I was just chatting with a buddy I hadn’t seen since the 1970s. We reconnected via Facebook like a whole lot of us have. The 8-Track Generation meets the World Wide Web. Steve and I were high school buddies from the Class of 1975 a long time ago – both of us staring at 70 right around the corner. Like a lot of you, we were lamenting our ages, aches and pains, and the “joys” of growing older. Remember….we were the generation that was never going to grow old and didn’t trust anyone over 30.
Remember that?
How did we get here so fast? Isn’t that what a lot of us are saying? In truth, we got here at the same pace as our ancestors – one day at a time along with a host of life experiences. We’ve raised our kids, are babysitting our grandkids, and endeavoring to get used to retirement. For some of us, retirement has been easy.
For others, a huge adjustment.
I think it’s important to enter retirement with continuing purpose. Without purpose, we tend to fade away. So – what about that? Purpose can be chasing a lifelong dream – what some would call the “Bucket List” or you can focus on your dreams. Some call this our “twilight” or “sunset.”
Are you kidding me?
No reason why this can’t be a sunrise – a new chapter where we reinvent ourselves and make old age a new adventure. I used to have a neighbor who lived under the oppression of her husband. He passed and she started living. She traveled the world, reconnected with her friends, and blossomed like she hadn’t in decades. She was in her late seventies and rediscovered her dreams.
She started living.
Being a senior citizen isn’t a death sentence. It is an invitation to start living. You are free to explore new horizons with nothing holding you back. Can’t afford it? What about employment aboard a cruise ship or being a tour guide? How about taking care of others in assisted living or a nursing home. Morbid, you say? Nah… You’re caring for others you can relate to with similar memories. Some of the best conversations I’ve ever had have been with old people.
What about serving war vets – a remarkable way to give back to those who have served us? Vets don’t have to be old either. Because our nation is so good as this war thing, there are badly wounded young and middle-aged veterans with beaten spirits who could use a friend – someone to chat with. They could use a hand, a voice, someone to sit close and listen.
Serving a Veteran will help you feel good about yourself – and your renewed purpose.
What about motorsports? Driving a racecar? Grab the shifter, punch the gas and let’s get going! Ever had a dream car where you get to drive the hot car of your youth? You couldn’t afford it at 18 but perhaps you can afford it now. Check out the auctions and go shopping. News flash…expensive collector cars are becoming more affordable because – as much as I push old age optimism, there are also those of us in ill health who have been forced to sell their classic cars. Entire collections are being sold off because younger family members don’t want the responsibility.
They want the cash…
My message here is simple. Despite our tendency to complain about old age – we are still here – very much alive to feel and to live when a lot of our fellow “Hoosiers” are gone – never to experience life on the far end. The late Pete Pesterre, editor of Popular Hotrodding, always said “Never Lift” as good advice for a lot of us. Pete never lifted. At 33-years old, Pete was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1993 at the El Mirage Dry Lake bed near Victorville, California. Pete didn’t survive to see old age. He was gone very young.
Pete’s “Never Lift” philosophy was something I’ve never forgotten. Pete never lifted and neither should you. It is okay to feel bummed over growing old. We all have our days. Just remember a lot of us didn’t survive to know the experience of growing old.
Boomer Journey... 