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For most of my life, I suffered from age regret. It didn’t matter how old or young I was; I wasn’t happy. When my mother said every age has its gifts, I couldn’t see the positive side of getting older. It took losing my mother and four friends in the space of three months to shift my mindset and for me to understand the greatest gift is to be alive and savor each day.
At 64, I see that every age is the perfect age. Sure, I can’t take the stairs two by two, but there are other benefits to being in my 60s — and many reasons to look forward to being in my 70s, 80s and 90s.
Here’s why I love being in my 60s and getting older.
For me, everything old is new again.
I have a scary-good memory, but it’s not as sharp as it once was. Surprisingly, there’s a plus side to not remembering everything. I’ll re-watch movies and TV shows, and it’s as if I’ve never seen them before. When I was a child, one of my favorite movies was Anne of the Thousand Days with Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold. And even though I know the film so well I can quote dialogue from the film, when I watched it recently it was as if I’d never seen it before. The best part was I understood all the sexual tension, double entendres and humor that had gone over my head when I was nine.
I am my own fashionista.
On the first day of 7th grade at my new junior high, I wore shorts and a shirt emblazoned with a plastic rainbow. I was feeling groovy until I noticed no one else was wearing shorts. I was standing out instead of fitting in.
After that, I made sure to wear what everybody else wore. Now that I’m in my 60s, I dress how I want. Thanks to fashion icons like Iris Apfel, who died at 102, I was empowered to realize that being yourself is your greatest look. And if you want to wear chunky jewelry, bright colors and huge glasses, you can. Age has given me the freedom to express myself in any style I choose, which today is a tunic top and leggings.
I let go of my emotional scoreboard.
My friend once said I never forgot a slight — it wasn’t a compliment. I was a champion grudge-holder and held onto any insult, hurt or disrespect directed my way. If someone was rude or did or said something I found objectionable, I burned the incident into my memory to use against them later.
Research such as this from the National Library of Medicine shows that holding on to grudges can damage your physical and mental well-being. Once I became aware of how much I was hurting myself with my grudges, I released my anger, resentments and perceived injustices. As we get older, energy is a precious commodity, and I don’t want to waste mine on holding onto a grudge, especially when I could be walking around with a lighter heart and having a good time.
I’m wealthy in knowledge.
I studied Theater Arts, not history or political science, but I know a lot about many subjects simply because I was alive at the time. I never know who the host of Saturday Night Live was last week or what’s trending, but I remember Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, Watergate and John Lennon’s first wife’s name. Cynthia! Sometimes I surprise myself with the knowledge I didn’t know I had. Age doesn’t guarantee wisdom or maturity, but if you were at least semi-coherent in the past, you know about history and are every trivia team’s secret weapon.
"No” is my superpower.
As a former people-pleaser, being able to say I don’t want to do something — and not feel the need to make up an excuse is huge. I get bitter when I agree to do something I don’t want to do. Like my energy, my time is precious. There are so many things in life that I have to do, like pay taxes and jury duty, that I need to be truthful and refuse to do the things when I have a choice. I don’t know why it took me so long to get comfortable with saying "no," but I highly recommend trying it yourself.
No. See how easy that is? That way, you can say "yes" to the things that matter most, like laughing with your friends or traveling somewhere on your bucket list.
I prioritize happiness.
In the past nine months, I’ve suffered some significant losses, including my mother and my friend of over 50 years, Debbie. However, this has also been one of the happiest years of my life. Although I’m grieving, I’m also making sure to live a satisfying and pleasurable life. I’m traveling, going to shows and concerts, performing as a storyteller and spending time with friends and family. The lesson that life is short has never been clearer, and I feel it’s my responsibility to enjoy my life to the fullest for those who are no longer here.
I appreciate my body.
Two days before leaving on a trip to Hawaii, I tried on an old one-piece bathing suit, and amazingly, I liked what I saw. When I was young and perfect, all I could see were flaws and imperfections. I was ashamed when I gained weight and tried every fad diet that came my way. My battle with body image has raged on for decades.
Once I hit my 60s, though, I stopped fighting and became more aware of what my body was telling me. I eat what I want, but I stop when satisfied, and I avoid foods that make me feel sick. Rather than going for the burn-out exercise, I focus on moving my body and doing workouts that I enjoy. After 60 years, I’m finally, most importantly, comfortable in my own skin.
I embrace my older self and aging.
My mother lived until a month shy of her 99th birthday and thoroughly enjoyed life well into the age she passed away. I want to be like my mom, who had no regrets and believed every age was her best.
Sixty-four isn’t old, and I’m only going to get older and more magnificent until I’m the finest version of myself. I’m grateful for aging as it has brought me so many gifts.
Are any of you over 60? What do you love most about the age you are? Let us know in the comments below.
Sonia Pulido
Follow Article Topics: Fulfillment
