The age of maintenance and improvements

Sometimes, I ask myself what’s going to be my next venture. Do I want to go for some feat or a total reinvention? Sure, I haven’t said “regardless of my age” to preface that question, but this might differently color any answer to that question. In fact, beyond forays in new domains, what’s often left as advanced age materializes is just time for personal maintenance and slight improvements. 

Let’s start with maintaining what we’ve got as much as we can control it. Research tells us that keeping a healthy lifestyle and engaging in activities that stimulate the mind and body may help live longer and healthier lives, better maintain independence and function in daily activities and ultimately, lead to a higher quality of life. 

Then there’s the improvement part of the answer. Regardless of our actual age, engaging in learning, creative pursuits, and self-improvement will give us a sense of purpose and accomplishment, especially if it aligns with interests and passions. At the same time, it will connect us with other like-minded individuals, fostering meaningful social connections. 

Sure, not everything in our lives will remain nice and rosy, as age-related physical decline can make it harder to engage in certain activities and may require some drastic adjustments. I should also mention cognitive changes that may affect learning, memory, and problem-solving, as well as mental health issues or isolation that could impact our ability to engage in certain activities. 

Finally, for many, there are financial constraints and limited access to resources like transportation or specialized care, that might stand as obstacles to personal maintenance and improvement efforts. 

So while any mental picture we hold for our older future can be subject to significant change, we still should plan as if everything will be fine and cross the bridge of unpleasant things when we get to it. 

At least, that’s the way I envision it...