Hello. Welcome to the Age March 2010 Blog, The Spirit Of Age. We truly feel that age is not a number, it’s a spirit. As older adults, we keep on growing – yet sadly our society’s view of “seniors” has not evolved with us and certainly not kept up with the greater longevity and active/engaged lives that many of us are experiencing. To a large extent the understanding of what it means to be in your 60’s and 70’s has not changed much in decades – The expectation is to withdraw from an active and engaged life and to sit on the sidelines in our golden years.
But why? Our thirst for life, to grow, to learn and experience new adventures doesn’t stop when we hit the 55.5 mark. Yes, we may have children, grandchildren, and a satisfying career spanning 30+ years. Although very fulfilling, these events are not the only things on life’s must-do list. Maybe we would like to open more doors at this time of life but often find that many are shut because we’ve reached a certain age.
We are certainly not advocating that there is one right way to grow and age. Quite the opposite. We encourage everyone to live life according to their own set of rules. We believe that work/life choices and options should continue to be available to us at every age. Deciding on issues such as plastic surgery, romance, as well as career and educational pursuits should be up to each individual. We should not feel obligated to look 10-15 years younger, nor should we be ridiculed for choosing to do so.
Joan Didion once said, “To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves – there lies the great, singular power of self-respect.”
There is no right answer regarding how to age, and we’d like to encourage everyone to celebrate their real age, and never feel held back from Shining-On.
We have accomplished so much in our post 50 years. What are your favorite achievements thus far? Are there things you want to do that you have been afraid to express? What are your experiences, positive and/or negative, as an older adult in the world? How are you living beyond aging stereotypes? We are honestly curious.
It is our goal for this blog to engage you in different dialogues on aging. We welcome your feedback, and look forward to having you join us at Age March 2010.
Age March 2010 Organizers
