Our later years provide the perfect opportunity to discover new things in life. You’ve probably heard the phrase “age is just a number”. We’re all a little tired of hearing it, but it’s actually something worth thinking about. How we show up in the world has less to do with a number on a calendar than it does with how we live each day.
No matter how old we are, when we focus our attention on expansive endeavors, on learning and growing and fully engaging in life, we are more likely to continue to “feel” young. We grow “old” when we no longer engage in life. Therefore, using our ability to discover new things will enhance our lives. In fact, our many years lived can provide an invaluable resource for this continued discovery.
Wisdom
Perhaps the most obvious, but also the most important thing we’ll discover as we get older is our wisdom. Over the years our encounters with a wide variety of situations and challenges has given us a great deal of experience. We have faced and dealt with setbacks and triumphs. In doing so, our understanding of ourselves and the world has deepened.
As we discover new things year after year, we gain a wealth of wisdom that cannot be gotten in any other way! Reading books and learning in a classroom are valuable but lived experience brings this knowledge into the real world. Our lived experiences, from dealing with relationships to learning how to enjoy life or manage a crisis, gives us the stuff of wisdom.
Rediscovering Passions
Over the years, many of us find we’ve left old hobbies and passions behind. In the rush of life while building careers and raising a family, we often set our most enjoyable creative endeavors aside. We just don’t have the time to put into them. Later in life, after things quiet down, it’s a wonderful time to reignite our passions and interests.
Consider pulling out the knitting needles again, or pick up that paint brush and start a new canvas. Perhaps you’ve always loved to garden, but didn’t have the time. Jump into once again and see whether or not the thrill has really gone.
Rediscovering your passions is a great way to reconnect with the best of who we are. It’s a way to experience our own, individual and unique way of having fun. You may just discover you feel young again! In addition, you will be engaging with this passion, not as a beginner, but on a foundation of experience. Even if you feel a little rusty in the beginning, you may soon find your level of expertise expands.
Finding New Passions
Of course, you may not be interested in returning to previous passions. That’s okay. There’s value in having been there and done that. If that’s the case, why not discover a new passion instead?
Discovering new things can be fun! What have you always wanted to do, or try, or learn? There are so many hobbies and pastimes to consider. Try out the ones that seem most interesting or fun. Take a class. Look up a couple of YouTube videos to get a taste of a new hobby.
Perhaps you’d like to invest time in a good cause, or how learn more about your faith, or read Bible verses to heal the sick? You can do anything you want to, within reason and budget, of course. Now is the time to start considering your options.
Make Some Meaningful Relationships
Something else that only really becomes more obvious as we get older is how important our meaningful relationships are. In fact, they’re among life’s most valuable treasures. It’s never too late to make a new friend or deepen an existing relationship.
Investing time and effort into relationships is important for our well-being. To do this requires taking more care about mutual respect, trust, and understanding. Consider which relationships you’d like to enhance, and which ones it may be time to let go of. Narrowing our focus provides us with the opportunity to make the most of those things and relationships that are most important to us.
Really Embrace Change
Change is just a part of life. Unfortunately, we often find it difficult and unsettling, triggering an elevation of fear and anxiety. This is true even if the ultimate outcome is a good one. While change is inevitable, how we choose to deal with it is optional.
When facing a change, it is helpful to remind ourselves that we have years of experience now that can help us as we go through the process. Whether it’s a physical change, a social one, or perhaps a professional one, embracing it makes sense. Research and explore whenever possible the aspects of the change. Arming yourself with awareness and knowledge is a powerful means of managing change. When we know what to expect, we deal with it better.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that every year that we are alive gives us new opportunities to discover new things, to expand our understanding, to learn and grow, to explore and find things that delight us. Make the most of it through education, self-care, travel, or picking up a new hobby. Opportunities abound. Discover yours!
