I was born in the Year of the Dragon. I’m not sure if that makes me fearsome or fearless. I would like to think I am a bit of both. As I age - I refuse to mature - I am having greater difficulty with the numbers showing up on my driver’s licence. So, I want to share something I wrote about when I first began with this column.

If you didn’t know how old you were, how old would you be? Quickly now, don’t think too much. What was the first number that popped into your head? There’s a good chance the number that jumped into your mind is your emotional age. Mine is 35, which makes my 30-something daughters nervous. When I ask this question to audiences, I receive answers that range from two to 45. Two is a great age - it gives you permission to take a nap at any time without apology. Our chronological age doesn’t reflect our inner reality. Get used to the idea that we will never be old, no matter what our passport says.

I have a plaque in my office that says, “Don’t always act your age.” I’m not suggesting for a moment that I am not proud of my age. I turned 60 with the turn of the century. It was then that I realized I needed to share my message with others. It is necessary for us to be role models for the next generation. We have a great deal to share. 

Theodore Roszak, historian, said it well: “We are the first generation of the senior dominance. We are beneficiaries of a revolution in life-extending medicine. We enter the second half of our lives possessed of more political influence, greater wealth and more vitality than any older generation before us. The values we choose to live by cannot help but be a commanding influence in shaping the coming years.”

The following is as poem that I share often, it is from that great poet Anonymous.

Be who you are
Practise what you know
Teach what you learn
And continue to grow.
Just Imagine
Just imagine that
You are smarter than you know,
More courageous than you guess,
Healthier than you are aware of,
More creative than you think,
More attractive than you assume,
Wiser than you suppose,
More valuable than you have
ever been told.
And you are able to make a
difference in the world
that you have not yet
begun to realize.

Just Imagine

So, for those of you who are dragons, or would like to be dragons, celebrate. This is your year; it is our year. Just be careful about where and how you share your fire.

To my good friend Laurie, Happy Birthday, one day you will catch up.

JANUARY 2012 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER ISLAND