Read This If You And Your Friends Are Turning 70

After studying aging for decades, one of my conclusions is the importance of having a sense of humor. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reminded me of this. The article described how past a certain age dinner reservations after 6:00 are considered late. In a group of couples, the familiar pattern is of men sitting at one end and women at the other. The conversations are about sports at one end and about grandchildren at the other. When the whole group is involved, the conversation shifts to who fell or whose funeral they recently attended. Why Saturday Night Live doesn’t seem as funny anymore or how we don’t know most of the people in People magazine.

What makes this article funny is how true it is at this age. Similarly, there is a classic scene in the 1991 movie City Slickers. Billy Crystal is invited to his son’s elementary school class to explain his career in radio advertising. But Crystal goes off-script, and instead describes (to the bewildered and horrified children) how life can go downhill as you get older. It is hilarious. If you haven’t seen this clip or it has been a long time, watch it again.

Many of my previous columns have stressed the importance of pushing back on the (often negative) stereotypes of aging. My hope is that when you turn 70 and beyond you are living the life that you want to live—rather than the one you are expected to accept.

Please check out the full article in Forbes.com