Author: Admin01

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Style Stealers

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Originally posted at: Amanda Frances’ Black Floral Applique Dress on WWHL

When I was younger I kind of liked the idea of being a little old lady. Sitting by the fireside knitting with my cat snuggled on my lap, wearing my purple hat when out shopping with my rickety old-lady trolley. Having family pop round offering to do little chores or tasks. It all seemed quite blissful.

Only…

It wasn’t like that at all! Firstly, however hard I have tried, I can’t knit. Well, maybe in a straight line, but how many six foot scarves can you have? Secondly, as a person who loves to travel, I had to get my head around QR codes and digital passports.

Also, though I very much enjoyed popping in to my local bank to check my balance, it seems many of them are closing, so I have had to get to grips with online digital banking.

Starting with Something Small

The car I have owned for 10 years always has the wrong time when the clocks change. The thought of changing it made my brain hurt. Push this button, hold for 3 seconds, push the up/down button, hold for 3 seconds…

So for six months of the year I was on the wrong time.

But last week I said, “No more!” While waiting in a car park, I googled ‘how to change the time’. I followed the instructions, wrote them down for future reference, and changed the clock in seconds. I was jubilant!!

Paris

I recently heard that shopping trollies in Paris were the ‘must have’ accessories for everyone. Parisians love bottled water and, of course, wine, and it has become very chic to roll your trolley into a shop, fill it with bottles and trundle off. No heavy lifting, just a confident stroll through the Champs Elysees. 🙂

Well, if it’s good enough for 30-somethings in Paris, it’s good enough for me. So, I purchased a beautiful rose gold shopping trolley, and I love it! Cool, sophisticated, stylish (the trolley, not me!) and does the job perfectly. 🙂

Style

Of course, you should dress how you want at any age, but I definitely consider comfort more now that I am older. No more high heels killing my feet, or insufficient clothes that left me shivering. However, you don’t go to bed one night and wake up old, so why have an old lady wardrobe?

My clothes nowadays tend to be a mix of thrift shop, supermarket, high street, and the occasional splurge on something gorgeous! As I have saved money with reducing my overall clothing budget, I don’t feel guilty so just enjoy whatever I buy.

Comfort, ease of wearing, and texture, are highest on my list, so I tend to opt for natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk, and the occasional cashmere. My wardroom is quite basic and minimalistic, meaning anything I don’t wear is recycled at the local charity shop, allowing me more space for a little shopping. 🙂

Stay Curious

I love to stay curious. I find learning new things, or going to new places, so exciting. YouTube has become the replacement to my TV, and everyday, I am watching people trek around the world, restore chateaus, live on canal boats, safari in Africa, learn new skills…

The other evening, I popped into my local pub for a bite to eat on the way home. I was sitting on a sofa in front of the log fire, when a group of ladies came in and asked if I would mind them sharing the sofa. We sat there chatting for over an hour and these incredible women, all 70-plus, told me about their global travels, caravanning around Europe, their businesses, blogs, life stories… It was so inspiring! 🙂

Just Be Whoever You Want to Be

I think what I love most about being 60-plus is that it’s full of surprises. I can be whoever I want to be, reinvent myself, travel, study, become an entrepreneur, write a book. I can dress in any style I like – or change it every day. 

My hair can be purple if I want, but I love the mix of grey and blonde I have. I eat what I want, when I want, and drink red wine with meals. I do get a little tired sometimes, but either see a show or have a meal in the afternoon, or have a little siesta before going out in the evening. Very European. 🙂

Pioneers

Us Baby Boomers were pioneers back in the 60s’ and 70s’, and we are still pioneers now. Leading the way for the next generation to explore boundaries, take risks, learn, grow, and make their life anything they want it to be!

An old lady? At 60 we are just getting started!

Join the Conversation:

What has surprised you about being over 60? Have you changed how you live? Are you still as curious?

The word oxymoron comes from two Greek roots: oxys, meaning sharp or keen, and mōros, meaning dull or foolish. Put together, the word itself is a contradiction – sharp-dull – making oxymoron an oxymoron. It first appeared in English in the 1650s, which means for centuries we have delighted in pairing opposites and called it clever.

We know the classics: sweet sorrow, deafening silence, jumbo shrimp. We recognize them instantly because they capture something true. Opposites often sit closer together than we expect.

I used to think oxymorons were just clever word pairings. Turns out, they’re also personality types. I should know. I’m a walking oxymoron.

Here are nine oxymorons that describe me. I wonder if you’ll recognize yourself in any of them.

1. Caffeinated Calm

I begin nearly every morning with yoga in my basement. I fire up YouTube and hang out with Yoga with Adriene, who speaks in a voice that suggests all problems can be solved with breath and gentle stretching. At the same time, I drink enough coffee for my bloodstream to host what can only be described as a staff meeting of anxious squirrels. I am reaching for inner peace while actively fueling outer alertness. Calm on the mat. Chaos in the mug.

2. Off-Duty Educator

I am retired from teaching, which means I no longer have lesson plans or grading deadlines. What I do have is an uncontrollable urge to explain things clearly and thoroughly, even when no one has asked. I give directions with examples and extreme diction. I clarify instructions on signs that already have pictures. Apparently, retirement applies to employment, not personality.

3. Grading Generously

I come from a family of teachers, which means we do not simply experience life – we evaluate it. The quality of chocolate is scored. Roadkill is critiqued. Public bathrooms receive thorough assessments. We believe in grace, of course. We just happen to express it with a rubric. I am kind, encouraging, and deeply supportive – right up until I begin mentally assigning participation points.

4. Sentimental Minimalist

I want less stuff. I say this often and with conviction. I have cleaned out many a closet and junk drawer for a struggling hoarder. I have devoted podcast episodes and previous stories on Sixty and Me to the topic (Ex. Dad’s Spicy La-Z-Boy). And yet every object I touch from MY LIFE carries a memory: a child’s laugh, a season of life, a story I’m not exactly ready to release. I attempt to declutter, only to discover I am emotionally attached to a chipped mug and three outdated throw pillows. My shelves are crowded with meaning.

5. Visible Invisibility

As a woman aging in public, I’ve discovered the peculiar experience of being professionally overlooked. My Substack, Sue Schwiebert Never Knew, feels more like a journal I’m leaving for my future self, while younger writers collect thousands of followers for being adorable. I’m not bitter. Just observant.

Maybe my forehead wrinkles double as an invisibility cloak. I’ve stood at counters while clerks addressed the man behind me. I’ve asked tech questions and received explanations suited for toddlers and houseplants, despite having served as a tech ed advisor just five years ago.

And yet, that same day, I can publish words that travel farther than I ever will. On the page, I am unmistakably here. In some spaces, I fade into the background. In others, I step fully into the light. Visibility, it turns out, is not the same as value.

6. Comfortable Adventurer

I love adventure, especially when it involves my family and the promise of a shared story afterward. I will raft rivers and ride roller coasters, but I prefer knowing the schedule, the exit strategy, and where the bathrooms are located. I enjoy risk, provided it is well organized. Spontaneity is best when carefully planned.

7. Grace-Giving Perfectionist

I speak often about extending grace to ourselves as we age. I encourage patience for forgotten names, misplaced glasses, and the sentence that wanders off mid-thought and refuses to return. I believe this deeply, until my own brain stalls and I begin conducting a private performance review. I see other people the way I once saw my uncertain nine-year-olds: full of potential, deserving of patience. For myself, however, I keep a stricter grading scale, complete with a red pen and comments in the margins.

8. Publicly Private Person

I share deeply personal stories on a podcast with people I may never meet. Strangers know about my aging brain, my sentimental heart, and the details of my last colonoscopy. Yet I hesitate before making a phone call, worried it might stretch longer than my social stamina allows. I am comfortable broadcasting vulnerability, but wary of unscheduled conversation. I share myself better with strangers reading my stories here, never hoping my friends or family will try to get to know my private thoughts.

9. Hopeful Realist

I clearly see the changes that come with time: the losses, the letting go, the quiet goodbyes. I do not pretend they are easy or insignificant. But I also believe humor lightens what might otherwise feel unbearable. I hold seriousness and laughter together, not because they cancel each other out, but because they steady one another. I hold both at once: clear eyes and a light heart.

Holding Both

Perhaps that is what an oxymoron really is. It’s not a contradiction to be solved, but a tension to be carried. We are sharper and duller than we admit. Braver and more cautious. Hopeful and realistic. Aging and beginning again.

So now I’m curious. What are your oxymorons? What opposite truths sit side by side in your life? You may discover, as I did, that the most honest descriptions of ourselves are the ones that don’t quite match.

Let’s Talk About This:

What two opposite qualities live side by side in you? When have you discovered that a contradiction in your personality wasn’t a flaw, but part of your strength?

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1 Caira Miller’s Tan Balloon Sleeve Top and Sunglasses 2 Amanda Batula’s Red Striped Sweater and Cat Eye Sunglasses 3 Charley Manley’s Denim Overall Shorts 4 Amanda Batula’s Denim Short Sleeve Top and Shorts 5 Amanda Batula’s Tortoise Shell Aviator Glasses 6 Salley Carson’s Camo Sweatpants 7 Amanda Batula’s Blue Lobster Cardigan 8 Amanda Batula’s Black Ruched Off the Shoulder Top 9 Amanda Batula’s Nude Strapless Bra in the Pool 10 Dorit Kemsley’s Olive Green Dress

Originally posted at: Best of February 2026

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Style Stealers

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Originally posted at: Dorit Kemsley’s Brightening Eye Pencil