50 Reasons to Love Being 50

AARP Magazine had an article that included perspectives from 50 different people about the advantages of being 50 plus.  For those of us who are 50 today, on average we will live to be 80.5.  If we are 65, we will live to be 83.4.  Given these facts, we should be thinking about what to do with the next phase of our life.  A few of perspectives resonated with me because of the emphasis on sage-ing:

·       Because we become more compassionate.  “We’ve seen enough, felt enough, been self-aware enough to learn from our experiences.  What we’ve learned is that all of us are inherently flawed and very, very vulnerable and that is what it means to be human and that we are all in this together.”  --a writer in NYC

·         Because we have the guts to change careers.  “Maybe his live-in-moment attitude, however naïve, is the best way to cope.  I realize how much I can learn from these kids about forgiveness, and the value of starting anew.”  --Magazine editor for 20 years is now teaching at-risk first graders in one of the country’s poorest neighborhoods

·         Because we are secure enough to take as much advice as we dish out.  “Being past 50 frees me to wallow in their youthful exuberance without competition or regret.  I am both their patient sage and their eager student.” –a writer and lawyer in Dallas

Intergenerational relationships are so rich because we learn from those younger and older than us and we can also teach those who are younger and older than us.  This is one of the key elements of sage-ing that keeps life interesting.

But it is somewhat counter-intuitive.  How often do we socialize with people are own age?  Do we reach out to teach others?  Are we open to learning from people younger than us?  Do we seek to take advantage of maintaining relationships with those who are older? 

Jann’s Note:  As we age, there are burdens and there are blessings in each phase.  In order to age gracefully, we need to remember to focus on the blessings and learn to live with the burdens.  When we do this, the burdens will lessen and the blessings will become more visible.   

Comments

[Chatte + Sexe]

nice! i'm gonna make my own blog