The fabulous, iconic Dolly Parton enjoyed her 70th birthday on 1/19/16
A lot of people have a problem with the word “old.” I’m trying to change that, one blog post at a time. Seems to me “old” has so many negative connotations, we don’t stop to look at the positive. Like the fact we’re still here. The physical slippage, well, that’s the price we pay for sticking around. All that sun, you know. Dry air. Chemicals.
On the other hand, you know what they say. Old beats the alternative. Consider yourself blessed.
Alan Rickman, not yet 70
David Bowie, not yet 70
Glenn Frey, not yet 70
Dallas Taylor, drummer for CSNY, not yet 70
My condolences to the families and loved ones of the people we lost this month. And for the rest of us, we bow our old gray heads and count our blessings.
Last year I turned 60 and had a second run at cancer. I am still working, commuting partially by bus and partially walking with a backpack four miles everyday. I am grateful I can do it. I work hard and still get satisfaction from my career, but I will say my perspective has changed. I think about retirement — when is the right time to pull the plug? I have a lot of interests and am not worried about how to spend my time. We should have enough money. I want plenty of good years to experiment with my reinvention, but at the same time, I have this feeling I’m not quite done with my job. I’m trying to stay calm and happy throughout and hoping the answers will reveal themselves over time. But I’m all ears if you have wisdom to share on this subject!
It sounds as if you could stay or go, and it won’t affect your finances. So it’s just a matter of what makes you happy, and of course we don’t know that yet. I have used a particular kind of decision making technique in the past. I lay down on the couch when nobody’s around, close my eyes, and imagine that I have made my decision. It is settled. No going back. How do I feel? What will the next morning feel like when I wake up? When I open my eyes tomorrow morning, and you want to imagine doing this with all of the power of your imagination, imagine that you have told them goodbye, you have had the party and packed your stuff, and as of this minute will never be reporting back to that office ever again. Now you have your new life. What will you do today? You think it through in as much realistic detail as possible.
Then, start the visualization over again, but imagine you have made up your mind to give it another year. That decision is done, immutable. Now imagine that you are waking up tomorrow morning and you know that you will be working for another year. Imagine yourself getting up brushing your teeth, whatever your routine is, and knowing for absolutely certain that you have submitted your letter saying I WILL be here for another year. As you walk through your morning motions, imagine how it feels. The more detail you go into, the more likely it is that one way or the other will feel more desirable to you. When you are done with this visualization, you are likely to know which decision to make. At least that is how it has always worked for me! Best wishes. Let us know. AND sorry my “smart” phone formatted this answer so stupidly.
Such a powerful message, Lynne. Thanks for the reminder and I love how you are reframing “old”. Keep up your great work!
It is, literally, my life’s work, Kathy. Thanks for the encouragement.
Main thing is to keep busy. Those who sit around and think old will feel old. I read that Bowie made that last video about heaven three days before he die. We all have something to contribute to life every day, just have to do it.
Yes, Judy. Live, live, live!!!! Appreciate the great gift.
I love, love, love this part of my life. Yeah, I’m not as cute as I used to be, yeah, my body has changed and yeah, I hurt in places that used to be strong.
But I am happier without the stress of an important career. I can do some things I always wanted to do but had no time. I feel better about my wrinkly, aged splotched self, than I ever did about my my luminous, taut self.
Everywhere I go I like to emit these happy feelings so younger people embrace their futures. I believe that looking positively at things actually makes things better. We all have an expiration date, but I hope to live happily until that time.
And I love your writing. You can really string a sentence together, Nanci.
Re the luminous, taut self, when I had that, I didn’t appreciate it. My luminous, fantastically gorgeous teenage granddaughter, she of the perfect skin (who has THAT in teenhood?) mentioned to me recently some critical observations about her perfect face. I suppose we will always be that way as young women. What a bummer. I guess it’s relative. If five years ago, you were 10, and your skin is now 15 years old, maybe it seems less than perfect.
Well, I’m happy to be healthy, mashed-potato thighs and all.
Yep. Life is precious. I’m working on making every day count now as I approach 62.
Walker, I’ll be 62 in April. You?
Thanks for this reminder, Lynne…whenever I find myself starting to bitch about some aspect of my life, I quickly remind myself of all I have to be thankful for and, as Sue said above, what I “get” to do. I lost a dear friend when we were only 47, and do feel blessed to have had the years that she was denied–though I think they would have been richer if she’d been part of them.
Amen, Sister. I’m sorry for your loss. When we bemoan aging, we’re rejecting a gift.
My mom didn’t make it to her 62nd birthday, so I “learned this lesson” a long time ago. I also had a sister-in-law who did not make it to her 47th birthday. After she died, I remember thinking that I was fortunate to “get” to do things…even tasks I didn’t particularly care to do. It was no longer “I have to do this”…it became “I get to do this.” Thanks for helping us be more “mindful” of the words we use, Lynne.
I live in a 55+ community where it’s easy to be reminded to savor the moment. We lost five people in the past few weeks. One wasn’t yet 60. It’s sobering, but, like walking out of a church after a funeral, you feel reminded that you are blessed to still have another day.
Thank you, Lynne, for reminding us of the true meaning of old age: the gift of years. I have surpassed 70, unlike the people you mention, and count every day as blessed!
It’s the only way to at it, Diane. May you have many many more.