- I’ve had an interesting ‘when age perception becomes a challenge’ week which started on a conference call that consisted of relatively new websites being evaluated. One stood out above the rest for me with this headline ‘most americans over fifty want to age at home’ referring to house design for over fifties. This took me aback, would anyone seriously believe that fifty year olds were thinking of redesigning their homes for their old age! My 61 year old self is just about to celebrate the end of mortgage repayments & enjoy a debt free existence in at last my own house! Isn’t 50 the new 30 or whatever it is supposed to be, I haven’t even thought about how my Mother at 87 will manage her stairs as she ages! What’s clear to me is that thirty-somethings & below, often believe that age equals incapability which is worrying in the fight against ageism! Is that same 30 something designer already thinking of a one storey house with sensible fittings for herself, undoubtedly no, but maybe she should, in the end 30/40/50/60 and so forth becomes all the same in the end.
- I too got it all wrong when a friend at a social meeting I attended, admitted that she had turned 70 last week. I’d have guessed from anywhere between 45 & 60, so there you are, we all seem to be living in a confused world of age perception.
- Occasionally I indulge in a bit of Ellen Degeneres, & this week she asked the audience for questions, a woman of I imagine in her twenties ( who knows) wanted to know when had been the best age, Ellen responded right now, 60!
Going on to explain that she felt at ease in her own body and mind, the young woman looked shell-shocked with an expression “ so I have to wait all that long to get a grip on life?” Hmm….Age is worth waiting for!
- During a visit to the supermarket I bumped into a friend who is a very attractive woman that I hadn’t seen for sometime. I was so disappointed to learn how unhappy she was being 53 and if she’d the money without hesitating she’d put herself under the knife. I believe there is a transition period post menopause, where settling into this next part of the journey can lead to self-doubt instead of a blossoming into a new fabulous phase. If the message was out there that fifty and beyond could be the most exciting time of your life, how different it would be! The panic that you won’t be attractive which is intensified by the anti-ageing cosmetic brigade is unnecessary . Liberated from libido, as one friend puts it, might sound alarming, however there can be much more to life and we are not talking about a life without love, on the contrary sometimes it intensifies. Time to concentrate on who you are and what you can offer instead of pleasing others with how you look, well you can still do that too, in fact you can now do everything.
- The week concluded with a chance to visit a boutique that had been highly recommended by a girlfriend. I loved the clothes, but what impressed me the most was the concept of the owner, which is to make clothes that attract thirty, fifty, seventy year olds with no distinction. Models representing all these ages are used to show the equality of looking good, this went one giant leap further, with the addition that all sizes were accommodated. Why can’t the whole world be as non ageist as this wonderful shop! http://www.mariamaurer.com/francais/02-catalogue.html
How’s your age perception do you always get it right? Imagine that life after sixty has a perfect positive outcome, would this make your journey there a more content one? Try it for a week & see what happens.
Love & positivity going forward after fifty
Rebecca
Amazing Blog Rebecca very refreshing, as someone who has suffered health challenges from a young age at times I struggled to physically feel young. Up until a few years ago I could always see clearly my dream that image in my head of being healthy and vibrant. But to be honest recently only sneaking up to 50 I have been struggling to see that dream of vitality. So I have deliberately been focusing on the more vibrant older woman. You have reminded me about my gran a woman who worked well into her late eighties until her employer who thought she was in her seventies explained that their insurance didn’t cover her anymore. Thank you
As a just-turned 50 year old this is a thought-provoking, yet humorous take on our perceptions of getting older and what it entails. Currently overcoming some health challenges and making good progress through changes to my diet and lifestyle, I’m looking forward to climbing mountains and doing yoga well into my seventies. I certainly won’t be ‘adapting’ my home for my senior years 😉
Loved this blog Rebecca. I remember when I was in my 20s anyone over 30 seemed ancient. Now I’m in my 50s NO-ONE seems ancient! It’s all about the perspective right?
what a beautiful message, rebecca. i LOVE that boutique’s wonderful concept (and i embrace it by dressing however i feel)! and i LOVE this line of yours too: “I believe there is a transition period post menopause, where settling into this next part of the journey can lead to self-doubt instead of a blossoming into a new fabulous phase.” i recently moved into a house with A LOT of stairs. the first response from a certain “negative nellie” i know? “oh my, what are you going to do about all of those stairs and your knees? that is why we moved into a single-level home when we were your age!” my reaction? “i’m only 54 and have only lived HALF of my life so far. and i’m going to use those stairs for exercise so my knees stay supple and healthy!” it’s all in the mindset, isn’t it?
I love this post Rebecca! Age inequality has been talked a lot about lately, but I believe the attitude matters. Some people are happy and content in their 80s, meanwhile I had some friends looked like forty when they are twenty something. We would all be very happy if we forget about our age and just live the life as it is.
I just love so much about this post! As a woman in her 40s – it seems odd to write that.. may be the first time I write that and I am in my mid-40s! Age.. I try not to think about it too much.. I mean I notice subtle changes in my body, but I just keep telling myself to try and embrace those.. because there are many things that are amazing about any age.. and we were so ridiculously naive to not embrace the years when we are living them. Now that we are more aware, I say embrace the older ones because there is nothing quite as grand as the present! I also LOVE your take on the way to promote menopause. I think that is a wildly successful way to look at it, and much needed!