Month: October 2023

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Photo + ID: @TracyTutor

Originally posted at: Tracy Tutor’s Black Hooded Top

Originally posted at: Jessel Taank’s Blue Striped Shirt Dress

Just because we have many candles on our birthday cakes does not mean that we can’t still make wishes or follow our dreams. Things happen when you let your child spirit transport you to the Land of What-If.

So, what can you do to follow your dreams?

Spend Your Time Wisely

How much time do you spend on social media each day? That addiction is fast becoming a global problem. The statistics are staggering. The hours that many people spend every day on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are beyond our imaginations.

We have our phone by our bed. We check it routinely during the day. We scroll often, we comment, we snoop, we love, we hate social media. Many, many are addicted. It’s a problem. And it could be limiting other opportunities. Give yourself a much-needed break from electronics. Spend your time on YOU.

Allow Yourself to Dream

Sit down with a blank piece of paper and write down everything that you love to do. Allow your mind to wander. Allow yourself to think like a child again. Allow yourself the privilege of putting yourself first.

Don’t limit yourself, because of fear or finances. Just open your mind and allow your dreams to follow the path from your mind, through your fingers to the paper in front of you. You’ll be surprised at what you see being written.

Close Your Eyes and Visualize Your Dreams

If you love to paint, think about your canvas in front of you, paint brush in your hand in a studio you’ve made for yourself. If you love to decorate, think of the website you’d have, the store you might create, the customers that might be yours.

If you are a writer, think of your book, the cover, the story. If you like to build things, think of what you would make. The table, the shelves, the chairs. A seamstress – the designs, the fabric.

You see where I’m going? Let yourself envision what you love. Let your mind transform your thoughts to visions in your head. Only when your mind can form a concrete image of your dreams, can you then begin to form a plan to give it life.

Formulate a Plan

Ask yourself the question: Is this doable? Is there any way possible that you can make this dream happen? Is there a way that you can follow the path for the life that is still in front of you, so at the end of your life there are no unfinished stories?

In many, many ways, as we age we are given the freedom to unleash the child inside of us. We have raised our children. We have had our careers. We have worked ourselves silly to get to this point in our life where we can be released from the trappings that just kept us churning on the treadmill of life.

This is our time now. It’s about us. It’s about being the person that we are meant to be. The one that plays. The one that marvels at each new day. The one that doesn’t take for granted that the rest of our life is shorter than it was yesterday.

Set your child spirit free. Open the door, invite her in. Hug her close with the strong arms of love. Transport yourself into her mind and remember dreams you left behind. Be the person you want to be. This time is meant for you.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What dreams did you have growing up, of what you wanted to do? Do you have regrets of not being all that you could be? What can you still do to reinvent yourself? What do you do in your spare time? Please share in the comments below.

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Photo: @bravofan411

Originally posted at: Tinsley Mortimer’s White Scalloped Bikini

What do you like about autumn? I have recently realized that autumn is one of the best seasons of the year. The weather is still warm… even as the cold begins to creep in.

The leaves change color. Near my house there are spectacular walnut trees that turn glorious colors of red, and yellow and gold. But, I am not here to talk about the trees… I am here to talk about our lives after 60, and 70 – and beyond.

Our society does not value the special qualities of age, except when it comes to a good wine. But I have come to feel that this is one of the best times in my life. And if there is one thing I have learned in 68 years on the planet, it is to appreciate what you have each moment.

So, what can make this moment so special? I want to highlight three aspects:

1. Wisdom acquired: we have learned a few things along the way.
2. We get to choose: because we have paid our dues.
3. The energy we have we can use for a life of purpose and there is so much to be done.

Celebrate Your Acquired Wisdom

Believe it or not, when a person has been around for 60 plus years, most of us have gained some wisdom. If not from what we have done right, clearly from what we have done wrong!

I had a broken heart when a long-term relationship ended in my 20s, only to have a marriage that has now gone beyond 40 years.

For three decades, my career in education kept moving up, but I suddenly hit a wall when I took on being superintendent of a dysfunctional district I could not fix. Yet, that led to today where I am engaged at a national level, totally focused on my passion for equity and social justice. By now, I know that I can bounce back.

Embracing Your Right to Live Your Way

I believe that we have the right to decide how to spend our time, because we have paid our dues. For me, that included 30 years in public education systems working for educational equity against daunting odds with new overwhelming problems every day.

I loved every minute, well almost every minute, but I certainly feel after working in the trenches I can write and speak about education and life. Now, in the autumn of life, I want to be a “thought leader” on these subjects.

Finding Meaning in Your Life After 60

Consider all of the wonderful opportunities we have right now for a meaningful life. Stanford University has a project called Pathways to Purpose in the Encore Years to explore the power of a purposeful life.

Purpose incorporates far-reaching goals for the greater good where one can make progress even with unattainable outcomes (Barber, Mueller, Ogata, 2013). Researchers have found that when a person seeks a path in life with a commitment to something greater than oneself, a meaningful life ensues that leads to wellbeing.

That concept of purpose is perfect for people in our 60s. We no longer believe that if we stay up all night working or maybe even if we work a few hours longer we can save the world. Rather, our sense of purpose is to continue the “good fight” along with many others over time to make the world better.

For me, that includes public speaking and writing. I have led a bullying prevention workshop for 300 teens in Michigan and led an environmental education trip for 16 college students to the Nicaraguan rain forest.

My sister leads the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride, a yearly 380-mile bike trip with hours of training sessions and my other sister is a team leader for the Step Out for Diabetes walk.

This is a time to take the energy we still have and put our “passion where our mouth is.” Purpose also includes the time and love we devote to our families. Spending time with grown children and grandchildren fills our lives with meaning.

The Road Is Not Endless

In the autumn of our lives, in our 60s and beyond, we realize that the road is not endless. We may have watched others slow down and have seen more than one close friend’s life turn on a dime. We have choices. Do we buy into the societal images of getting old? Or do we squeeze every drop of juice out of life while we can? So, I say, when you hit your autumn: Do not underestimate your wisdom.

Know that you have paid many dues. Now it is your time to choose what you want to do and how you want to live.

And, finally, go for it with all gusto!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What passions and new experiences are you embracing in your 60s? Do you agree that life after 60 is an opportunity to do what you have always wanted to? Please join the conversation.