Doing the ‘loco’ after 60

ASEPTUAGENARIAN and his wife suddenly ask their grandson where they can get a tattoo. The grandson gets freaked out. A tattoo, at your age? Are you both crazy? Over his objection, they still get tattooed and they’re now the coolest seniors in the community.

At 77, a woman decides to get a PHD in a university. Everyone in the family tells her she must be out of her mind. She obtains it anyway and is now the university’s oldest PHD graduate. Her granddaughter posts the achievement on social media. Guess what, incredulous commenters are happy-crazy that she did it!

A grandma enters a beauty salon one morning and shows the haircutter a picture of a punk teener and tells her to give her the same mohawk hairstyle but in color pink. That night, the said grandma goes to the class reunion, wearing a leather jacket and sporting the mohawk look. Old classmates can’t believe what they’re seeing: what ever happened to the naturally sweet girl of yesteryear? Has she gone bananas? Who cares? She becomes an instant hit, the moment she walks in, the star of the night.

A 101-year-old Japanese man runs with young athletes in the 100-meter dash competition. He knows fully well he would finish last. He is there just for the adrenaline rush of running on that track. The moment he makes it to the finish line, the crowd roars in one collective euphoric moment, sharing the fulfillment of one man’s boyhood dream.

These are just a few stories that I have come across on news or on social media posts about senior citizens who have seemingly gone “wacko.”

I can add my personal encounter with a 68-year-old widower and retired marketing executive, who divided his possessions among his three children and donated the rest to charity. Why, I asked? He said he wanted to follow the words of the Gospel literally: give up his riches, take up the cross, and follow Christ. Gone bonkers? But no, his aura had a bright glow, and he looked so happy and fulfilled.

A senior who was wheelchair-bound became a dedicated social activist and ecowarrior until his recent passing. His crazed outcries against whale and dolphin killing made a difference in raising awareness about this inhuman practice.

Consider the story of a venerable old theologian in his 70s who talks and listens to trees as a part of his spiritual practice. As they say, trees have a message for us if only we would listen.

Naloloko ka na ba? (Have you gone crazy?) How many times I’ve heard people say that. W hat is deemed crazy can sometimes make a difference or bring about meaningful change.

Remember when as teenagers, we did crazy things for fun or just for the heck of it? In fact, I thought then that the dance song “Do the locomotion” was an encouragement to go “loco” as in crazy.

I confess that I did a lot of crazy things as a restless young man, which upset my elders and dismayed my mentors. But I charged all those incidents to experience because they made me grow up.

“Stay foolish,” urged the late Steve Jobs of Apple Company in a school commencement address. “Still crazy after all these years,” croons Paul Simon in one of his songs.

As a golden ager, my version is: “Do The Loco, Feel More Alive.”

At our age, you and I have all the right and the permission to go “loco.” Why not do the crazy to keep the inner fire burning?

There’s that old Beatle song “A Fool On The Hill” where a line goes “and he never listens to them/ he knows that they’re the fools.” Doing what you are really enthused to do is the most important thing. Other people’s opinions should not matter to you.

As one life coach says: “As long as what we’re doing doesn’t hurt us or someone else, doesn’t conflict with our values, and we’re willing to accept whatever consequences come from that action, go for it! If others don’t like it... well, too bad.”

Being foolish or crazy doesn’t necessarily mean being stupid, reckless or irresponsible. What I’m talking about is good crazy, meaningful crazy. It’s about keeping alive a sense of playfulness, curiosity, eagerness and openness to new experiences to gain new insights, new learnings. It’s about giving free rein to your passion, to do unexpected things but are worthwhile because they give you joy, enrich your inner life and make you a more substantial person even as you advance in age.

For one, “staying foolish” means never considering oneself an expert but a fool in order to learn more.

Personally, I have been mulling over a course on Etymology, a subject I have been keen about. A friend says, you’re too old, your young classmates will regard you as eccentric.

Here’s another off beat idea. W hy not bring together your retired musical friends and form a band. Me, a lolo in a rock band, you say. Why not? It’s not too late to rock on. It will be a chance to limber up your fingers and sway your hips before arthritis gets to them. Your band can do worthwhile gigs like performing in fundraisers for your community or your alma mater. I know of a band consisting of old doctors, some retired, who play in hospitals to entertain patients, visitors and medical staff for free.

Itching to release your arrested talent as a songwriter/performer? Why not invest in your own small recording studio, lock yourself in and create original songs to your heart’s content. If they’re really good, you can even directly put them on Spotify and see if they will gain traction with listeners. One of my wife’s old students is doing exactly this kind of thing. He plays all the instruments, and does all the voices. He’s going bananas and having the fun of his life.

For crying out loud, why not learn to give way to your witty self and learn to be an outstanding stand-up comedian. Do your own vlog. I can already see the blurb: the amazing senior comedian who can barely stand-up.

Why be a homebound lola for the rest of your days, playing mahjong all day long? Learn to be an accomplished chef to amaze the family or your guests. Who knows, there may be a niche reserved for you on a streaming platform.

Here’s a crazy idea Mother Nature will be happy to recommend to you. Learn the art of creative upcycling of waste materials, such as plastic bottles, plastic straws and old clothes and scrap textiles. You can even profitably thrive in an emerging mini niche called sustainable fashion.

Yes, my fellow seniors, there’s a diverse array of “eccentric” things that we can do to infuse joy, inner satisfaction, passion or meaning into our lives.

We might be raising eyebrows, but what we are doing is pure selflove, and just the right amount of crazy.

So summon up that enthusiasm and throw yourself into your dream project of the moment. Proclaim your passions. Hold nothing back. Sing your heart out. By doing so, you enrich yourself with new experiences and new meanings that make you more alive and fulfilled in the last years of your expected lifespan.

Get up and do the “loco.”