By Joanne Byrne
Retired and Rejuvenated
Joanne Byrne.
The last of the Tennis Grand Slam tournaments just ended with the U.S. Open. There will be a long draught until the Australia Open.
Many of you know how much I love tennis. I love playing it, practicing it and watching it. The players in the Open possess astonishing skills, hitting the ball with incredible velocity and power. The winner of the women’s finals is only 19 and the men’s finalist is 23. The “older” players in their thirties are still working on reaching their greatest potential.
Watching these young players made me recall what I have heard a number of times at funerals of people who have passed away in their eighties or nineties. “But he/she was 83 years old.” This “but he was” sentiment suggests that a person is too old to contribute any more anyway. It seems to insinuate that an older person can’t have dreams for their future and that they should be satisfied with what they have done so far.
I wonder if this kind of mentality means that there is some cutoff point when an individual’s ability to create, excel, and contribute is over. Kaput. Done for.
I hope not.
I know many people who are still striving to be at the “top of their game” while in their eighties and nineties. Clayton, a good friend and a cancer survivor himself, at age 80 just completed a 40-mile ride in the Yale New Haven Hospital Closer to Free bike ride. This was right after he had completed six months of treatment for his own cancer. He plans to move up next year and do the 60-mile ride.
My friend Lois, who is in her nineties, still goes to the gym three times a week to work out. Alyce, who I play Mah Jong with, still does intricate needlepoint and is an avid follower of many sports. A few weeks ago, white-haired Alyce was stopped in her Lexis SUV by a policeman for speeding. She was going 40 miles per hour in a 25 mile-per-hour speed zone. I was so excited, I gave her a high-five and said “you go girl.” Shame on me. It was an infringement of the law, after all, but it just seemed so cool. She did not get a ticket.
Ray and Arnie, both in their nineties, still play tennis several times a week with the younger guys in their sixties and seventies.
There are other examples of more well-known figures, such as John Glenn – the first astronaut to orbit the earth who went on to become a U.S. senator from Ohio. He wanted to return to space at age 77 to contribute to a study of space’s effects on aging. He was told he was too old to go up again. His response was, “Just because I am 77 doesn’t mean I still don’t have dreams.”
Pablo Picasso was still producing drawings and engravings into his nineties. George Burns won an Oscar at age 80. Grandma Moses painted masterpieces at 100.
Otto Von Bismarck was the one who came up with the magic number of 65 as the actuarial date for retirement in the 1860s because at that time the average life span was about 45.
That number just does not fit these days. Many 60, 70, 80 and even 90-year-olds are out there still reaching their potential, learning new skills, and perfecting the ones they already have. Just go to Eisenhower Park any day of the week and see them all out there on the pickleball courts.
Joanne Byrne served as the Senior Services Coordinator for the Town of Orange. She is now actively and happily retired. Email her at joannebyrne41@gmail.com to share your thoughts on retirement.