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An Editor's Farewell
by Susan Harness
To me, aging means we’ve acquired hard-won wisdom.
At 65 I no longer put much stock into what people think about me, or how others may try to define how I ‘should’ behave, or what I ‘should’ be doing. What is important to me is adding my voice to our social conversations. And I’d better do it now because time’s running out. I didn’t always feel the pressure of time. But I am highly aware that I no longer say, “Oh, I’ll do that later. When I get time.” Time is the most valuable of gifts.
Lately, I’ve been thinking of the term ‘generations,’ and all the discontent that is spewed between and among their members. The concept of ‘generations’ has really only been a thing since marketing was developed. It was a way to make new products seem more interesting, where they set you apart from your parents, where it made the generation marketed to seem special and unique. But the thing is, I don’t like labels and I never have. I don’t like being described as a Boomer who is merely taking up space. And I don’t believe Gen Z is too young to have made an impact on our society, nor do I think that Millennials (GenY) are self-absorbed, or that Gen X are slackers.
Creating division weakens us. Which is why I love the conversations that happen between and among different generations, such as the work that is being done by GenHERous 2, a conversation created by PAFC and their partners, which bring seven generations of women together to connect with one another to share stories, advice, and hopes for the future. It’s almost like what used to happen in the communities so many of us grew up in.
Graceful Aging has given us a beautiful opportunity to explore the deeper ideas, perspectives, and experiences of aging. I’ve enjoyed the writings of the members who offered up their experiences, their expertise, their knowledge of how we move into a part of life that is so often overlooked. There are still so many questions that remain: When have we decided we are old-ish, and what makes us define that age difference? What did we think age was going to look like as young people and how do we feel when we think back to those times? I laugh as I realize at 16 that a person in their 50s was ancient! Lately I’m taking my granddaughter to gymnastics, and out to lunch afterward. There are a LOT of us with grey-ish hair that are sharing that experience of caretaking. How does taking care of your grandchild differ from taking care of your children? So, so many questions and conversations to be had.
This is my last post as editor of Graceful Aging. It has been a great experience to hear from other women and men on this end of the age spectrum, what they’re learning, hobbies they’re involved with, life situations that require assistance, or require grace. You’ve made me laugh, you’ve brought tears, and through it all I feel such a connection. Thank you for sharing your life experiences.
Now I’m in a transition again, stepping down as editor. I’d like to introduce the new editor of this space, Lynda McCullough, who is a health educator with the UCHealth’s Aspen Club, an organization that provides that provides health education and related services to people 50 and older. I’m looking forward to seeing where this space explores next.
All my best wishes to you, the readers, our writers, and all the people who bring the topic of aging into every aspect of our community, The Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities.
Susan Devan Harness, author of Bitterroot: A Salish Memoir of Transracial Adoption, and Mixing Cultural Identities Through Transracial Adoption: Outcomes of the Indian Adoption Project (1958-1967) is a member of the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes. As a cultural anthropologist, a writer, and an aging person, she is interested in people and their histories.
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