Too Late? Not Nearly!

Aging can be tricky.

There are the physical changes, many unwelcome, and then there are the mental hurdles. Society often tells us we’re too old for this, too senior for that. Or maybe “I’m too old” and “It’s too late” is our own mental programming. If so, it’s time for an update!

If you’re an adult in the back third of your life and you adore your life exactly as it is …. Congratulations! This blog isn’t for you.

But if you’re an older adult who hasn’t yet achieved all your ambitions—or perhaps you have new dreams you’d love to realize—then read on for motivation, inspiration and maybe a roadmap with your name on it!

Do you have a yen to climb mountains? Dierdre Wolownick climbed Yosemite’s El Capitan for the first time at age 66. And she re-climbed that peak to celebrate her 70th birthday.

Says Dierdre, “Before I started climbing, I was just a lumpy middle-aged woman completely taken up with jobs and chores. I was scared too, and sometimes you need a little help doing something totally new. But one day I told myself, ‘Okay, you’re not going home from work. You’re going straight to the climbing gym.’ And I did. It became a routine. Climbing was like a key opening a lifelong door.” In summation, Dierdre says, “You can decide for yourself what you’re capable of. Do YOU think you’re capable? Try it! You might be surprised!”

When you go to the beach, do you yearn to ride waves but hang back because you can’t swim? Vijaya Srivastava learned to swim at age 68.

Vijaya spent decades afraid of the water. With the help of a swimming instructor, she now swims daily and loves it. Vijaya’s advice? “Don’t give yourself the option to give up. Don’t give yourself the option to quit.” Also: “Find a friend to swim with. You’ll motivate each other.”

 Feel creative but fear you’re too old for artistry? Russ Ellis recorded his first album of original music at age 85.

For Russ, a kid who grew up in a working-class Black world, a secure job was everything. He became a professor and vice-chancellor at University of California, Berkeley. But in his 80s, the Muse took over—and Russ let it. At age 85, with the help of experienced musician friends, he wrote and recorded his first-ever album, which he released online with a local label.

Says Russ, “It was one of the best experiences of my life. What a joy, to have stuff flow like that. New doors still open as you age. Along with creaky limbs, interesting things happen too! Plus I’m now too old to get nervous.” Russ adds, “There’s this fantasy that creativity is something you do alone, by candlelight. No! Do something with other people who are as genuinely interested as you are.”

 Still wondering where your soulmate might be? Phyllis Raphael and Stan Leff rediscovered romantic love in their 80s.

Phyllis and Stan had each been married twice. They were both widowed. Neither was looking for a new relationship. When they bumped into each other outside a New York City supermarket, Stan remembered Phyllis from a party 40 years earlier. Phyllis recalled they had mutual friends. They started talking and six happy years later, they are deeply committed with no plans to marry.

Says Phyllis, “I never dreamed there would be someone else. When I began seeing Stan, I was so surprised. I thought that part of my life was over, but it wasn’t. At my age you think ‘Okay, if this is what life is going to hand me, I’m going to take it.’ So I started seeing him seriously. Now I’m crazy about him.”

Her motto? “Don’t be afraid to let things happen!”

Did you have a great passion that you gave up, because life got in the way? Vera Jiji returned to cello playing at age 62.

In 1940, at age 12. Vera discovered the cello. She adored it. But as a busy adult with four children and a career as an English professor, she stopped playing. The cello sat in her closet for 40 years. When she retired, she picked it back up—and found love at second sight.

Listen to Vera: “Don’t be afraid to go back to something you once loved. Your passion or skills are still there. You will remember more than you think. All the information about music I’d thought I’d lost was in a part of my brain I just needed to tap back into.”

Or maybe you yearn to do something radical, something transformative, something that will rock your whole world. In their late 50s, Holly Hermann and her husband, Jim, sold their Seattle home, scooped up their savings and moved to Italy.

When Holly Herrmann was 20 she fell madly in love with Italy, so in love she longed to live there. Thirty-eight years later, she made her fantasy a reality. What’s the best part about her new life in Italy? All of it.

Holly strongly believes: “If you’re compelled to do something, you should attempt to do it. Make a list of five essential things that need to happen to make your plan a reality. Start with one. Don’t look at all of them because that can be overwhelming. If you can accomplish step one, move to step two. I wanted our post-retirement life to be filled with challenges, and that’s why I thrive here. Every day is filled with adventure.”

Most of the above people felt some worry that they were “too old” and it was “too late”-–and then they went ahead and did it anyway. Because that’s what courage is: feeling the fear and doing it anyway. And all of their lives became fuller, richer, and more joyous for it.

The only real failure is the failure to try. We’re never too old, and it’s never too late, to be happy.