I love it when people capture a whole philosophy in a nutshell. My friend told me about meeting a woman who said she had decided at the ripe old age of 65 that she was determined not to ‘mold’ but to keep moving forward with plans for an invigorating and active future. That thought is my mantra and so succinctly stated! Molding is the antithesis of movement; molding implies decay, rot, and rust. How many of those words have you heard used regarding old age? Sadly, that is a common misconception of our aging population. But things are changing, and older citizens are engaging in life more vigorously than ever. Our entire life is a series of small adventures. We can all look back and remember so many various stages. There was childhood filled with learning experiences. I bet most of us remember learning to ride a bike or bake our first cake. School years make up a catalog of experiences, some good and some not so good. Marriage, children, homes, social life…it goes on and on.
And then suddenly we hit a birthday that shocks us! We may want to hide our heads in the sand and deny it, but it’s tough when your own children are turning 40 and 50! Many perceive life on a bell curve and life after 50 is all downhill. Who says it will be a downward journey? You’ve got to plan ahead to keep moving upward. You have to maintain the same enthusiasm you had when you learned to ride that bicycle. Success in this time of life is all about attitude. You can decide what your future will be like. Don’t buy into the “I’m too old to do that” mindset. Sure, we may have limitations, but we also have more freedom, more wisdom, more autonomy to plan our own path. Aldous Huxley said, “The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.” Join the conversation on Facebook at Just Now Old Enough.