptu luncheon with the girls, volunteering, staying active, and—most significantly for me—having courage to try something I’ve always wanted to do—write this very column.

I’m a long-time fan of journaling, filling pages with stories, reflections, and observations. But for years, those words were just for me—a private outlet tucked away in notebooks and digital apps. I carried a secret dream to write and have others read what I’d written. So, in this season of life, I feel called to share them, along with my renewed effort to expand my ability to express myself and reignite my long-buried writing bug. And I’m not alone. Many of us here, in the heart of the Lowcountry, are navigating this same transition —learning how to let go, find purpose, gain a new sense of confidence, reimagine, discover, and embrace the freedom to finally become ourselves.

Someone once said that our minds are most creative at age 60; could that be true? I’d like to believe so.

My Third Act isn’t about chasing youth or recreating the past. It’s about leaning into possibility—discovering there’s still so much life to be lived, and that perhaps the best version of ourselves is only just beginning to emerge. I can still be a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, and a friend, but there isn’t just one thing that truly defines me anymore. I can move beyond any of those titles and simply be me.

So, here’s to Act Three.
May it be bold, surprising, and more
extraordinary than we ever imagined.

Melinda Rooney is a freelance writer whose roots stretch from the New York–Connecticut area to the Carolinas. A wife, mother, and grandmother, she raised her family in Charlotte, N.C., before settling into Lowcountry life with her husband Bob in 2023. An avid tennis player, she now enjoys writing about the people, places, and stories that inspire her.