How NOT to Become a Little Old Lady
When I was younger I kind of liked the idea of being a little old lady. Sitting by the fireside knitting with my cat snuggled on my lap, wearing my purple hat when out shopping with my rickety old-lady trolley. Having family pop round offering to do little chores or tasks. It all seemed quite blissful.
Only…
It wasn’t like that at all! Firstly, however hard I have tried, I can’t knit. Well, maybe in a straight line, but how many six foot scarves can you have? Secondly, as a person who loves to travel, I had to get my head around QR codes and digital passports.
Also, though I very much enjoyed popping in to my local bank to check my balance, it seems many of them are closing, so I have had to get to grips with online digital banking.
Starting with Something Small
The car I have owned for 10 years always has the wrong time when the clocks change. The thought of changing it made my brain hurt. Push this button, hold for 3 seconds, push the up/down button, hold for 3 seconds…
So for six months of the year I was on the wrong time.
But last week I said, “No more!” While waiting in a car park, I googled ‘how to change the time’. I followed the instructions, wrote them down for future reference, and changed the clock in seconds. I was jubilant!!
Paris
I recently heard that shopping trollies in Paris were the ‘must have’ accessories for everyone. Parisians love bottled water and, of course, wine, and it has become very chic to roll your trolley into a shop, fill it with bottles and trundle off. No heavy lifting, just a confident stroll through the Champs Elysees. :)
Well, if it’s good enough for 30-somethings in Paris, it’s good enough for me. So, I purchased a beautiful rose gold shopping trolley, and I love it! Cool, sophisticated, stylish (the trolley, not me!) and does the job perfectly. :)
Style
Of course, you should dress how you want at any age, but I definitely consider comfort more now that I am older. No more high heels killing my feet, or insufficient clothes that left me shivering. However, you don’t go to bed one night and wake up old, so why have an old lady wardrobe?
My clothes nowadays tend to be a mix of thrift shop, supermarket, high street, and the occasional splurge on something gorgeous! As I have saved money with reducing my overall clothing budget, I don’t feel guilty so just enjoy whatever I buy.
Comfort, ease of wearing, and texture, are highest on my list, so I tend to opt for natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk, and the occasional cashmere. My wardroom is quite basic and minimalistic, meaning anything I don’t wear is recycled at the local charity shop, allowing me more space for a little shopping. :)
Stay Curious
I love to stay curious. I find learning new things, or going to new places, so exciting. YouTube has become the replacement to my TV, and everyday, I am watching people trek around the world, restore chateaus, live on canal boats, safari in Africa, learn new skills…
The other evening, I popped into my local pub for a bite to eat on the way home. I was sitting on a sofa in front of the log fire, when a group of ladies came in and asked if I would mind them sharing the sofa. We sat there chatting for over an hour and these incredible women, all 70-plus, told me about their global travels, caravanning around Europe, their businesses, blogs, life stories… It was so inspiring! :)
Just Be Whoever You Want to Be
I think what I love most about being 60-plus is that it’s full of surprises. I can be whoever I want to be, reinvent myself, travel, study, become an entrepreneur, write a book. I can dress in any style I like – or change it every day.
My hair can be purple if I want, but I love the mix of grey and blonde I have. I eat what I want, when I want, and drink red wine with meals. I do get a little tired sometimes, but either see a show or have a meal in the afternoon, or have a little siesta before going out in the evening. Very European. :)
Pioneers
Us Baby Boomers were pioneers back in the 60s’ and 70s’, and we are still pioneers now. Leading the way for the next generation to explore boundaries, take risks, learn, grow, and make their life anything they want it to be!
An old lady? At 60 we are just getting started!
Join the Conversation:
What has surprised you about being over 60? Have you changed how you live? Are you still as curious?
Tags Inspiration
This is the first day of my retirement, after 40 years of public accounting! I thought I’d work forever, but I broke my femur and my whole life has changed in the past few months. I’m actually very excited about the future and enjoying my life.
Hi Donita, thank you for your comment and welcome to the world of (so-called!) retirement. If you are like me you just get busier :) I know life has changed quickly for you, but you seem to be embracing the change and looking forward to the future! Lily x
Did I just get censored? I said as a widow with a new boyfriend, I was surprised by my newly discovered sexuality
Hi Peggy!
No, our filter is a bit sensitive (to pick up spam), and it put your comment in the moderation queue.
Peggy, thanks for being persistent. I found the same experience. Perhaps some of it is that we don’t have to worry about getting pregnant. We do have to worry about STDs as they are rampant among the 60+ generation. You can be tested along with a perspective partner for AIDs but as far as I know, there is no test to see if you partner has HPV.
As a widow with a new boyfriend 10 years younger than I am, I was surprised to rediscover sex! With the help of a little lubricant, it was better than ever!
Hi Peggy, thank you for joining the conversation.Lucky you :) I hope you have many years of a happy, loving relationship! Lily x
I’d love to see an article about sexuality over 70.
In my quietude (I do so like that word) I can awaken what has long been dormant and write…again. It has been too long since I have written.
I read an blog this morning about old age and wanted to respond with this: (let me know your thoughts?)
My response:
“Turning 65 this past September was like any other day for me, until later in the evening my sister in law texted me with this exclamation:
“Welcome to the ‘Senior’ club!”
I had to chuckle as I knew what she was referring to, but it hadn’t really hit home until that night when I reminisced back to my teenage years in the 70’s, and later those dreadful shoulder pad blazers I wore with my pencil skirts to work in the 80’s.
And I thought, now I can mix and match, whatever I wish, without having to worry if it was acceptable fashion. I can be as eclectic with my clothing choices as I have been for decades with my decor, incorporating a little of who I was from each time period in my life, thus weaving my own story, as gingerly as a mother spider with her web, cradling every inch of my past while I embrace the present and welcome the future, not just for me, but for all who I wish to share my life with, with few words or none at all.
I am that 60’s child, wide eyed and wondering. I am that 70’s teen, expressive and always questioning and so on, and so on.
Being a senior to me does not have to mean unraveling at the seams, (no phn intended), waiting for impending illness or death, but rather gingerly unwrapping what was and seeing what has blossomed from it…and what is still blossoming. It is rediscovering all who I once was and newly discovering all who I am becoming.
I read your post with a smile on my face as I love the way you have used your past to benefit your ‘now’.
When people say they are “getting old”, I say, ‘well im just getting older as all of us are, but we dont have to get OLD!’
I was born in the 50’s, loved growing up in the 60’s and had my teenage years in the 70’s. My life has been ‘colourful’ to say the least, so thank you for your post, as it made me realise I can now use bits of my past in my retirement tapestry!
Hi Tessa, thanks for joining the conversation and your lovely comments! We are so fortunate to have decades of experience to make life over sixty, easier, more enjoyable… and fun :) Lily x
Tessa, I hope you can forgive my delay in responding. I want to thank you, truly, for your lovely sentiments, your graciousness in expressing them and the warmth of which I felt from you upon reading your words. Your retirement tapestry will surely be a wonder for any eyes to behold. I am hope to have woven a bit of myself within it. Grazie mille. Lisa Theresa
Hi Lisa, Thank you for your lovely comments. Writing is one of the most beautiful gifts in the world. Where would we be if Shakespeare, Hemingway and Mark Twain hadn’t picked up their pen! Lily x
And yesterday I went to see “Hamnet” at the cinema. I understand why some people, like Shakespeare needed to write.I enjoyed the book, and although I enjoyed the movie, it was somewhat emotionally draining.
Writing is my passion. Today for the first time in years im attending an informal small writing group again.
Lily, I couldn’t agree more! I got my start in an orphanage in Brooklyn, N.Y. and as a child with foster parents who barely spoke to me, books and writing became my only comforts. As a teenager and young adult traveling to and from school and work on the busses and subways, pen and paper were two things I could not be without.
Eventually I learned to express myself, emerge from my shell vocally for I was a receptionist in Manhattan for years,
yet nothing compares to losing oneself in the magic a pen on virgin paper unfolds.
I have become much more curious as I have the time now to be. I like learning histories of countries I’ve never been to to understand their struggles. Also looking up my family’s history. And using YouTube to learn how to do daily chores so much easier. We’re estranged from our son so I’m trying to give myself grace and be grateful for every day.
Hi Kathleen, thank you for your comments. I am so pleased to hear you are very curious… I am too! I just love to learn and experience things. Sorry for the estrangement from your son, I know it isn’t easy. Lily x
Kathleen, this is wonderful to hear. May I suggest listening to Gregorian Chants on YouTube as well? Very spiritually calming. I used to have these same chants on cassette tape many years ago, playing them for my now grown 20-39 year old children from infancy onwards, along with some lovely classical pieces. I know you will connect with the music that touches your soul like no other.
Lisa, Thank you for the great idea of Gregorian Chants. I will definitely check that out on YouTube. I practically live on YouTube. So many interesting things to learn, especially self-help experts.