One of the cool things that come with building a blog is that people often write in with ideas that they would like to share with our readers. Regular readers know that this blog often features new voices and new points of view. Hey, it’s what we do. Sometimes, however, we get really enthusiastic messages from people who don’t quite get what we are about. ChangingAging is all about challenging the dominant (and depressing) narrative that surrounds age and aging. It’s understandable that some people could read our PRO-aging material and see it as being supportive of what I call the “sixty is the new thirty” fallacy.
After all, what could be more pro-aging than suggesting that old age is just as good as youth. Ummmm. What? Wait a minute.
In fact, we are aligned with the people who are arguing that “fifty is the new fifty.” We have little time for comparing age to youth and are eager to explore the intrinsic values of age and aging. We have many friends who share this passion. How Not to Look Old might have been a bestseller but we have something that is better. As Madeleine L’Engle has observed, the great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been. Age is something more than youth.
Author Suzanne Braun Levine’s book Fifty is the New Fifty presents some common sense counsel that suits people of all ages but is especially helpful to people age fifty and over.
Be your age, not your stage
Take responsibility for your physical and emotional life
Accept that age does not simply make you older, it changes you in important and hard to understand ways.
Make use of what life has taught you
Life beyond fifty can bring a rich harvest of freedom and creativity if you are willing too receive such gifts.
The ChangingAging mantra– if we had one– could well be “How lucky we are that sixty is not now nor will it ever be the ‘new’ thirty.”
Keep living. Keep learning. Keep growing.
I realized when I turned 50 that it is just a number. Life didn’t have to stop, instead I had a whole new life to look forward too and be excited about. Yes I have aches and pains that seemed to come out of nowhere, but so many positives helps me through. I now have time to explore and do some growing. The possibilities are endless! Loved the article.
Nicely stated! I live in a “continuting care community” (we can debate the pros and cons of this later) and, along with a few other individuals am trying to raise the question of ‘normalizing aging.” I admit this is something one shouldn’t have to consider but nevertheless is a real challenge. Any assistance/suggestions from the changing aging community would be gratefully accepted.
Bill, We should get to know each other. When I was the face of TV media at AARP everyone told me we should meet. Check out my Blog drdorree.com It’s beig updated. We write about the same issues. I’ve been at it for ages. 202-338-6000 05 or 904 345-4800,
drdorree @drdorreelynn.com