I’ve been thinking about…
…turning 70.
Is our age what the calendar says or the age we believe we are?
The age inside my head and heart is not the age of my arthritic knee. I think my knee is following the calendar age. But the rest of me – the head and heart – seem very much like ---me.
The me of now is very much the me of 20, 30, 40 years ago. Honestly, the me of today is very much the me of 50 and 60 years ago. I still make “to-do” lists daily. I still get great satisfaction from checking off completed items and continue to be motivated by items yet to be done.
What has changed is the pace of life. “Retirement” has never expressed what life is like post-daily classroom teaching. Though I no longer have to adhere to a set schedule (this is a joy!), I am still involved with “jobs” of all sorts – paid and volunteer and some expensive indulgences – that command time and a lot of attention.
It came to me recently that I am not retired, I am repurposed.
Being “Noanie” to a growing set of grands is a huge life change. But being a “grandparent” doesn’t make me feel old. Just grand! One of the nicest ways that my life is repurposed.
Purpose, by the way, is a good descriptor for a life worth living. Purpose is drive, determination, resolve, tenacity, dedication, devotion — intentional!
So here’s to a new decade. Age is just a number — of wonderful new adventures.
