60-odd? You’re in your prime. Ageing doesn’t mean you’re getting old
WHICHEVER way you look at it, ageing is better than the alternative.
But a new report out this week gives us even more reason to celebrate growing older because the new limit for life expectancy is 125 years.
Scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York analysed information from the International Database On Longevity, which recorded the ages at which people died in 41 countries between 1968 and 2006, and found that people are living longer. But only up to a point. No one has lived past 122 – the age reached by Frenchwoman Jeanne Calmest in 1997. And the researchers claim 125 is the likely limit.
But, hey, I’d settle for that, wouldn’t you? Nowadays you’re not middle-aged until you’re 62, so the baby boomers should crack open the champagne. We’re in our prime and loving it.
Our parents’ generation were “old” in their sixties. Our grannies had silver hair, wrinkles and work-worn hands. Our grandpas had a paunch, a pipe and sat at the fireside.
Now look at today’s lively, energetic men and women in their sixties and seventies. It’s a totally different way of ageing.
They travel, join clubs, visit the gym, go swimming and look after their grandchildren – enjoying life to the full.
All around us are the role models who show us age doesn’t matter.
Angela Rippon is still sassy and smart. David Dimbleby’s grasp of politics is razor-sharp. Mary Berry’s popularity in her 80s is undimmed. Robert de Niro still cuts the mustard.
Goodness, look at the Queen – refusing to let anything like a 90th birthday stop her in her tracks. And why should we? As a teenager I loved the fact that designer Mary Quant’s fabulous fashions were copied by High Street shops, meaning I could buy a mini-dress costing £1, wear it to a record hop on a Saturday night and feel like I was part of the swinging sixties.
And the great thing about today is you don’t need to “settle” for a twinset and a perm like our grannies had. Patterned leggings? You can wear anything you want. It’s a liberating time to grow older.
Seize the day. Have your adventures. Give yourself permission to do exactly what you want – whether it’s learning to speak French, power-walking, going to a rock concert, shopping on the internet or taking your granddaughter to the park. Enjoy the moment.
As the golden leaves fall from the autumn trees, kick through them like you did as a child and remember how far you’ve come and what still lies ahead.
Live your life fully and make each day matter. Every birthday is a reason for celebration – especially if we make it to the 125th one!