What’s In An Age?
August 24, 2010 § 4 Comments
Image by clevercupcakes via Flickr
So, I turn 50 on Saturday. Yes, a half-century old. The Big Five-Oh.
While this blog focuses on motivation and inspiration, you won’t find me using phrases like, “you are only as old as you feel” or “age is only a number.”
In fact, I’ve never had any strong feelings about reaching any significant age. This year is no different.
However, a colleague gave me pause for thought the other day. She remarked, “We are getting older, David.”
There is no doubt we are. But any reflection I do on the subject revolves around realizing that I continue to grow as a person and as a professional. I learn about myself and the world around me every day.
I aspire to the phrase that when you stop learning, you stop living.
Certainly the signs of advancing age are there – less hair and what I have left has streaks of what I refer to as “Arctic blond” otherwise known as grey.
I can’t do some of the physical things I used to do as well or with as much stamina – the onset of Type 2 diabetes has had a noticeable effect on my eyesight and is likely responsible for the degenerative discs in my neck.
And because I take medicine for diabetes, I don’t drink alcohol. So, if I want to party hardy, I won’t do it by consuming booze.
However, I am content that virtually all the things I have ever really liked to do, I can still enjoy wholeheartedly.
I remain an avid sports fan. I still like to crank up the tunes – and I have yet to reach the stage where I need to. Live theatre is a great interest and being in the great outdoors is an enjoyable daily occurrence with my wife and Jasper, our dog. I still relish hiking and tent camping.
I continue to maintain the motto: Never grow up. Just age gracefully.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is the importance of fostering great friendships.
I’ll be marking The Big Day with Joyce by visiting some of them – the family I celebrated with while boarding at their home 30 years ago when I was attending college in Richmond, B.C.
Friendships can also occur with anyone of any age and background. It’s really a matter of connecting with people who are meaningful and enhance your life. It’s not just who you connect with but how.
For example, my blog mate, Wendy, has become a close friend since we met at a conference in May 2009. Soon after, we realized we had much in common and decided to create this blog to develop content for inspirational and motivational book(s) and collaborate on other projects.
Wendy is 28 and I am old enough to be her parent yet we can readily finish each other’s sentences and routinely one of us says something that sparks ideas for the other. We often enjoy long conversations via Skype between Grande Prairie and Calgary.
She has remarked that I am her 20 years from now.
It would be a great loss if either one of us had put up barriers to this connection.
I’ve been inspired by other younger people lately.
The City of Grande Prairie’s Economic Development Officer, Brian Glavin, just turned 25. He has the wisdom and poise of someone much older. This makes him a joy to work with and talk to on any subject.
Brian is bound to be a leader in our organization for many years to come and will have a great impact on his community or in any venture he takes on.
Then there’s Mary Leong who I had the occasion to speak with a few times this summer through her internship in Grande Prairie helping youth seek employment.
Mary, who grew up in Singapore and has been in Canada just five years, will go as far as her ambition takes her. I was immediately taken by her enthusiasm and wide array of interests.
She’s studying political science and psychology at the University of British Columbia. Her future will see her doing either research on how technology shapes cognition and its subsequent effects on political behaviour or something in foreign relations. Perhaps she will be an ambassador or a diplomat. Who knows, maybe she will be Prime Minister.
Mary has already accomplished much in her short life. I look forward to keeping tabs of what are sure to be many success stories authored by her in the future.
At the other end of the spectrum is my mother-in-law, Mary Black, who turned 87 in April. Visits with her bless you with her peacefulness and sense of simplicity. Plus, there is probably not a kinder, gentler, classier person in the world.
So, what is in an age? It’s up to you!
The Muse and Views 
David, a big early happy birthday. You’ve summed up the dis-importance of age nicely. No matter a person’s age, stage or position in life, background, experience, nationality, etc., there are meaningful connections that can be made in all spaces of life. It is not necessarily the person that is important, but the elements and attributes they bring with them that enrich our own experiences. As the old saying says to count our blessings, these connections are among those to be appreciated the most.
Happy birthday David. You’ve said it all quite succinctly in your blog posting and I can tell that you are really living what you believe (aging gracefully). May your life continue to be blessed with great friends and adventures.
Thanks so much, Andrea, for this lovely post. I count you as one of my wonderful new friends. I hope we can connect in September.
David
I am a late-comer to your’s and Wendy’s blog website, so for this blog, I am arriving almost 8 years later. In this blog, you were turning 50 – where I will be in 2 years. Seems there is a lot of focus in society and for individuals for the Big Five-Oh, the half-century milestone birthday, as you pointed out.
One of your mottos is to “Never grow up. Just age gracefully.” This makes perfect sense to me and ties into an article I’ve written pertaining to how old does one feel. You claim you won’t be using the phrase, “Age is only a number”, or, ‘You’re only as old as you feel.” I understand where you’re coming from.
Physically, changes happen to make us know we are not young anymore, but at least we gain wisdom and insight as we age. Those are the bonuses that no one really mentions. Usually there is a negative outpouring of negativity when people reflect on the aging process. Hair may grow gray or ‘Arctic bond’ (in your case), but the blessing behind that is, a softer tone of hair colour can draw more attention to eyes. I know this from experience of working in the beauty industry, lol. Always a blessing to be found somewhere amongst the aging process. Hair may recede, thin, and what-have-you, but ‘you’ are still ‘you.’ Nothing physical can change that.
I recall my 25th birthday and it surprised me that it hit me hard. (This is in reference to you stating that you have never had any strong feelings about reaching any significant age.) I didn’t know it would affect me, but I realized then, I was finally ‘adulting.’ Which is funny to finally note, as I had been on my own since 17 years of age. No longer a teen, no longer a young lady (so I thought, back then!) and sort of an odd in-between stage of life, I felt.
Oddly, after that milestone, I didn’t care what age I was. I just accepted that people saw me as being ‘older.’ For me, 25 was the death of my youth. I now embrace my older-self, as someone to try to constantly shape, re-shape and define to my liking. As a youth, I didn’t contemplate my personal inventory of self. Now, ‘self’ means finding it, even if I have to go sit in my vehicle in a quiet spot, just to think. I consider it a thinking spot just like Winnie the Pooh has. It has become a vital opportunity for me to assess and re-assess when necessary.
I always respond to blogs only as I read them. I see you have succinctly stated what I was trying to:
“There is no doubt we are (getting older). But any reflection I do on the subject revolves around realizing that I continue to grow as a person and as a professional. I learn about myself and the world around me every day.”
This quote of yours absolutely drives the point home:
“I aspire to the phrase that when you stop learning, you stop living.”
As you have gotten older, fostering great friendships has become even more important to you. I understand how essential that is as we get older. I have a good friend, who in the last year, I started sending heart emojis and words of gratitude, love and praise for her wonderful ways within our friendship. She is one of the most important people in my life, and so I finally decided – to just let her know how important she is. She reciprocates in kind and we both know what a wonderful gift we have within our friendship. We have been friends for over 33 years.
You had the great opportunity of celebrating a 30-year Anniversary of boarding with friends while attending college in Richmond, BC. How nice to have visited them again, with Joyce. Looks like in 2 years maybe you will be up for a 40th reunion with them!
Yes! You stated friendships can happen with any age or background. Another close friend of mine is turning 84 soon, which means she is 36 years older than me. I respect her, and I note she is also not hesitant to seek advice from me on things I may know (computer trouble-shooting.)
As you mentioned, David, it’s all in the ‘connect.’ You noted you and Wendy are close friends after meeting at a conference. Which, in turn, created this blog! Wonderful! It was very good that you and Wendy didn’t put up barriers in your friendship, due to age differences, etc., when it’s clear you both have a solid connect with each other.
I once made friends with a girl who worked at the food kiosk in the mall when I started working at Merle Norman Cosmetics when I was 16 years old. She was in my wedding party six years later and my daughter and I still head out to Calgary to visit with her from time to time.
Too many people put restrictions on age when they perceive it as growing older. I may be growing older, but I am definitely growing wiser in some ways. I’m not sure if I would ever trade my youth and knowledge possessed at that time (or lack thereof) for what attributes I have now after becoming a wife, then mother, and more or less ‘finding’ myself.
You put a great deal of thought and care into your blogs, David. They are always a treat to read.