As time goes by, older people like me (I’m 71) can become complacent. We think that because we have worked hard all our lives, we have earned the right to sit in our recliners and enjoy our sunset years in peace and quiet.
This makes us reluctant to try new things. We already know what we like and don’t like, so why venture into unknown territory? Depending on what the new thing is (say, hang gliding), we might fail at it. That would be embarrassing. Or even worse, dangerous and costly!
Like most members of my generation, I find security in the familiar. That is why we gravitate toward music from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and enjoy the foods we grew up with (chocolate pudding, anyone?)
After 34 years in a challenging and demanding career, I have retired into the predictable order and routine of ordinary days. I go to church every Sunday, volunteer once or twice a week at an animal shelter, meet my friends for lunch, keep up my house and yard, entertain my two spoiled cats, cook and bake, attend two book clubs, take a yoga class, and work out at the Y.
The days follow easily enough, one after the other. Weeks pass into months. The seasons change. Yet sometimes I feel uneasy. I honestly wonder, is this enough? Right now, I am healthy and able. Shouldn’t I be doing more – while I still can?
I don’t know the answer to that question. But I do know that I admire and respect people my age and older who do ask more of themselves. They are often wise. They offer good advice.
Try and Try Again
Take, for example, Betty Kellenberger, who lives in my home state of Michigan, about an hour’s drive from where I spent most of my adult life. At 80, Kellenberger just made history by hiking the entire Appalachian Trail – 2,197 miles – in less than a year’s time. She embarked on this journey in the summer of 2024, after recovering from shoulder surgery and knee replacement.
This was Kellenberger’s third try. The first time was in 2022. On that hike, she got Lyme disease, fell and suffered a concussion, and became dangerously dehydrated. Her hiking partner at the time also took a bad fall, and they left the trail halfway through.
She tried the next year but fell at midpoint and had to leave the trail again.
The third time she was successful, but not without delays. She began the hike in August but was forced off the trail by Hurricane Helene. After a re-routing and a brief respite from severe winter weather, she picked up the trail again in March of 2025 and walked continuously for the next seven months to finish in October.
Encourage Yourself
Every day was physically and mentally challenging. Kellenberger was often sore, tired, and cold. To power through, Kellenberger gave herself pep talks. My favorite one is this: “You’re 80 years old! You can do it!”
Note that Kellenberger doesn’t use her previous failures or her advanced age as an excuse not to, which would be expected and even socially sanctioned for a person at her age. (“Be careful, you’ll fall!” “You’re too old to be traipsing around the country like that!” “You’re pushing your luck! If you’re injured, you could end up in a nursing home!”)
Instead, Kellenberger uses her age as a reason to. And if you think about it, why wouldn’t she? She has a lifetime of experience to draw upon. She is physically and mentally capable, and she has made it this far, so why quit now? Who knows what might be around the corner? It could be something wonderful!
Do What You Love
Personal history and previous experience were key motivators for Kellenberger. Before she retired from a lengthy career as a middle-school teacher, Kellenberger had her summers free to travel, and she took full advantage of that opportunity. She bicycled across every U.S. state and province of Canada, along with Australia, New Zealand, and China. Then she turned to hiking and trekked up Machu Picchu in Peru.
In the future, now that she has conquered the Appalachian Trail, Kellenberger plans to hike through Iceland next spring and complete the North Country Scenic Trail, which spans from North Dakota to Vermont.
Be Who You Are
Betty Kellenberger is exceptional. She is focused and driven to a degree that most of us – at any age — are not. But comparing ourselves to Kellenberger is not the point.
The point is to consider what the rest of us, in our own unique ways, might be capable of if we adopted her mindset. As Kellenberger told a reporter, “We put all kinds of limitations on ourselves. Sometimes the biggest one is we don’t get up and try. . ..”
So, what am I willing to try?
It won’t include hiking or biking or engaging in sports of any kind, because I have never been interested in those things. My history and experiences lie more in the areas of reading and studying, probing and pondering questions that I want to answer for myself, and writing about what I learn so that others might be inspired by it.
Which is why I am embarking upon a journey of my own, both intellectual and spiritual, to write a monthly feature for Smart Strategies for Successful Living.
I will consider the small things that make an ordinary life meaningful (and therefore worth living), especially in the second half of life, with its unique challenges and opportunities.
I might also step out of my introverted comfort zone and take a social dance class. But we’ll see about that.
Written by: Ruth Ray Karpen
Ruth Ray Karpen is a retired English professor who now works as a freelance researcher and writer. She has published many books and articles on aging and old age, life story writing, and retirement. In “Smart Things Considered,” she draws on her years of research and her own experiences to explore how later life provides unique opportunities for growth and development if we remain open to learning.
**Article originally published on the website of Smart Strategies for Successful Living at CLICK HERE.
