68 days to go...

Today I had a green perspective. I saw life through the prism of a bowl of spinach soup. Not just my life, but the brew I need for a healthy life, for my rebirth at 50. The quest for finding a potent mix of ingredients for a healthy and happy life. A bit of green alchemy! Popeye revisited, and a lot more brainy.

Life has actually become a lot more healthy for those who have paid attention how to live well. In my journey of 83 days, I haven’t reflected on aging yet. The fact is, it hasn’t forced itself on me as a major issue. For sure, I am aging, and my body is not working in the same way as it used to 20 or even 10 years ago. But mostly, I have been preoccupied with the psychological side of growing older rather than with physical aging.

This is not surprising. My Baby Boomer generation has changed the definition of what we refer to as old age. E.J. Mundell, reporter for HealthDay, wrote on August 30, 2006 that “for many, 60 is not only the new 50 – it’s the new 45.” He described the life of Olga Bloom who retired from a career as violinist at 57, only to start a new life as founder of Barge Music, creating a floating concert hall in New York’s East River which she still runs today, thirty years later.

Bloom’s story is consistent with what Deepak Chopra has called a resetting of our biostat by up to 15 years younger (in Grow Younger, Live Longer – Ten Steps to Reverse Aging).

Mundell reported that “many older people are choosing to embark, as Bloom did, on second careers in a field they love.” For a growing number of people, he remarked, "a 60th birthday marks a new beginning -- not the beginning of the end." And about Bloom, he wrote that it's all about giving back. “Generosity is necessary”, he quotes her, “You have to give yourself to others, in whatever capacity you can."

We live in a remarkable time when more life is being discovered and lived, at riper age. Physically, the possibilities have improved. And in this age of reawakening, aptly referred to as the New Age, people around the world have discovered that a new mindset, supported by a healthy body, can go a long way to create a better second half of our lives.

I suppose it’s normal for people at my age to start paying attention to the topic of aging, and to listen in to any good news about aging and life beyond retirement. I am no different than others. But I have a wish to celebrate where I am, and to be proactive about creating the next phase of my life. With the help of a little green alchemy, and lots of positive inspiration.

Photograph: Spinach soup at Trio Restaurant, Manila.