No matter what our culture or the voices in our head that are tainted by our culture say, we are not ready to disappear or to slink off and hide after 60.
We want to make the most of however many years we have left. To live fully. To be fully alive with rich, fun, passionate, meaningful lives in the next decade and beyond.
And this is very possible!
How? Here are some ideas to get you started.
1) Take time to listen to yourself. What are your thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears for your 60s?
2) Some things are in your control, some are not. What can you change? How can you do that? What do you need to accept? How can you do that?
3) Prepare for your future. What emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical practices will to set you so that you have the best possible life in your 60’s & beyond?
4) Create a vision for your life that lights you up, that energizes and enlivens you. What will bring you joy? Be deeply satisfying?
5) Start moving in the direction of your vision. Small steps or big steps will do the trick. Just start moving towards what lights you up.
(P.S. On this site, you’ll find other suggestions, tips, resources, and inspiration to help you do this, with more coming. Plus it’s a place for you to be yourself, to express yourself by making comments, to create conversation and community. I hope you’ll come back often.)
Please share your responses, thoughts, experiences, and feelings by clicking on Comments below, scrolling down to the form, and then writing away.
This is not my mother’s sixty! My mom started drying up at 40 – and by that I mean she seemed to lose interest in things she had enjoyed because older women ‘just didn’t do that’. I remember her telling me I should cut my hair (it was shoulder-length at the time) when I turned 40 because I was too old for long hair. If I had listened to my mom, I might be as unhappy as she was instead of enjoying my life. I successfully raised 2 sons who are wonderful fathers and husbands; I have a great job; I got my first college degree at 44; and a master’s at 46. My mother couldn’t understand why I would want to go to college at all. I love mentoring younger women; researching all sorts of things and learning at least one new thing every day. My mind isn’t quite as agile as it used to be, but it still works very well. I intend to keep learning until the day I die. Also, being 60 allows me to be as ‘eccentric’ as I want to be without feeling foolish. My favorite ‘poem’ is Warning by Jenny Joseph. I keep a copy over my desk to remind myself to enjoy life. (That’s the poem that started the Red Hat Society: When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me…)
Comment by Ruth — October 24, 2009 @ 3:15 pmYou sound like a “Savoring Your Sixties” star, Ruth! Doing what you love, learning every day, not letting ideas about age dictate what you should & shouldn’t do. These are good tips for making the most of life.
Comment by Bonnie — October 25, 2009 @ 4:19 pm