I stood outside the gym…not your typical gym mind you, but a boot camp facility that would scare most women my age. But I figured what the heck, either I die from lack of exercise or die DOING exercise. So I stepped into the room and found that I’m not as old as my age. Of course I knew this before heading to the gym. I’ve actually known it for many years. You see, age is all in your head. If you think you’re old…well, you’re old. But me? Nah, I’m at least twenty years younger in my head. I guess we all are really. But I ACT twenty years younger (at least most of the time.)
It all started a few years ago when I decided that I was going to stay young by doing things someone twenty years my junior would do. Sometimes I do things I really shouldn’t do that children do…like cartwheels, jumping on trampolines, and playing hopscotch. I figured that if I tricked my body into believing it was twenty years younger, that perhaps I might live to be one hundred. What I found during this “experiment” is…I’m constantly reinventing myself!
I have found that since retiring from teaching, I have so much time to do all the things I never had time to do. When I talk to people and they ask what I’ve been up to, some are simply surprised to learn that I wrote a novel, have a blog, go to boot camp, and am in training to build websites. I’m busy painting and fixing my house…like plumbing and yes, even some electrical. And why shouldn’t I?
Ever since I was young I have been reinventing myself. Not really by choice. My father was in the military and every two to three years I had to move to a new state or country. With every move came a different lifestyle, different friends, and new things to learn and adjust to. It was actually kind of cool. If you didn’t like something at the last place you lived, you could change it or yourself. Once a friend of mine asked me to name all the careers I had had…not jobs necessarily. I had been a singer, sales associate, medical secretary, teacher, mother, wife, military spouse…not to mention all the silly jobs along the way like florist, hostess, cashier, and substitute. You get the idea. So I’ve gotten really good at reinventing myself.
So now I’m at the stage in my life when I should already know who I am… and I do! But why should I stop now? The fun is just beginning. I have all the time in the world to be something else tomorrow. Perhaps I will be a volunteer or dog walker. Maybe I will learn to fly a plane…don’t laugh. I could! You see… what makes me different from most people my age is I’m not afraid to live, to try something new, to set out on an adventure. I’m not afraid to fail. Life is an adventure… and it’s one that can keep you young if you are willing to reinvent yourself like me. I can’t imagine any better way to grow old….
