Fitness at Fifty (something)

It has taken me some time to believe in my ability to undertake and enjoy physical challenges. I had always considered myself to be 'hopeless' at such things, due in no small part to my short stature and 'chubbiness' as a child. It was not until my early fifties that things began to change. During the past month, I have bush walked, cycled, paddled and 'pumped iron.' I feel great! This change from sedentary to sporty has been a gradual process - one which has been a wonderful by-product of a good friendship. My first foray into stretching my physical boundaries was a 20km paddle on the Paterson River. Here I was exposed to people who were truly inspirational - an 80yr old man who paddled in the 100km Hawkesbury Classic every year, a 70yr old couple who blitzed the course and our friends for whom fitness and physical challenges are a part of their everyday lifestyle. Consequently, I began to change my thinking about aging and what that meant for me physically. I have been fortunate to enjoy good health all my life but I was beginning to see myself as 'over the hill' and therefore opt for ease and comfort in my recreational activities. If I was going to learn to enjoy being physical, two things needed to change - my self confidence and my fitness. So the kayakking began. Weekends became opportunities to enjoy the local rivers and lakes and each other's company. Change was beginning to happen. Then came the suggested cycling holiday - 300ks over 10days along the Mawson Trail. 'Impossible' I thought. 'I haven't ridden a bike since I was fifteen.' But maybe it was just a matter of preparation. The bike was bought and the training began. Cycling the Mawson was an absolute buzz! This year has seen the fitness levels challenged once again as we joined our friends walking the Jatbula Trail in the Northern Territory. It was so good to be able to enjoy God's beautiful creation in an 'up close and personal' manner! I am so grateful for our friends who have encouraged and challenged me to develop this previous dormant area of my life. My hope is that as I age, my fitness continues to grow so I am ready to embrace all of life's opportunities.

Our New Red 'Sports' Car

Today I have experienced something new - I have fallen in love with a car!! For years I have listened to my husband and sons 'carry on' about this or that vehicle and its various features and technical wonders. I have oft wondered how something which is just a piece of machinery could evoke such passion, such interest and such care. I, on the other hand, couldn't tell a Holden from a Ford! But today - that has changed!

We are now the proud owners of a red Honda Accord Euro 2007, complete with 'sports kit.' This has been an historical day. Every other car we have owned in the past thirty years has been white - my husband's colour of choice for its practicality! But a colour that does not inspire or excite. The Red Euro was spotted during our search for a replacement vehicle for our tired old white Camry. Such searches can take months - sometimes years to find the right white vehicle that 'fits the bill.' It was truly a miracle that this decision was arrived at so quickly. The surprising thing for me is that I actually now have a sense of 'love' for this vehicle - I may even be inspired to wash it and care for it as tenderly as my sons once did!

I wonder is my new found excitement and devotion merely a response to a 'pretty good looking vehicle'? Maybe my unexpected fervour has arisen because I am a baby boomer having a late midlife crisis and the new red car makes me feel young again. I did notice the turn in the head of that young man who walked past it in the car park this morning... Mmmm.

The Challenge of Retirement

Life has its stages. Some of you will be firmly and physically entrenched in the task of parenting young children, others will be adjusting to the demands of teenagers and their shifting moods and relationships. And there will be those among you who are facing the 'empty nest' as your burgeoning young adults flutter fleetingly in and out of your lives. It was during the Empty Nest Stage that I made an interesting discovery. The phone stopped ringing.(This was before every person over the age of 8 had a mobile phone!) I realised that my kids were the ones who were in demand socially - not me!! My social life had somehow been absorbed into family life. I had neglected this important aspect of my life.

Now I am retired, I can't blame the 'busyness' of a career for a non-existent social life! I have realized that while my working life was very satisfying, stimulating and rewarding, it had its social limitations. Now there are no excuses. It's up to me to create new relationships and deepen old ones. There is a temptation to sink into self pity and isolation but the world awaits. There are friends to visit, family members to support, grandchildren to love and people who need help. So my days can now be far more fruitful, more satisfying and more socially stimulating than I could ever have imagined.

It is with renewed enthusiasm that I head off to the gym - knowing that it is not only my body that will reap the benefits. Its the social satisfaction derived from sharing coffee with my gym friends later that really brightens up my day. The weekly discussion group that meets in our home is also a source of great stimulation. For almost 4 years we have been exploring the existence of God and his interaction in history, with our friends. Its been an amazing journey - where we have all been influenced and moulded by the other. My work with needy women has provided me with incredible insights into the strength of the human spirit and the ability of God to change lives. And there are days when a simple hot coffee or a good book delight my soul. Retirement is not a time to 'retire to a hidden world' but to celebrate life in its diversity!

Aromatic Attraction

Amongst the crowd there lingered and array of fragrances - the sweet scent of chocolate; wonderful wafts of gently brewing coffee; the slightly sour smell of cheeses and the delightfully fresh fragrance of strawberries. What a pleasant experience - to be able to wander along the street, smelling and tasting the delights that were on offer! The Aromas Festival at Maitland was a huge success. It attracted tens of thousands of people to the normally quiet weekend street. And I was delighted with my purchases of jams, olives, chocolates and soap! Our sense of smell is a wonderful thing. We are attracted or repelled by the various fragrances that surround us on a daily basis.

Of course, it is not just our sense of smell that allures us. All of our senses can be stirred in this way - a fact that is blatantly obvious in the advertising industry. But what about people themselves -what is it about an individual that attracts or repels us? Are there specific human characteristics that are universally appealing?

When my friends and family display kindness, compassion, courage, humility, generosity, forgiveness and joy, I am deeply encouraged and my desire to be with them is strengthened. They have an 'attractive aroma' to me. The Bible also speaks of aromas in relation to the followers of Christ - "For we are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." (2 Corinthians 2:15)

As I grow older, my desire is that the 'aroma of Christ' may indeed attract others, not to me, but to Christ, as I am changed by His spirit to become like Him who is perfectly kind, compassionate, courageous, humble, generous, forgiving and full of joy!

The Verandah Phenomenon

Today you could feel Spring! So it was an afternoon bike ride among the meadows of Morpeth -a great opportunity to contemplate life. We rode past a number of delightful country cottages and I noted again the habits of many older people - especially country dwellers who sit on their verandahs on such days and....think I guess! I wonder if this is a stage that I too will get to one day - that is being content to sit and think and watch the world go by. I wonder if they sit there because they feel that now they are older, life is best experienced vicariously - maybe it feels more secure watching from the verandah, rather than risking the frustration of not being able to participate as fully as one would like. My first reaction to this common phenomenon is to determinedly continue to 'keep all working parts in order' so that I can participate fully in all that life has to offer. But if I am totally honest with myself I realise that I too am beginning to prefer to 'watch' rather than 'participate.' Having retired from teaching teenagers this year - I am relieved to no longer feel that I have to remain current with the various modes of communication and entertainment of pop culture. Is this the beginning of my disengagement with the current age?? Is this just one step closer to 'the verandah?'

The verandah may however be a sign of deep contentment. Maybe when one is ready just to sit and think about the wonderful gift of life; to enjoy the blueness of the sky and sounds of spring; and not feel that one has to do anything - maybe the verandah is really something to look forward to after all.

And So it Begins....

I am one of the privileged many- born in the middle of the Twentieth Century into the 'Luckiest country in the world. Like many baby-boomers, my parents were hard-working, honest people who lived out their values in a practical down-to-earth manner. Values which to many today, seem old fashioned and irrelevant - but which have been strong pillars of my life. Such values as.... save before you spend; study/work hard and you will succeed; life's not always about getting what you want;always tell the truth; waste not/want not etc etc. It has been an interesting journey - this life of mine. One that will continue for many years to come I hope! I have been a mother for 34 years, a grandmother for 5 years, I've had a career that spanned 27 years and... I've been married to the same man for 38 years!Dull? Boring? Not a chance - life so far has been good, very good. Not without its challenges and times of crushing despair, but as I reflect on my life there is a huge sense of satisfaction and deep joy that resonates within.
As I contemplate life ahead, I am tempted to think of the limitations and weaknesses that may characterize my aging process, but prefer to think that there is joy, contentment and much fulfilment that awaits me as I stare down the barrel of the sixties, the seventies and beyond. Am I being too much of an idealist to imagine that life could be as good at sixty or seventy as it was at thirty or forty? Is it possible that it could be even better? These are the questions I want to explore as I write this blog. Surely each stage of life brings with it particular challenges, but can it also bring meaning, purpose and fulfilment?
My life is more than likely two-thirds done and dusted! That leaves one third left - to be lived and enjoyed or merely endured? When we speak of aging it is usually laced with negativity - but is it possible to change our perceptions? The only alternative to getting older for all of us is an unpleasant alternative - dying young! So why is society so focused on the negatives of aging?
My desire is to intentionally and gladly embrace the aging process - what that looks like I have yet to discover.