Don’t break out your disco boots, I am talking about your 70s, not the 70s. Whether you believe that 70 is the new 50, or it’s just 70, it can be a celebration with a positive attitude and plans.
It’s not about what happens to you, it’s about the way you act. 70 is going to happen, so celebrate, put your arms around 70 and dance with it!
Have a Croning
‘Crone’ is a word that we should own. In matriarchal friendly societies, a woman became a crone when she was past childbearing age. She was called a wise woman, which was an honored position.
In other places, old wise women were thought to be a threat. That is how society tends to use the word today. But, we can rehabilitate that word and with it, the important role of the crone.
I recently turned 70 and had a Croning. I searched the Internet and found some very interesting possibilities. I must say that a ritual bath was out of my range, but if you want to be adventurous, go for it. If you would like something more low key, there are some great ideas to consider.
Several years ago, a friend of mine had a special ceremony in our church’s chapel. It was lovely. Women in the congregation read from the Bible and said prayers. We did some hands-on healing. We did communion and shared a meal after.
Go out to lunch at the best place in town with your best friends, daughters and granddaughters – or meet on Zoom. Make it special. Everyone can dress to the hilt, with the honored crone wearing a tiara. Make speeches and give lots of toasts. Teach the young women what women of our age have learned.
We have gone from not being able to own a credit card in our own names to owning most new businesses. Don’t preach, but be proud of our history and what we have learned and given new generations.
On my Croning day, I had a Saturday afternoon party with the women of my Toastmasters Club. I especially wanted it to be multigenerational. We ate chili and did each other’s makeup. Yes, Crones can be girly, too.
We enjoyed a mixed tape with women singers from the decades. There were sweet love songs like “Baby, Baby”; songs of the movement like “I Am Woman”; songs of strength from “I Will Survive” to “Eye of the Tiger”; the gamut of women’s lives.
We turned up the music and danced. There was, of course, the tiara and speeches. What a way to mark a right of passage!
Be Introspective: Reflect on Your Past, Present and Future
If you are a diarist, this would be a good time to review the years. It’s a wonderful time to summarize your life in a diary. If you’ve never done it before, it’s a great time to start! Mark those times when your mistakes have lead you to good things. Emphasize learning over regret.
Take stock of where you are, what you’ve accomplished and what you still need to do. When assessing your present, understand that everything in your past brings you to where you are now.
Think about your future. Make a “bucket list.” Do not be too cautious here: 70 is anything but limiting. A friend of mine told me of her aunt who had her first skiing lesson on her 102nd birthday! Put it all down!
Do something on your birthday that you have never done before. Write a poem, go sky diving, volunteer at a homeless shelter, take a trip. It doesn’t matter, just make it something you always said you would do – and do it.
Be Indulgent
- Go to a day spa and get the works with a gourmet lunch (if possible)! Let everyone know how special this is for you as your feet, back, face – all of you – get the treatment.
- Go away to a spa. Get the waters, salts and mud! Do everything there.
- Go to a spiritual retreat. Spend a day meditating or reading uplifting material.
- Spend a day at the beach or on a mountain top reading the book you thought was a silly waste of time.
You can fill this out better than anyone else, you know what you have been longing to do for a long time. Do It!
Oh, and if you were 70 last year? Well then, do it all for your 75 or your 71 ½ birthday. Embrace the life you lived and what the years have given you. Embrace what you still have to give.
Remember that none of these are mutually exclusive. Pick and choose from the ideas listed above. Heck, do them all. Add to them!
And please – please! – share your other ideas with all of us. You will only be 70 once: do it up and then help us all celebrate!
