I remember it clearly, the day my grandmother turned 82. It was 17 February 2013. It was beautiful watching her with my kids, unwrapping presents.
I asked her if she felt her age. She said, “Yes! Although in some ways… I don’t know…”
She paused, her eyes drifting off into the distance, revealing her thoughts lost in a decades of memories…
“I never dreamed I would end up 82 years old.”
There’s an important lesson in that.
What kind of 82-year-old would you like to be? Have you ever even considered it? Ever planned for it?
I first thought about this when Tam and I started the conversations about having kids. One of the main issues was that neither of us wanted to be old parents… but most folks aren’t contemplating what kind of grandparent you want to be when they’re planning a family.
But let’s consider it for a minute: what if we live to be 82?
What habits are we putting in place for that? What are we eating? How much are we exercising? How are we treating people?
At the age of 82 years old, how will I speak to my kids? Will it be the same as I do now? At the age of 82, will I have the same disciplines? Will I think about spiritual things the same?
My gran died a some years ago, but one of my enduring memories of her was how she used to help all her fellow residents in their old age home with their TVs and cellphones. It was a constant source of banter in the family. We’d hear via the grapevine how Daphne had helped old granny Smith down the corridor with setting reminders or finding the correct channel. She became the local go-to for digital problem solving in an era far removed from her generation.
And yet she didn’t grow up digitally native like my kids. Her default would have been books, knitting and cooking. And yet her ability to tackle a new decade of technological evolution revealed a deep-seated conviction within her to continue learning and discovering…
That’s what I wanna be when I grow up.
