A positive lifestyle for women over fifty includes the continuation of being relevant.
Relevancy begins within each of us. We take pride in our accomplishments because when a woman feels accomplished, she does not feel invisible. Remember: eighty percent of a woman's beauty comes from within - her personality, her smile and her mind.
As a woman over fifty, you should have interests. You should interact with others. You should have an open mind, both to seek new endeavors and to expand on the old. You should not retire from life, but dive into it. You probably have the freedom to home in on 'you.'
It is important not to be too hard on yourself. If you enjoy what you are doing, don't give up. Keep trying and expanding your horizons. All of these trials will provide you with relevancy... your inward feeling of visibility.
THE STORY
One beautiful day on the seventeenth hole of the golf course I heard the phrase, "I would have killed myself." It was one of those days where I could not hit the ball. I had taken a minimum of 256 swings at a ball that looks like a hard-boiled egg! I was not a bad golfer. I was just a 22 handicap on that sunny day, but I would not give up.
My hardship continued for more than two hours. I was so frustrated I could have cried. I tried everything my instructors had taught me. I looked at my grip, thought about my stance and posture, eyed my target and continuously missed the shot. It was not a laughing matter for me or for the friends I was playing with that day. Though I got to my ball on time, I was holding them up. Again, I would not give up.
I kept my cool and smiled through the tears without complaining. I wished I could scream, walk off the course and quit. My father, a six handicap golfer, taught me that golf is a gentleman's game. I never forgot his words and I remained true to his teachings.
On the seventeenth hole I walked up to the tee box, where a friend was standing awaiting her turn. "I can't believe how well you have contained yourself," she said. "If I had been you, I would have killed myself!"
I laughed, proud of my good sportsmanship. I felt relevant and visible.
Keeping that in mind, I approached that little white ball and gave it such a crack that it flew far out onto the fairway. Instantly, everyone including myself, looked up in shock and screamed at my perfect shot.
I was back in action and back in the game. What was the difference between that shot and my other 256+ tries? I recalled two previous lessons I had learned. One was from an older, more experienced woman golfer who, days before, had watched me practicing.
"Susan, turn your ass and hit the grass," she said.
I was shocked by her statement and couldn't help but laugh. In other words, a golfer cannot hit the ball unless they make a good turn, and I was not turning until the seventeenth hole.
The other advice I recalled, as I went to take my swing that sunny day, were my husband's words, "Let the F...er fly!" And dear readers, that ball flew. It only took one second for me to become visible.
I have since put my golf clubs somewhat out to pasture.
What has taken their place?
Google, my MacBook Air and my iPhone. I am in touch with the world and I am as visible as I choose. I am relevant always. And...
I am infatuated. I have an ongoing romance with my computer and phone. I am like a kid in the candy store when it comes to my email. I come home and rush to my desk where I can be in immediate contact with girlfriends, children, grands, business contacts and you dear readers of mine. It is so easy.
No invention since the printing press, television or golf clubs has been so life altering for the world... and yours truly. It is revolutionary. The internet has changed my life, all for the better. I am anything but invisible. I am 100% relevant within my soul.
It saves time. Rather than talking on the phone I simply send an email, "Want to grab dinner and see a movie?" Or I send a text to my children and grands, "Can you talk in five?" It takes less than a minute. I can sign papers, meet business contacts and send my working honeybees at HoneyGood.com a million emails a day. (It drives them up a wall, but I truly love them and they love me.)
It is a whole new way of being friends with people, whether intimate or not.
I am updating my site via email with drawings, color palettes and wire frames appearing instantly in my inbox. I can have four-way conversations online, visualizing the drawings as I watch my web designer and artist make changes. As I watch in awe, I can make comments in real time. It is fascinating and I am relevant by learning and doing. I am not aging, but rather growing.
Then there is Google. OMG, I am in love with Google. I learn by using it every day. Interested in seeing a resort you'd like to visit? Google it. Looking for an address to a restaurant? Google it. Need a statistic? Google it. Want to learn just about anything? Google it.
As with all good things in life, there are some downfalls.
I have so many emails, I feel as if I am going to drown. When Safari is down, I cannot just Google it. If I lose an email, there is nothing I can do. If I cannot find my iPhone, I feel lost. Yet, I still feel relevant because I have to solve my problems.
My advice to you dear readers is simple: Take up a sport. Join a club. Do charity work. Work on your friendships. Travel. Stay fit. Go back to school. Redecorate your home. Entertain. Be proactive about your health.
Need more ideas? Google it... because the world will become your oyster.
Got to go, I have a question to ask Google!