What Growing Old Has To Offer

September 27, 2004

"I consider that the old have gone before us along a road we all must travel in our turn and it is good we should ask them the nature of that road, whether it be rough and difficult, or easy and smooth." - Plato

Which will it be "rough and difficult" or "easy and smooth?"

I did an informal survey of seniors on the topic of how they found the aging process going for them. Admittedly this was a biased sample of seniors who were out and about, attending a program in which they were learning something new. I asked them,"What do you enjoy the most about growing older?"

The people I talked with were retired, reasonably healthy, and sociably outgoing. This was a group who could say a lot about the "smooth and easy" part of the road. They enjoyed life. Life was good. Listen to their obvious enthusiasm for life.

Smooth and easy. "I love my age!"

"I really enjoy living!"

"Everything!"

"I'm busier than ever."

"It's a great life!"

"Life is great! We're lucky."

"Am I growing older? I haven't noticed."

"Staying older, I mean, staying younger."

"I don't think about it."

"Retirement. She works and I retire."

With obvious relish, a man answered, "Because it takes so long!"

My favorite was, "I'm glad I didn't die younger. I'd have missed out on a lot of fun."

Rough and difficult. There were a few disclaimers. "Discounts. That is all there is that is good about it."

"I'd rather be young."

"Not too much. It wouldn't be too bad if your health were good."

"It's no fun being alone."

I divided the responses I received into the most frequent categories mentioned.

Freedom. The most frequently mentioned enjoyment had to do with freedom, the freedom to come and go as one pleased, the freedom to pick and choose what one wanted to do when one wanted to do it. It is hard to overemphasize how spontaneous and enthusiastic older people felt about how special freedom was in their lives.

Another aspect of freedom was freedom from the strains of work, schedules, deadlines, child rearing, and the other hassles of their former responsibilities. Growing older meant a pleasurable release from heavy pressures.

New activities or areas of interest. Travel is important. Travel to children's homes and travel for travel's sake. People are active, exploring creatures. They are satisfying their curiosity to see and experience new places. Some mentioned that part of the enjoyment of travel was in meeting people and developing relationships with them.

Among the hobbies mentioned were tennis, golf, fishing, barbershop singing, lapidary work, gardening, aerobics, card games, reading, concerts, walking, dancing, etc. The list goes on and on of all the things seniors choose to do with their new-found freedom and leisure. They have the time to play and create.

Grandparenting. Another frequently mentioned pleasure was the grandchildren. Older people were having a love affair with their grandkids. They enjoyed them. They were involved with them. They took great interest and delight in the relationships they were having.

Volunteering. Many older people took great pleasure in their volunteering and community involvement. They had a glow and enthusiasm about their service.

One woman described her work as a Senior Companion. "I visit with them. I write letters. What I do depends on their needs. I help them with writing their checks. I read to them. It's great! It helps them stay in their homes longer. I hope I get a Senior Companion to visit me someday."

Friends. Friends were mentioned as a source of pleasure. "I enjoy my association with older people."

One woman has joined a singing group called Senior Follies. "It's opened up a whole new area for me. We've met people who will be friends for life."

Learning and growing. Many mentioned new challenges in their lives. One man went to a bible school for a year after he retired. "It was the best experience of my life."

A few mentioned new careers and the excitement of starting over in something they really enjoyed.

One widow said, "Repairs. I do repairs on my house. It is interesting to see if I can do it myself. I get do-it-yourself books. I save a lot of money."

Another women said, "There are a lot of opportunities out there and I want to try them all." With that attitude, I'm sure she'll get to most of them.

If that is what growing older is like, it doesn’t seem so bad. In fact, if people are lucky enough to have their health, find enjoyment in learning new things, see new opportunities in front of them, and manage to keep their sense of humor, the road ahead does look "easy and smooth."

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	Val Farmer 35 Years of Counseling General Topics VIII. Meeting Life's Challenges 6. Aging, Retirement, Caregiving What Growing Old Has To Offer September 27, 2004 "I consider that the old have gone before us along a road we all must travel in our turn and it is good we should ask them the nature of that road, whether it be rough and difficult, or easy and smooth." - Plato Which will it be "rough and difficult" or "easy and smooth?" I did an informal survey of seniors on the topic of how they found the aging process going for them. Admittedly this was a biased sample of seniors who were out and about, attending a program in which they were learning something new. I asked them,"What do you enjoy the most about growing older?" The people I talked with were retired, reasonably healthy, and sociably outgoing. This was a group who could say a lot about the "smooth and easy" part of the road. They enjoyed life. Life was good. Listen to their obvious enthusiasm for life. Smooth and easy. "I love my age!" "I really enjoy living!" "Everything!" "I'm busier than ever." "It's a great life!" "Life is great! We're lucky." "Am I growing older? I haven't noticed." "Staying older, I mean, staying younger." "I don't think about it." "Retirement. She works and I retire." With obvious relish, a man answered, "Because it takes so long!" My favorite was, "I'm glad I didn't die younger. I'd have missed out on a lot of fun." Rough and difficult. There were a few disclaimers. "Discounts. That is all there is that is good about it." "I'd rather be young." "Not too much. It wouldn't be too bad if your health were good." "It's no fun being alone." I divided the responses I received into the most frequent categories mentioned. Freedom. The most frequently mentioned enjoyment had to do with freedom, the freedom to come and go as one pleased, the freedom to pick and choose what one wanted to do when one wanted to do it. It is hard to overemphasize how spontaneous and enthusiastic older people felt about how special freedom was in their lives. Another aspect of freedom was freedom from the strains of work, schedules, deadlines, child rearing, and the other hassles of their former responsibilities. Growing older meant a pleasurable release from heavy pressures. New activities or areas of interest. Travel is important. Travel to children's homes and travel for travel's sake. People are active, exploring creatures. They are satisfying their curiosity to see and experience new places. Some mentioned that part of the enjoyment of travel was in meeting people and developing relationships with them. Among the hobbies mentioned were tennis, golf, fishing, barbershop singing, lapidary work, gardening, aerobics, card games, reading, concerts, walking, dancing, etc. The list goes on and on of all the things seniors choose to do with their new-found freedom and leisure. They have the time to play and create. Grandparenting. Another frequently mentioned pleasure was the grandchildren. Older people were having a love affair with their grandkids. They enjoyed them. They were involved with them. They took great interest and delight in the relationships they were having. Volunteering. Many older people took great pleasure in their volunteering and community involvement. They had a glow and enthusiasm about their service. One woman described her work as a Senior Companion. "I visit with them. I write letters. What I do depends on their needs. I help them with writing their checks. I read to them. It's great! It helps them stay in their homes longer. I hope I get a Senior Companion to visit me someday." Friends. Friends were mentioned as a source of pleasure. "I enjoy my association with older people." One woman has joined a singing group called Senior Follies. "It's opened up a whole new area for me. We've met people who will be friends for life." Learning and growing. Many mentioned new challenges in their lives. One man went to a bible school for a year after he retired. "It was the best experience of my life." A few mentioned new careers and the excitement of starting over in something they really enjoyed. One widow said, "Repairs. I do repairs on my house. It is interesting to see if I can do it myself. I get do-it-yourself books. I save a lot of money." Another women said, "There are a lot of opportunities out there and I want to try them all." With that attitude, I'm sure she'll get to most of them. If that is what growing older is like, it doesn’t seem so bad. In fact, if people are lucky enough to have their health, find enjoyment in learning new things, see new opportunities in front of them, and manage to keep their sense of humor, the road ahead does look "easy and smooth."