A Celebration of Aging: The Good, The Bad, The Cray Cray
*This post is made possible with support from AARP Cincuentañeros™ and #WeAllGrow Latina Network. All opinions are my own.
It seems that in a blink of an eye a woman goes from being "too young" to "too old" in our modern culture. What are we, avocados?? We are allowed ONE shining moment of glory, and then cease to be useful or wanted??
Pffft. Listen, as a California girl I'll take avocado on errrthang, believe me, but I certainly am not someone who's moment of glory is only behind her, nor is it only ahead of me. I have had life changing moments to reminisce about, and now I, not only hope for, but expect them to continue to remain consistent in my life. I expect to be treated as an evergreen tree, always bearing new fruit... but have I always treated others the same?
Hmm... With as much honor, respect, and love that I have for my own grandmothers' pearls of wisdom given throughout my life, have I dismissed some other of my elders' opinions for being too antiquated in this fast-paced business? And have I, at times, dismissed the voice of someone because I thought they were too young with not enough life experience to know what they were talking about?
A Seat At The Table
How old do you have to be to have "a seat at the table" and at what age does that seat expire?
Well, I had beautiful and eye-opening dinner experience with AARP Cincuentañeros where the seats at this impeccably set table were reserved for TIMELESS women. For US.
There were women in different decades of their lives sharing in each others' wisdom, laughing, crying, and best of all respecting and honoring each others' voices.
I gotta say though, of all the women, I think I had the MOST special moment capturing this video below, from all of us at dinner to my Grammie-In-Law who, on that very day, turned 100 YEARS OLD!
When I think about the incredible life this woman has led, and the wisdom she has shared with me and countless others I might just cry right here in my bulletproof coffee.... So y'all watch below, and meet me after. Dis tew much..
I'm not crying, you're crying...
As beautiful and celebratory as it felt to send Grammie this video, we definitely got into some REAL conversation about aging. We opened out hearts about some real concerns and fears throughout the rest of our time together at dinner. It was so easy for me to relate to women who talked about the fear of being dismissed after a certain age, in business and in life.
When the younger women talked about having to lie to make themselves older in an important meeting, I remembered being 18 years old, owning my own business, and feeling the frustration of not being heard and the feeling that I so badly needed to prove myself. I stopped to remind myself of something I have spoken about, regarding youth, on panels and in speaking engagements:
"Children are so pure in spirit that sometimes they open their mouths and God comes out." -T Lopez
There is true wisdom at any age when you choose to see it. I am blessed enough to have two of these pure spirits at home with me, and I have learned that growing in wisdom means constantly realigning myself to practice what I preach. What this AARP Cincuentañeros™ dinner really felt like, was a realignment<3 ...A redirecting of our hearts to disrupt aging, to celebrate our stories, and celebrate how we want to live and age.
I can definitely recall the real fear I had once had of aging, especially as a woman now 20 years in the entertainment industry, where youth and outward beauty is praised above all. It took me quite a while, but I worked at making a major shift in my own mindset. Now every year feels like a badge of honor. Every year is a gift. I am more and more grateful for the invaluable wisdom I gain from this life's experience and I CHOOSE to celebrate it; the good, the bad, and the cray cray.
See more about how we can all celebrate who we are at every age at aarp.org/cincuentaneros !
What about you? I'd love to hear... When has age been a limiting factor in your life? When has it been a gift?
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