Last week marked the inaugural ThirdAge Blog Carnival. I'm honored to be hosting today and you can check the schedule for dates and locations and how to submit your entry to the traveling bazaar in the future. For those of you new to ThirdAge, here's a quick backgrounder:
Our vision throughout the ThirdAge network of sites is to rewrite the rules of getting older and transform the voice of aging from one of limitation to one of possibility. Inspired by the French term "Troisième Âge," ThirdAge refers to the concept of lifelong learning, self-development and fulfillment, and the period of life following young adulthood, yet preceding "seniorhood" and retirement. A time of life characterized by vital living, freedom, personal growth and enrichment.
Last night, or technically early this morning, I wrote a short in memorium piece for Peter Drucker. In it I wrote:
Three out of four of my grandparents lived until their 90s. The last to go, my abuelita Yeya as we called her because her infant grandkids couldn't pronounce abuelita, was 92 years old. I guess that technically means that 'third age' may start at 60 for me. But not likely.
(BTW, I'm 41.) I also wrote that I'm sure that Drucker never knew for certain he'd make it to eight days shy of 96.
When I think of Drucker, legacy surely comes to mind.
A ThirdAge post last week that's lodged in my memory is Jill Fallon's: "We know in our hearts and our guts that the most important things we pass on is our values, our life lessons and our stories, values not valuables," Jill writes in Legacy Blogging. "When you write about what you love, whatever it is you love - sports, crocheting, cooking, design, nature, your faith, or your life in general, you are enriching the legacy you leave behind."
Jill Miller Zimon at Write Like She Talks puts her legacy into action in her Northwest Ohio community and wonders aloud why Gen X is solely heralded as the community's saving grace: "Three cheers for 40 under 40. But what about 40 over 40?... Is there an intergenerational appeal going on somewhere in the region that builds a fabric that's composed of threads from each generation that lives in this area?"
Talking of legacy, Karen Clothier at the Hip and Zen blog alerts us to an upcoming film about an all-HIV choir singing to raise consciousness: "It was a wonderful movie - sad, but also inspiring. I fell in love with the main character in the movie, Zinhle Thabethe, who is a 26 year old single mother with HIV. She lives in a shanty town, but I was so impressed by her intelligence, grace, tenacity and poise. The area in which she lives has a 36% infection rate, and she has taken it as her mission to persuade people to get tested, including her own brothers."
The urge to create is also a vital component of Troisième Âge. Jennifer Louden responds to comments on her blog asking her to explain how self-care is related to creativity. One intriguing quote that woke me up this a.m.: "The ego mind wants everything to remain the same as does the sentimental mind but the spirited mind sees that all things are temporary and all things are change so it goes with the true nature of the universe - creative change!"
In her post, Lucy MacDonald offers a pathway to joy in five things you should know about forgiveness. "Social scientists have discovered that people who are able to forgive experience more joy, a sense of control of their lives, and less depression." Here's a peek at number 1: "You are the main beneficiary of your choice to forgive. Wayne Dyer says, “Do it for yourself to provide the antidote for the poison that you have allowed to circulate inside of you.” Bonus link (I sent this to Lucy via email. As I know this one-man true story play, The Tricky Part, is circulating around the country, I'd thought I'd share it because: a) I was the youngest person in the audience, b) it's a powerful piece and c) as the playwright/actor says: "It’s about paradox and forgiveness. It’s a complex story. I just talk about it as honestly as I can.”)
David Wolfe, author of the book Ageless Marketing and the Ageless Marketing blog, writes a series on the DNA of Behavior and shared this snippet on vital living: "While the young devote a great deal of attention to sensuous pursuits, older people tend to be more broadly engaged with sensual pursuits... In their book Healthy Pleasures, psychologist Robert Ornstein and physician David Sobel report that a regular diet of sensual pleasures, together with a positive outlook on life and time spent helping others was a better predictor of health and longevity than such lifestyle indicators as diet, smoking, exercise and alcohol consumption."
Another ThirdAge marketer, John Winsor is a bit road weary after the release of his latest book Spark, yet managed to write one of my favorite posts of this month (and I read a ton of blogs). He counters Tom Peters' and Seth Godin's claim that peak performance is anything related to go-go-go-go-without-rest mindset. John applies his insight to sport and business. You'll have to read about his record-setting climb yourself: "I certainly would have never deceived myself that I could have pulled off the record on Kilimanjaro after traveling 76,000 miles over 45 days. I would have given a sub par performance."
In another restive young at heart vein, Steve Sherlock regales us the simple staples and pleasures of life - fluffernutter sandwiches: "I sat to have a quick lunch of a fluffernutter sandwich and glass of milk, my mind wanders back to the days when I was in my early teens. When life was so much simpler. Or so I thought at the time."
Colleen Wainwright of Communicatrix bares her soul (she doesn't know I've included her in this week's roundup) but I think she's onto something we all can benefit from: "I've been grappling with what to do about this pettiness, this intolerance, this shameful, shameful aberration in my otherwise sterling character and I've decided that the only thing to do is out myself. To paraphrase the excellent Louis D. Brandeis quote I stumbled across in Freakonomics (review forthcoming), "Sunlight is a powerful motherfucking disinfectant.""
Speaking of authenticity, Jory Des Jardins illuminates that subject in her essay in the book, More Space: Nine Antidotes for Complacency in Business. "It no longer pays to be the Best; it pays to be the most authentic," she writes. So how does a company suddenly "loosen up"? She provides some unofficial guidelines for infusing more authenticity into your work environment.
And I found this beautiful post (exquisite writing!) a good hint for a lovely gift for myself or your favorite ThirdAger to jot their legacy - authentically of course - "This little shrink-wrapped package was one of the first presents I've had that actually halted my breath and sent my hands into clumsy little spasms of delight as I carefully peeled off the wrapper."
Last but not least, my own contribution this week is on the topic of serendipity, journeys, pilgrimages, intuiting our destiny and packing as much wholeness into our life as we can in I Stood At The Crossroads and Fate Came to Meet Me.
I wanted to bookend this carnival with a tribute to Peter Drucker and in my search was surprised to find a pastor that writes about that stage of life he calls our "half life". He writes a prayer about aging [ http://tinyurl.com/928nf] (a topic he's never written a prayer about before) when he "opened a blank-pages journal that I use to “think my confusion out loud,” began writing, and here’s what came out of the end of my pen – a pure stream of consciousness." In the prayer he mentions Drucker and legacy. Serendipity. Wow. It's not what I was expecting to end with, but it feels right:
And thank You for Peter Drucker’s life, which he invested in my own life and the lives of so many others. He has enlightened the path before me for 25 years or more. He is irreplaceable. Help me to extend his legacy to others like me.
As usual, Evelyn, you've done a bang-up job. I was going to say 'outstanding' but... that's so overused lately. This was a great Carnvial - one I"m so sad I missed out on! The tribute to Peter Drucker is worth the entire read, but all of the other posts add their own spice to the total package. Now, I'm hungering for a Fluffernutter sandwich!
Posted by: Yvonne DiVita | Nov 15, 2005 at 01:13 PM
This is very inspiring. My mom got old, weak, feeble, and most of it is due to improper diet, lack of exercise, limited interests, watching soap operas and reading Dean Koontz crap, instead of pursuing spirituality, fitness and healthy diet.
So all this aging equals improving is very relevant to me right now.
Listen up everyone. Getting old means getting better, like autumn leaves.
Posted by: steven streight aka vaspers the grate | Nov 15, 2005 at 02:05 PM