Refire, re-wire, not retire… and get some respect in the process.
Kate’s ready to refire!
I’m always a little taken aback when I get a rather sharp retort to my goal of living to 120. “Why on earth would you want to do that?” “What could you possibly have to look forward to other than sitting in a nursing home drooling?”
Wow! That’s quite an expectation for longevity. And I guess if that’s what one expects, there’s a good chance that’s what they’ll get. My expectations are a bit different, and I’m pleased to know there is a growing class of “elders” who feel the same way. As baby boomers retire, many of us aren’t ready to sit back and “watch” the world go by. We want to be part of that world and all it has to offer. Plus, we have something to offer.
We need to look at getting older has having been given an opportunity. An opportunity to find a purpose that motivates us to get out of bed each morning and make a difference wherever we are. Remember, as elders we have a wealth of experience. We have something to offer; we can contribute, and, in so doing, we earn respect. Reading the Sunday paper this morning, I chuckled when I read a story about an old TV clip of the late Maya Angelou rebuking a young woman for calling her by her first name. In a question/answer period prior to the taping of the talk show, the young woman asked “Maya” a question. Her response: “I’m not Maya. I’m 62 years old, I have lived so long and tried so hard that a young woman like you, or any other; you have no license to….call me by my first name.”
I’m quite sure the young woman meant no disrespect. In fact, she referred to Ms. Angelou as an icon and her idol. But a little bit of ageism creeps into the vernacular, it colors how we view a person and sometimes without even realizing it, it can be a put down to that older person we’re talking to or about. But let’s not get too hung up with how someone might refer to us or talk to us. Let’s be too busy celebrating our aging process.
Instead of retiring, let’s re-fire, re-wire and even retool to continue to bring enthusiasm, vibrancy and meaning into each and every day. I call it “conscious” aging. Certainly I’m aware that I’m getting older, that my body parts sometimes get a little cranky or my energy level wanes before I want it to. But each day’s a gift and it’s exciting to unwrap the present. And if “ageism” is the issue, I’ll replace it with a term I just found: “sageism.”
It comes from Sage-ing International, a free organization that offers educational opportunities for those of us “consciously” aging. As its websitehttp://www.sage-ing.org states: “Sageism is looking at life in a new way as we grow older. We are committed to transforming the current paradigm of aging to sage-ing through learning, community building and service.”
Sounds like a grand plan. It makes me drool with excitement!