Cathy, 65 yrs

“I think this is the happiest time of my life. Some of the burdens and responsibility of middle-aged life have past and now I’m into a new stage of life. Our children are grown, our careers are behind us now and for the most part, we have our health. I used to see myself as giving 80% of myself or my time to other people and keeping 20% for myself but now it’s balanced, so there is more time for me.

We hold stereotypes of what it means to be old. So, it’s a myth buster when you see people thriving at older ages. There is a study that was done in the US about the ‘empathy gap’, where students are asked to write about themselves in their future to bridge the gap between themselves as a younger person and how they see themselves as an older person. It gets you thinking about how to take care of yourself and grow into the person you want to be in the future - even if that’s next week because we don’t know how long we’ll live.

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. It’s not that I regret what I did, but I realized that there’s a lot of different pathways that could and would bring out the best in us. If something makes you happy or interests you, do those things and the other things will unfold. There are so many aspects of ourselves that can be explored and shared.

I don’t care if I’m remembered after I die. I will be moving on to the next phase, to my Eternal Home. I only worry about the people left behind. Maybe leaving a legacy behind would be nice, but I don’t need to be named on a road, a park, or a bench. I’m more concerned about living; that’s my job, that’s the gift of life. Life happens when you’re interacting with people. We want to live every stage of our life as fully as we can because then we develop the habits, the rhythms, and the attitudes that propel us forward. Life on earth is a journey and I want to make the most of each step of the way!”