I’ve been thinking a lot about aging lately. Partly because I’m getting older, and partly because I work in an industry that revolves around caring for and learning from older adults.
If I’m being honest, there’s another reason: Every day, I see seniors who have made the decision to live well, longer.
The “doddering old timer” of my youth has been replaced by a vibrant, silver-haired artist, chef, therapist, entrepreneur, volunteer, traveler, or whatever it is that brings them joy. And the older I get, the more I realize something I never expected: Seniors are often smarter, more interesting and considerably brighter than I remember.
Perhaps I’m finally catching up.
That realization made me think of my dear friend Catherine, who is about 82. When I shared the idea for this column and asked what it means to live well longer, she emailed me a list of ideas within a couple of hours.
Of course she did.
I loved her list, and I knew that some of her wisdom, along with some of my own observations, belonged here.
We live in an age when we can digitally search for virtually anything. We can ask our phones how to sleep better, eat better, exercise better and, apparently, even how to live longer. But I believe readers deserve something a generic search engine can’t provide: a personal lens on aging and longevity based on real people and real experiences right here in our community.
One of the things that has surprised me most about the seniors I know is how freely they speak their minds. Many simply aren’t interested in spending their time worrying about what someone else might think. They share their opinions, challenge other people’s opinions and tell you when they disagree.
There is something incredibly liberating about that.
As I looked over Catherine’s list, I found myself nodding along with many of her ideas.
Find something you enjoy and keep doing it.
Retirement doesn’t have to mean retiring from life. If you love painting, paint. If you love cooking, cook. If you love traveling, travel. If you love volunteering, volunteer. Find the thing that makes you feel engaged and useful, and don’t give it up simply because you have reached a certain age.
Catherine also made an excellent point: Don’t let your career define you.
For many of us, our jobs occupy an enormous portion of our lives. It can be difficult to imagine who we are when the title on our business card is no longer part of the equation. But I’ve met countless people who have started new careers, businesses, creative pursuits and adventures after leaving a long-term profession.
Retirement can be an ending. Or it can be a beginning. That freedom can be exhilarating.
Another of Catherine’s points really resonated with me: Maintain your ties to your community.
Community can mean a church, a school, a nonprofit organization, a neighborhood, a club or simply the people who live around you. Through my years of working with seniors, I’ve noticed that the people who seem happiest and most well-adjusted are often the ones who remain engaged with other people.
It is easy to sit in a room and lament what used to be. It takes more courage, and often produces more joy, to get out of that room and connect with someone else.
Sometimes it starts with something as simple as saying hello to a neighbor.
That, to me, is part of what it means to live a life well lived.
Live well. Live fully. And, if we’re lucky, live well longer.
Kelly Lindner is a Dallas-area senior care professional who has spent years working with and learning from older adults.