60s
October 13, 2024
Deb
64 years oldOshawa, ON
“I read a statistic somewhere that said 97% of people who say they’re going to write a book never do. And I thought, I’m going to be one of that 3%!
We’re all aging. Let’s talk about it.
Storytelling
Read stories about aging from
people across the lifespan
October 13, 2024
“I read a statistic somewhere that said 97% of people who say they’re going to write a book never do. And I thought, I’m going to be one of that 3%!
June 23, 2024
“My husband passed away, and I’ve never lived alone until now. I didn’t expect to be alone. You have to re-learn, I guess, how to live.
August 20, 2023
“When I was about 40, I dreamt that God wanted me to leave this world. That time, my son was only eight years old and all he had was me. So, I pleaded with God to let me live until he was able to stand on his feet.
August 6, 2023
“My wife and I live in Beaumont which is very pleasant. We both love gardening and live a simple life. I have some medical issues and I look after it as best I can with the help of my wife and the doctors.
July 30, 2023
“Some of our seniors really need our help. Some seniors have low incomes. We see them alone and isolated. No one is checking on them in their homes. Some seniors are being abused, even by their own families. Some are new immigrant seniors who don’t understand the system. Our government needs to do more to care for them.”
May 14, 2023
“I’ve tried to live my life in such a way so as not to have any regrets. But I also have realized that I could have done many different things than what I did and I’m pretty sure it would have turned out okay too. I could have been a psychologist, an urban planner, or a dietician and I would have been happy with that.
April 16, 2023
“I live by a handshake, it means everything to me, so I've been taken advantage of many times. But I wish there were more guys like me who'd stand up for injustice and help the poor. I cooked a Christmas meal for the Boyle Street Christmas dinner for 40 years. I put down 125 turkeys every Christmas.
March 5, 2023
“I cherish having an undying curiosity about the world, its cultures, people and geography while gaining new life experiences. My purposeful goal was to travel the world and I did it - 156 countries and 31 territories.
February 19, 2023
“I am Adèle Fontaine, a girl who loved acting, who loved telling stories, and if there’s any woman in the world who would become an expert in anything, I would try to be just like them.
January 22, 2023
“I’m fine with where I am in life. I think that if I were to change something, then maybe I wouldn’t have my kids and I don’t want that. So, I wouldn’t change anything, all my decisions brought me here. Everyone evolves as they grow older. If you don’t like where you are going, make a different decision.
January 8, 2023
“Instead of saying 'I', we should say 'us' or 'we'. Young people don’t care about aging because we don’t think about it – we know we’ll age, but we think we have time to deal with it later. But we’re all aging, so instead of saying 'it’s not my problem', we need to say it is.
December 18, 2022
“A big presence in my life is my grandmother. My most memorable memories of her are a collection of conversations over the years sitting around at her kitchen table and talking about anything and everything for hours at a time.
December 4, 2022
“I’ve made mistakes in the past, but I’ve grown up. I’ve let things go. I’ve become more mellow. Before, I used to blurt out whatever came to mind. Now I listen first, then talk. I don’t let the moment get to me. I am very happy with who I am right now.
November 20, 2022
“You can be in a hospital and look out the window and see all this traffic going by, people starting their shifts, people coming and going, and you realize, that if you were to drop dead, that’d all keep happening. If you can come to terms with not knowing how things will end, you’ll be okay. Take what you’re given and do your best with it.
November 6, 2022
“I had cancer; I talk about it. Some men still don't as they get older. I know a lot of people are afraid to talk about aging, but it’s so freeing. Let’s put it out on the table. What are we afraid of?
October 16, 2022
“I became an advocate for aging because it impacted us as a family of immigrants. The reality is that the aging experience of ethnically diverse older adults is quite different from the aging experience of the Western community.
October 2, 2022
“What was earth-shattering when you were young doesn’t matter to you anymore when you’re older. Who cares? You don’t have the time and energy to deal with bullshit. I find that children and older adults can relate well with each other because like kids, older adults are past the point of caring what other people think and are ready to just have fun.
September 18, 2022
“I know I can’t run a marathon now, but I can probably powerwalk for 5 km. With age, you learn to practice self-control; even though you want to do things a certain way, you must keep yourself grounded, know your limits, and adjust accordingly.
July 31, 2022
“I began to accept death than fear it. I think it’s better to live each day as it comes because you never know where you’ll end up. Most of the time, things are out of your control.
June 19, 2022
“Plan for growing old. The more you plan when you’re younger, the better prepared you'll be when you’re older. No one is going to look after you better than you.
June 13, 2022
“I’m taking piano lessons and ballroom dancing, playing pickleball, and completing puzzles. And I’m doing all this with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, so I have a lot to be grateful for.
May 16, 2022
“If you’re lucky, you get to be old. Instead of being caught up on the negative aspects of aging, allow yourself to be open to other people who are experiencing the same things and be vulnerable so you can commiserate with each other.
May 9, 2022
“As I grow older, I feel even more dismissed by society, like no one wants to hear my thoughts and opinions, not that I don’t try to impose them. If other people dismiss you, you can’t dismiss yourself, so you become very self-involved and learn to take care of yourself.
April 29, 2022
“Aging shouldn’t be scary. At the end of the day, older adults are just regular people, doing their thing, who happen to be older.
April 22, 2022
“Society believes that the younger you are to achieve something, the more commendable it is. Like the top 40 under 40 awards. Does this mean that if I start a successful business at 50 years old, I’m not good enough? It’s assuming that what you do later in life doesn’t matter. This perpetuates the negative message that nothing worthwhile can happen in older age.
April 14, 2022
“The current view of aging in our society is very negative, especially towards women. If you age, it’s like 'woah, they aged badly. What did they do?' For men, it’s not as severe.
April 10, 2022
“The aging process is especially important for women transitioning from their 40s to 50s. They may feel the same as they did when they were 30, but then they look at their younger selves in photographs and think, 'I used to look so beautiful'. I want to tell them, 'you’re gonna love this photograph when you’re 50. You’ll think you were gorgeous at 40'.
April 1, 2022
“The funny thing is, the older I get, the more I feel young. I don’t worry much about changes related to age.
March 24, 2022
“If you have a constant circle of support that you can fall back on when you grow older, it doesn’t feel like aging is a bad thing. It feels like you’re growing with your group, so it makes it very comfortable. As of right now, I am trying to form a circle where I can have people to celebrate my life with.
March 13, 2022
“I have plants everywhere in my home. They add a pop of colour and life to the space. It’s always important to do things that you love and worry less about things beyond your control.
March 6, 2022
“I take care of my mom and dad but also my son, so I am part of the sandwich generation. I feel the caregiver burden and it can be exhausting. However, I meet with a group of people who are in a similar position to me and we keep each other from burning out. Even though I am an older adult, I still have other people who are relying on me.
February 27, 2022
“Of course you want to try to take care of yourself as best as you can, but there is a misconception that if you’re as healthy as possible, you won’t age, and I think that’s a really negative view of aging.
February 13, 2022
“I feel like I am wiser and have more memories and experiences of my life, but I’m not old. I think old is just a word that society has created to make us feel guilty about not always being 'new'.