Her parents, Austrian Jews who escaped the Nazis in the '30s, eventually joined her in Israel and they lived in Tzfat -- they passed away at relatively healthy ages (in their '80s and '90s, so if genetics have anything to do with it, my friend has quite a few good years left).
Mimi, my friend, has been living in Tzfat for close to 20 years and has now decided to move to another community to be close to her children. I know that some of her friends question whether it's the right move, but I totally understand -- when it's time, it's time.
Sometimes your inner kishkes tell you that you need to do something NOW, even when it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. When I left my relatively-secure job at the Tzfat Tourist Center for the unknown as a freelancer, I questioned myself, as did others. The job had been undemanding and pleasant (though the salary was nothing to write home about) and I worked with nice people. But something within me said "it's time." There was a catalyst event that propelled me to listen to my inner voice and I'm grateful that I did.
I give Mimi so much credit. It would probably be easy to say "oh, I'm such-and-such age, I don't have energy to start over" but she recognized that it was time to make a move and she and her her dog Pitzi are off on a new adventure.
May God grant me the gumption and guts to continue to spread my wings when I reach my senior years. May God grant me the opportunity to continue to make a difference in other people's lives, regardless of my age. And may God grant me the wisdom to know when to say "it's time" and act as needed.
Good luck Mimi!