I’m not too old, yet!

Do you ever assume that you will be too old for something?  Occasionally, I find that I have subconsciously decided that I might, some day, be too old for this or that. 

I am definitely too old to have more babies.  Beyond that, so far, I find that while it might take a bit of adaptation, I am able to do most of what I want to do. 

As it turns out, I am NOT too old for…..

Making New Friends

We just had a weekend of open houses to welcome people to see the home we have just built. Since my husband and I did much of the work ourselves, and since I have a business that involves a lot of people contact…and since I can be chatty and transparent, we had a lot of people who were curious to see our project/new home.  We had close to 100 people of all ages and walks of life come out for snacks and beverages and a tour of our home. 

Most of the folks who were out are friends I didn’t know 10 years ago. Some, we have known for even less time.  A few were longtime friends.  There was a fun mix and lots of stories about who knew whom and how we have met. 

The joy of sharing our current joy with our current friends makes me eager to continue to make new friends…as well as to invest and maintain the valuable ones we have at present. 

Taking up new sports

I enjoy sports and being active. But, of course, I am not as agile or as strong as I used to be. Probably, my competitiveness has waned a bit, too.  

In the past, softball and racquet ball have been my favorites.  Softball requires a whole team and racquet ball requires a court and there are not any in my town that are available to me.   Neither of those are realistic at the present. 

Obviously, I am not unique with this challenge…because someone (bless their soul!) invented pickle ball!  What fun!  All of a sudden, there are multiple opportunities for pickle ball in our community.  I have a few friends who have also taken up the sport.  It has been great fun to learn a new sport and to make new friends.

Tackling New Workout Routines

To stay engaged and committed to the work it takes to stay fit and active into my 70’s and 80’s, I find that I need to switch things up occasionally. Over the past 10 years, I’ve done weight class, yoga and pilates, and spin class.  Walking is my preferred cardio, always. 

Currently, a younger, more- fit friend and I meet at the YMCA three times a week to do our own core/strength/balance workout.  She challenges me with exercises that I would never have come up with on my own. When I first started working out with her, I could not do much of what she was doing. Or, at least, I did many fewer reps of everything. The progress I have made in my ability to keep up keeps me returning.  

This is working well, now. But I know that I can adapt and adjust when the time comes. I’ll be able to learn a new workout routine when I need to.

Learning New Skills

I mentioned the home my husband and I just built.  Definitely, I learned a few new skills during the past 2 years of construction.  Measuring, cutting, nailing, screwing, holding. Moving ladders and shoveling, staining wood and envisioning end results. All new skills to add to my previous love of power tools. 

Now, taking care of chickens, hosting a Leader Dogs for the Blind mom, and volunteering for a food pantry are stretching me. 

Lots of opportunity to learn new skills, even at age 67.

Getting a Tattoo

Most fun of all!?  It turns out I am not too old to get the tattoo that I have talked about three years! My life mission statement includes “living a life of grace and truth.”  I have often said that IF I were to get a tattoo, it would be “grace” on my left arm and “truth” on my right arm. I am always balancing, counter-balancing grace and truth.  The visual reminder will be an encouragement to not be too heavy on my more natural inclination towards truth, but to balance it with lots of grace. 

So…as it turns out, there are not many situations where “too old” is accurate. With a few adaptations and some commitment to finding new opportunities, there is a lot of living past ages 60 and beyond!

What are you doing in your 60’s and beyond that you didn’t expect to do?  What will you do next?