Honestly, life at sixty plus has been full of surprises. I mean, one does get a bit fragile, so you think now you can do less stuff in life. Wrong! Let me put it another way, you are more fragile, but smarter too. You know how to get more done, with lesser effort. Those six decades of living through different times, weren’t spent in vain. We learnt a lot. Thanks to current times, I’m shocked at the things I’m up to now. I mean, in the last eight years alone I’ve managed to achieve so much.
I received my MBA degree, started my YouTube channel, got back to painting, blogging, launched two books, participated in several painting exhibitions, (last one being at the prestigious PNCA,) having my knee replacement operation done, and oh yes; Having cancer, and then overcoming it. All this was done, after being sixty plus! Isn’t this surprising? Of course, all this was with God’s blessings, but I did make the effort. As you know, God helps those who help themselves. So, this is all about these years from this decade which has been full of pleasant surprise for me.
That said, I’ll add six ways for all my sixty-plus readers to find great surprises in their ‘ripe’ ages too.
1. Your feelings are more in control
When you were younger, you look at older folks and feel strange that, they are saying, ‘I feel the same!’ Now, that I’m older, I’ve found out that its so true, you do feel the same as before. What’s more, you get hurt, you feel angry, you feel happy, proud, stubborn and everything else. But thankfully you are smarter now. No more weeping and wailing over stupid things.
You know what things and people to walk away from; saving yourself from many hours of deep sorrow. At the same time, you know how to smartly handle tricky situations and people.
I guess, the best thing one learns is to stop feeling the negative feelings in time. You can just stop it. Even smile at them. In fact just recently, someone shocked me by blasting off at me when I had just gone to her to meet her. As she ranted on and on, (we haven’t even met so many times,) I just told her, ‘you have made a mistake,’ and smiled and stepped back. Frankly, I’ve never intended ill on her. Why she was ranting, God knows. But I knew I had nothing to do with it. So, it was possible for me to just smile at her and walk away.
Naturally, I did feel bad for a while, but then I told myself, ‘Its her, not me.’ If I was to blame, I’d be the first one to apologize. It was definitely not my monkey, nor my circus.
2. Accept or beat your Forgetfulness
I’ve been a champion of this. All my life, right from when I was a teenager. So, I was always absent minded and forgetful, (people said, ‘its her artistic temperament.’ Add to that now my age, and the chemo therapies I’ve been through. That’s a prize case. So, no problem, it does happen. Each time, I find another way to improve myself. But in this day and age. Such things are more common in most folks anyways. There are several times when I forgot an event.
Yet, there were many times when I’ve remembered too. So, its ok. Now, I just ask the hosts to remind me again in the morning. Don’t worry, I do write in calendar and all that. Yet, my life is full of too many things. I love it that way. Setting alarms and reminders is one way to improve.
You can act smartly. You will still do real goof ups. Many of your old bad habits of being forgetful will continue to irritate you, and still one doesn’t know how to overcome them!
3. Don’t listen to preconceived ideas
This is why its best not to have preconceived ideas, nor listen to folks telling you how this will be. Even when a person in her or his sixties says something, well it just applies to that person. You are you. Now you are different. You will make a big difference in your own way, when your time comes. Already, things have changed so much. You will make your own reality out of the life you get. Times will be different. Possibilities will be different, facilities and things like AI would be there to help you too. Just be ready to keep learning new things at every age and stage of your life.
4. Do not come in your own way.
Don’t have ‘full stops’ of your own, like you say, ‘Oh, I can’t do this, or I can’t do that.’ You can and you will. If your servant and domestic help can understand that mobile phone, why can’t you. Even if you can’t, then you can hire someone who will do it for you. Most folks do that, and you can do it too. Especially, do not say, ‘You can’t teach old dogs new tricks.’ As I heard several persons say.
5. Be constantly learning.
Learning new things is the key to everything. It needs to be an ongoing process, not once in a while. A daily and weekly thing. Always be on the learning side. Make yourself your own ‘syllabus’ according to what you want to learn, and then find a way to do it.
I just can’t tell you the eureka moment feeling, when all that struggle to learn something for days, ends up with finally ‘getting it.’
– What I’m learning these days
The use of excel sheet was already on. But now, I’m wanting to learn to improve it by using google spreadsheet. I’m using it for my personal accounting. The other day I learnt how to make the ‘total’ at the end of each column, through the YouTube tutorial. I was thrilled and loved doing it. It was so exciting. Frankly, I was always bad in Math, now I’ve become pretty good at managing my accounts and my charity accounts. You’ve just got to have faith in yourself and be motivated enough to do it.
Similarly, I learnt how to work on my YouTube channel myself. Anya and Hamza became my friends due to it, as they offered to help me whenever I got stuck. If you are determined enough, you will be able to do it.
6. Exercises are a must
Put an alarm on your phone. Every hour, you can move around. Take a walk as much as possible, inside the house or outside. Do whatever you can. Do, exercises of upper part of your body and the lower parts. Especially, the legs, ankles. Yoga and meditation is great. Go for regular walk foks. I’ve had knee issues for over nine years, so I do individual exercises. Ask the physiotherapist, check out YouTube exercises. Do morning and evening exercises. The more active you are, the better you will feel.
- Tai Chi is what I’m learning these days. I find it wonderful. Do try it.
7. Hobbies
Make space for your hobbies in your home and in your life. Whether it is painting, reading, candle making, pottery, or writing. Now, you cannot blame anyone or anything for not doing what you love to do. Make space and room for these.
Doing these activities and fulfilling your dreams will make you feel on top of the world! Stay there š
Sixties can be quite beautiful.
