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Concerning Contentment
I turned sixty-five today. It is a milestone, at least in the American culture. I now qualify for Medicare. I also qualify for senior discounts. I could draw my social security checks, and no one would be surprised, but I think I will wait for a few years. Not everyone is guaranteed to live until they are old but those who do, find that getting old is not an easy road to walk. Not everyone’s health fails right away but most will tell you they have more aches and pains. They often have less energy and may find themselves dozing more often. For many they sit more and run seldom.…
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Aspects of Aging with Grace
Snarky. Snarky. Snarky. I heard this word from different sources recently. I was not familiar with the definition of this word, but I did not like how I identified with the context in which the word was used. Snarky is an adjective describing someone who is subject to whims, ill-temper, crankiness as well as given over to curt irritable speech. Ouch! I was convicted of having some snarky thoughts and words. As with most sins, this one is subtle and limited. I realized I was on the brink of joining a club I did not want to be a member of—the Domineering Old Ladies Club (DOLC).[1] This club’s members think…
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Aging with Joyful Engagement, Rather than Leisure or Resignation: Thank you Shirley Frey
According to a survey conducted for Civic Ventures reported in Time magazine, 24% see retirement primarily as “a time to enjoy leisure activities and take a much deserved rest,” like the couple reported in Reader’s Digest who took early retirement at 59 and 51. “Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.” According to the survey, 59% of older Americans see retirement as “a time to be active and involved, to start new activities, and to set new goals.” A time to create, to study and teach, to grow and share food, to tell and write stories, to…
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Ageing with less fear…more anticipation
At an author’s retreat a few years ago Liz Curtis Higgs grabbed several of us and said, “Come on, let’s take a picture of the Silver Foxes together.” In today's culture that worships youth, her proud ownership of her silvering hair infected all of us. I've never thought of mine quite the same. While ageing is a fact, our attitude determines how we experience it. And more and more of us are experiencing it. Experiencecorps.org reports that by 2030 the number of Americans age 55 and older will reach 107.6 million (31 percent of the population). Americans reaching age 65 today have an average life expectancy of an additional…
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All In, Running Flat Out
I am certainly not a runner. I tried it a few years back and never made it much beyond the end of the block. But I am a runner in the race of the Christian life, and I want to finish strong. I want to hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” when my race is over. The other day a good friend sent me a John Piper post highlighting 88-year-old J.I. Packer’s latest book on aging. I haven’t yet read the book, but Packer is reported to say that the message of our culture to take our last years easy comes from the evil one, not God. Packer says, ”My contention…
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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Boomers Take on Aging and Death
"What will you do in the end?" asks the prophet Jeremiah. Sonny, a young Indian entrepeneur has an answer: "Outsource aging to India!" Where they respect their elders and where, instead of a tiny beige flat, your thirty-year civil service pension can afford life in his luxurious hotel. In this movie seven retirees and widows with different baggage and longings accept the offer and fly off to spend their golden years in India. OK, so it turns out to be a run-down, covered-in-dust and peeling-paint hotel. Photoshopping your brochure works better for Sonny than his guests. A fine cast, including Judy Dench, Bill Nighly, Tim Hathaway, and Maggie Smith and…
