This generation defines a new old age

It’s a Catch-22. We all want to live a good, long life, but we don’t like the idea of getting older.

I, too, was full of dread about the prospects of aging, but – surprise, surprise – I’m happier now than at any other time in my life.

Even as a preteen, the idea of becoming a “grown-up” was revolting to me. High heels, hose and those bizarre undergarments my mother hassled with every day were awful reminders of things to come, symbols of passage into adulthood. I was convinced adulthood would spell doom to any and all fun for the rest of my life.

Inexorably, adulthood came. How silly of me to have dreaded it. It wasn’t so bad after all – in fact, it actually was fun. I became totally caught up in a whirl of nonstop excitement – new friends and new experiences.

Then there were the college years – football games, sorority sisters, frat boys, hats and gloves, makeup and being on my own. I never once wished to be back riding my Hawthorne bicycle all over Peoria, Ill. And, I definitely changed my mind about hose and heels, too.

Soon I was married and soon divorced, and before I knew it, I was hip-deep in the career years. It was a merry-go-round life – a life that found me juggling family needs, running a household and grappling with the mostly unglamorous, never-ending demands of everyday life. A social life, a personal life – what was that?

These years were full but never serene. Who had time to ask, “Am I having fun yet?”

Fun or not, the time flew by, and lo and behold, the third phase of my life was before me – the retirement years. “Retirement” is such a wicked word; it connotes “worn-out,” “used-up,” “too old,” “over the hill” and so on. Ugh!

Instead, let’s call these the “bonus years” because that more aptly describes what these years have become.

We Americans not only are living longer but also healthier, and we still have a lot of “git up go” at age 60 or even 70.

When I hear someone speak of “the golden years,” it conjures up visions of retirement villages, shuffleboard and lounging around. But I don’t see myself in that picture – no way. It seems like I can faintly hear a tune somewhere, back in the inner recesses of my mind. Yes, yes, I can. It’s Peggy Lee singing, “Is That All There Is?”

No, that is definitely not all there is. We, as older adults, with our lifetimes of experience, are brimming with the potential to discover and develop new skills, talents and interests.

Indeed, we have the potential to change the world – and our generation will. We have the smarts, the energy, the time and the tools. These are the missions worthy or our valuable time. And the best part of the “bonus years” for us is living in beautiful North Idaho, a place swarming with opportunities.

It’s high time to rethink outdated attitudes about older adult life.

Old barriers, such as “It’s too late for me to do that,” definitely are gone. There’s a new old age out there. Older people are going back to school, starting new businesses, learning new languages, taking up new musical instruments, pursuing lifelong dreams of running a marathon, taking bicycle trips throughout the country, growing orchids, managing big events, inventing products, writing books and on and on.

The world is an active, older person’s oyster.

“The whole idea that older people do not learn well is pure nonsense,” said Hugh Downs, who at age 55 received a post-master’s degree in gerontology (the study of aging) and went on to write “Fifty to Forever.”

Successful aging is much like a career choice – it’s also a job. The job before us is to keep growing mentally and to keep both body and brain in top working order. Anyone who ages well will achieve it through good health habits, eating right and continuously challenging body and brain.

The Catch-22 now is “catch me if you can.”