70? WTF!
How does it feel to be turning 70 you may ask? The truth is the aging process is so gradual that it really doesn’t feel any different than it’s felt in recent memory. You think, “I must have made an error with the math, I’m not really 70, right?” Wrong!
You’re officially ‘Old’
Like the frog in the boiling pot, age creeps up on us and we hardly know it. We feel great on the inside, that is, until we look at a mirror, yuck!
Those of you men that still have hair, it’s fully grey and there are many thin spots. Don’t bother to comb it over, just forgetaboutit! And what is it about skin? Why is it so saggy? Knees look like they belong on an elephant. Oh well, it’s payment for all those youthful hours on the beach with only baby oil between us and the sun, it’s now taking its toll. There’s just no hiding it.
As boomers we were once the darlings, young and beautiful flower children. That’s all in the rear view now. Like it or not America still loves youth, so we’re out. Actors, athletes, even Silicon Valley millionaires are all youthful. We’re Rodney Dangerfield, other than our kids, and converse to the culture of Okinawa, we elders “don’t get any respect”. Except for the occasional young person that holds the door open for us. Hey, was that respect or pity?
The only ones that will truly appreciate you and your advanced age are your peers. Sadly, some of them will pass away in the years to come, you may even lose your life’s partner. It’s vitally important to keep culturing new relationships. Loneliness is not only depressing, but it’s an early killer.
O.K. enough negativity, is there any good stuff? Well first, we need a total attitude pivot. “Yeah, I’m 70 you young brat, and proud of it!” Oh, and by the way, I’ve made it, and you have a long, long way to go.
Let’s see, mental function appears to be, eh, O.K. Admittedly recalling the exact word you want to use to convey a point in a conversation may take a few more seconds. Don’t you just hate when people finish your sentences for you?
The interesting question is how far over the horizon do you dare peer now that you’re 70? That is, do you make a 10-year plan? How much longer do you really feel you’ll be on this planet?
That’s where it gets murky. Today, you may feel healthy and even strong and feel you can keep going at this pace for a long time. But then intelligence sets in and reminds you of probabilities. Cancer and heart disease can spring up totally unexpectedly and turn your world upside down.
Your last physical was just fine so just stay in the present, head forward full steam ahead, damn the torpedoes. You will deal with it when it happens. Don’t be stupid, have the contingency plans is place: proper health insurance, life insurance for your spouse, cash reserves for emergencies, etc.
Should you have a goal to make it to age 80? Although it’s totally out of your control just like saying you intend for it not to rain on a date 3 months from now. But, go ahead and start planning.
Find Your New purpose
Like most seventy-year-olds, you’re most likely either retired or semi-retired, so work no longer takes up all your attention and focus. As a newly minted retiree, you probably enjoy leaving the rat race, that horrible commute to work, the office politics, bosses, etc. Just doing nothing sure sounds good…at first.
But then, after the novelty wears off, there’s that sense of “what now?” Emptiness sets in. Doing nothing just doesn’t do it.
What’s vitally important at this stage is to find your “Ikigai”. Ikigai is an Okinawan expression for “a reason to get up in the morning”. There was a famous Blue Zone study which identified specific areas on the planet where people lived the longest, healthiest and happiest. The Okinawans practice this philosophy and many lived to age 100! Their Ikigai may be to care for their grandchildren, or even great grandchildren, whatever, they’re focused on a higher purpose. And the universe responds to help them get there.
So, at age 70, discover your Ikigai? Here’s your chance to reinvent yourself. It could be writing that book, volunteering, starting a business, assisting others less fortunate, whatever.
Volunteerism can be top candidate Ikigai. So, you own a home, a retirement fund, maybe even a vacation home…nice. What about those less fortunate around you, or those still striving to get there. Volunteering is a good way to give back. No recognition needed, just volunteer because you have abundance and boy does it feel good.
It’s all about “Successful Aging”
Drop any phrase that says Anti-Aging. Nobody can stop biology, but, like a fine wine, you can improve with age. A truer yet empowering phrase is “successful aging”. It’s not about extending lifespan as it is extending wellness into the later years as possible, more juice.
Successful aging, then, is a matter of adjusting our mental expectations to our physical limitations with grace. And remembering you can still live an abundant life right here, right now. “Old men [and women] ought to be explorers,” proclaimed T.S. Eliot.
No Longer have to sweat the finances
Those 50 years of hard work hopefully got you to a good spot financially. Let’s see…home paid off, check…IRA built up, check…All debts paid off, check. A nice asset base for your remaining years.
You’ve maxed out on my social security, and now it’s take it or lose it. You know, when you don’t need it, when you’ve architected your life around what you can afford from your own labors, you suddenly receive a “windfall”. If it didn’t come in, you would still survive but there it is, totally disposable income. Time to have some fun.
Do it now Mantra
What is definitely different about the 70th milestone than all previous ones is that there is little sand left in the hourglass. So, whatever you’ve been putting off had best be undertaken now.
It’s time to attack the bucket list with a vengeance, the meter is running. Remember when you were younger and wanted to climb Machu Picchu? Well, what are you waiting for?
It’s time to get your house in order. Remember all those home projects you knew should be completed some day? Well the piper has just arrived.
After you kick the bucket, don’t leave your surviving spouse with a house that needs a ton of work before it can sell. Not that they will sell it, but just in case. Tackle those projects that will make the potential sale go quicker:
Don’t want to keep doing all those home projects? Perhaps downsizing is for you. Many seventy-year-olds are opting to sell that big house they raised their families in and buy a smaller, single level house, with a small manageable lot that’s walkable to everything. That gives them even more freedom of time.
It’s also time to declutter. When we were young, we were rampant consumers. And now we own a lifetime of stuff, most of which we will never use again. It will weigh you down. If it has high value, sell it on eBay to the highest bidder and be done with it. If it has marginal value give it to Goodwill. If no value, just toss it. Don’t you feel lighter already?
Ink is indelible. If you were a journal writer your entire adult life, think about forwarding it to your adult children. Especially if you recorded your thoughts about them when they were growing up. It’s incredibly personal to their lives and totally priceless – what a gift.
Free at Last
In this period without a full-time job or boss, you’ll now have another layer of calendar freedom. When was the last time you really thought deeply about egghead stuff like the origin of the universe, or how our homo sapien species got to where we are, and pondered where mankind is going. Yes, in the past you could regurgitate snippets of what you’ve read in headlines, but now you can really get under the covers and think deeply about a whole myriad of things.
Read more good stuff
Like many, up until now you probably only read self-help and/or non-fiction books. Topics that could help your career or investments, or just plain cope with life. Now you can read books that don’t have to help your career but will give you insight to matters that are just plain interesting and pleasurable; no payback required.
And, guess what, you have the time now to listen to an entire unabridged audio book. Practically every popular book these days has an audio version, take your pick, put the headphones on and soak it all up.
You can also ratchet your reading up by joining a local book club, it would be really enlightening to get other’s interpretation on the same material. Did the author really mean that? And the social camaraderie will bring a new dimension to your life.
Learn new things
There are theories that learning new things helps to stave off Alzheimer’s. Hopefully it’s true, but learning new stuff is its own reward. You can try: Painting, play an instrument, cooking, gardening, golf, tennis, yoga, investing.
How about buying a boat and learning how to sail? Or, a plane and learn how to fly?
If you really want to go ‘all in’ you can learn a new language or take college level philosophy. Here’s to satisfying a curiosity and keeping a sharp mind.
Travel
Probably the biggest dividend at this stage of life is having the time and money to travel. To enjoy new worldly experiences that enhance the soul. Air travel is so affordable and we now live in a world of Airbnb. The entire world is waiting for your arrival.
Or, how about buying an RV and travel across North America? You could set off in a general direction and vagabond the rest of the way.
Just Play
Play for yourself is probably something you didn’t do much of when the kids arrived. Gotta work, pay the mortgage, put money aside for college and the boss wants me to work this weekend. Yeah, you may have golfed once in while, but was your mind truly free?
How about just rolling up your pant cuffs and splashing along a beach? Fly a kite. It’s endless what you can do, just take more time to do it.
In Parting
With the extra freedom of time coupled with that extra money from Uncle Sam, and hopefully in good health, you can undertake a myriad of new, unexplored, activities with passion — Die empty!