Time is so precious now, and to have learned to stay in the moment, not dwell on the mistakes of the past, and not to obsess on an uncertain future is so wonderful. Everything we have been through has led us to be who we are right now, and at this age, we know that there isn’t a lot of time left, so relationships with children, friends, lovers, and of course ourselves are ever so much more valued. I also think that after the age of 60, we have learned to have a lot more gratitude for the simple things in life.

I hate the term “aging baby boomers” - I feel like sixty going on thirty. The possibilities are endless. I’m excited about the new challenges I’ve undertaken, especially writing. In 1 year, 0 months, 7 days, 4 hours, 2 minutes and 50 seconds I’ll retire from the day job. Then it’ll be all about the things I want to do - spend more time with my grandchildren, travel, read and write. Life is good.

I think your eight reasons are pretty close to the mark. We, in the over-60 generation (can that really include me????), may not be happier than we used to be for all eight reasons listed but I’d guess that at least some of the eight reasons apply to each of us. My only problem has been that it has taken me eleven months to get used to being 60. Now, guess what, I have another birthday staring me in the face and in a couple of weeks, I’ll be………..61. Two things that I have learned about myself over the years: I don’t want them to write on my tombstone, “She knew what she weighed every day of her life;” and, as I say to myself when I see that ol’ grey-haired stranger in the mirror, “In ten years, you’ll wish you looked like this.”

I blame AARP magazine for telling us we should feel OLD by sending us THAT magazine the moment we are 50 — you know that one with the RP (“retired people” for you youngsters) that even lets our postman think that we are “over the hill”. They have all sorts of ways that equate us with “old”. YOU know: the photos showing each celebrity over 50, over 60 - untouched - so we can see if we have fewer wrinkles than they do! And then the creepy stories on how and where we can spend our RETIREMENT, with the word itself making us feel ancient when we feel like 30. And now - this article bothers me almost as much. Not quite as I will only see this one once. Just who are those people who are thinking that women over 60 may not be too happy??? Forty-year-olds? Do we really care what they think as we have found out that we hardly had a brain in our heads at 40??? Do we really have to have 8 reasons? If those are the reasons, I have failed the test. . and yet, yet, I have an extraordinary life - or so I think — in many ways better than it ever has been. I realize we are all different and some may be content to lie on the sofa and read. Fine. . . whatever turns you on. But why am I happier? Why do I feel so young still? I really think it is that I have not let any grass grow under my feet, lying in the hammock. I am still working and never want to stop. When you are in the public eye all the time, you are more aware that you should keep yourself up, looking as great as you can. (Besides, your husband or significant other loves you looking that way!) But you are out in the world, doing something important, significant, and your mind is being challenged. You are not boring - never! You get out of that small circle of friends that you can get mighty tired of seeing after a while at home, and are meeting new people, making new friends that give you a lift. Today I spent at three meetings with architects, along with a woman consultant who was as sharp as they come. To hold my own in a different field, I had to bone up and then couldn’t stop reading on the new subjects I was exposed to. I came home on such a high… and, as usual, the dinner table conversation was a pretty fast give-and-take as my husband didn’t retire either and is working long after retirement age (which really should be when you drop dead!) We are each living our own fascinating lives, keeping our looks up better than friends who seem to not care anymore, and we feel good about ourselves and proud of each other. I would love to talk to whoever Willa Bernhard, PhD is - and I guess she is a lot younger and not as wise - and maybe let her find out what extraordinary life she may have in store — IF she does it right!!

Sixty is coming on me in one month and I can’t believe that most of these things will suddenly apply. Some, like not worrying about what others think, haven’t bothered me since I was in my 40’s. Some of the others sound more like my mothers friends in their 80’s.

Sixty didn’t bother me all that much, but for some reason sixty-five sure did. I came home one day whimpering because I truck driver actually stopped to let me cross the street — thank God he didn’t get out to escort me….poor doddering old woman. Many of the rules no longer apply; rules that you yourself made are now, well, unimportant. The one thing I did when I turned sixty-five to feel a little younger was to get a tattoo. One of my daughters, tired of me moaning about how old I am, suggested we finally get that tattoo…..and we did. I have it a few inches below my left shoulder, so that as it drops, as everything eventually seems to, it will be in the right place. It’s a small bouquet of four flowers depicting our four children, bound together by a wedding band for my husband. Instead of dieting, I used to suggest blushing in cleavage and wearing a lot of eye make-up; it tends to draw the eye away from the bad parts. Now, I just flash my tattoo.

I have finally reached the age where I am free from having to go to work everyday and fitting in with “company culture” . I now run my own website, www.notjustthekitchen.com, because I love the challenges it brings. Everyday I learn something new and my self-esteem is heightened whenever I’ve managed to solve a difficult problem. For many of us, building an interesting and active life gives us the self confidence that brings happiness.

Wow that was pretty right on for me. I’ll be 64 in two weeks and to my dismay I still can’t come to terms with the way my face is. But that one comment about how at 80 I wished I had this face really helped to put it in perspective. It is true my marriage is more important to me and I’m more grateful for more things in life. Rock on ladies…. we truly are great and getting greater!

I just saw a picture of me and my 1st great grand-daughter. I said to my daughter “I look so old!” She replied “But you are old.” I know I am 75 but on the inside I don’t feel that many years old. I like my life just the way it is. I have no stress unless I create it on my own. I don’t have to do anything someone else wants me to. I know how to live on my small budget. It’s a good life.