What a difference a decade can make! As we get older we tend to look more at our life in decades, we think about what our 40’s were like then our 50s, 60s and so on. Each decade brings new 
experiences and new challenges. We think of things in more general terms as we age.
Three weeks before my 50th birthday my first granddaughter was born. When I turned 50, there were a lot of things going on in my life. I was newly separated, working on getting my degree and wanting to make a major move. Within a couple of years I had made the move, got my degree and things were looking up once again.
My 50s were good and not so good just like any other decade, but the good over shadowed any bad. It was a decade mostly about me, and what I wanted, whereas my 20s, 30s, and 40s were about my family, my children and career. I feel that my fifties were when I found myself again. I made new friends, had fun, learned not to take things so seriously and learned to dance again. It was my most freeing decade.
The day of my 60th birthday I spent flying to New Orleans with one of my daughters, going to a coaching conference. That was a good part, the very start. But later that same year my grandson passed away very suddenly and everything changed so dramatically. My 60s so far have been more about others, especially my family and their needs. Life got to be much more serious again. My mum is a year away from being 90 years old so that’s a concern too, and one of my best friends of over 40 years passed away very suddenly. Thankfully I had visited with her a couple of months before, and we spent a few really good days together catching up and talking about the old times. So far my 60s have not been fun and freedom like my 50s but I’m hoping for better times to come again soon. It’s not been all bad there have been some good times peppered here and there. While some friends and relatives in their 70s are doing very well and living a full active life, others seem to be having more health issues, including hip and knee replacements, but they are doing this to keep on going and improve their life quality so that they do enjoy life to the fullest for as long as possible. When times are tough we need those good memories as a reminder that life can be really good and things do change and they do get better. I know I often go to those memories of my 50s and it brings hope of making many more happy memories to add to my memory bank.
As the tip of the Baby Boomer generation are hitting 65 there’s a lot to keep going for. The importance of good health being at the top of most wish lists, having fun, keeping active, finding interesting hobbies and interests, and there is certainly no shortage of these around. Whether you want to learn to paint, build your family tree, plan a bird watching trip, ride your Harley, become a rock star in your own right by taking up playing guitar, or working on your golf swing ready for your next golf tournament, you need to go for it.
The message here is do it while you are able. Enjoy your life to the fullest, whatever your age.