Why you are a silver disobedient
BY DIAN GRIESEL
No matter how old we are today, we have never been this exact age before.
Exciting, isn’t it? Which is why, when we’re told to “act our age” or when we think, “This isn’t for someone my age,” we should stop and ask: What does it mean? How are we supposed to act? What behaviors need to be tweaked? Are the changes mandatory? Are there penalties for non-compliance? Is anybody watching? Who is the judge? Is the toughest critic our own selves?
To confirm cultural distaste for getting older, look no further than a thesaurus—which cites synonyms for “old” that include “ancient,” “decrepit,” “tired,” “fossil,” “broken down,” “depilated,” “enfeebled,” “exhausted,” “antiquated,” “archaic” and “geriatric.”
These words do not even come close to describing how I feel about myself in the latter half of my 50s. What about you? If the words that describe yourself are antonyms to those above, then you are a Silver Disobedient – part of a community of people 48+ who decided that getting older is not the same as growing older.
“To confirm cultural distaste for getting older, look no further than a thesaurus…”
Because Silver Disobedients are already one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-replicated, freewheeling, original-thinking, rebel-with-a-cause, adventuresome, fabulous-fighting, observant, crazy creative character, lovable-being, gift to the Universe, independent, valiant superhero-in-disguise, child of God, appropriate, picky, certainly different, intelligent, extraordinary, unruly, dependable, charming, fair, fearless, encouraging, reliable, memorable, exuberant, humble, conscientious, cultured, significantly special, loveable and enlightened beings. (Just to name a few.)
And as many of you have shared, the 50s and beyond are accompanied by an unanticipated element of excitement—a newness and sense of freedom distinguished from an earlier time of our lives. Our cumulative years are a catalyst to release energy that allows us to blossom in entirely new and unexpected ways. We grow into the versions of ourselves we’ve always wanted to be. We’re getting comfortable with shedding standards of our younger years that no longer hold any meaning for us. We’re relinquishing the need to question ourselves, or our wants and desires, and entering a stage where we aren’t as worried about societal norms as to “how we’re supposed to be or act.” Suddenly, age is revealing itself as a more free-spirited time—in much the same way that youth is idealized to be – yet rarely is – because youth is so often a quagmire of insecurities for many.
I believe that aging, in essence, is the evolving process of getting to know ourselves more deeply and with greater acceptance and kindness over time. This is the foundation of Silver Disobedience.
Of course, wrinkles and certain personal, health, financial and other challenges will accompany aging. But having now read hundreds of thousands of detailed, heartfelt responses to my blog posts, I can firmly declare that most of us are very glad to have lived long enough to get wrinkles, and we recognize it would have been worse to not have had the opportunity to deal with those wrinkles-in-the-plans that life delivers. The majority of us feel that we are honored and happy to be alive. We’re all our own version of a one-and-only creation.
I invite you to join the Silver Disobedience community – via Facebook, Instagram, and SilverDisobedience.Rocks – where you can connect with others as we all share our reflections and meditations on life and relationships while we continue along this fantastic journey.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – DIAN GRIESEL
Dian Griesel is a living agelessly activist, bestselling author, executive, columnist, and Wilhelmina model. Her newest book, The Silver Disobedience Playbook: 365 Inspirations for Living & Loving Agelessly, is available on Amazon. You can reach Dian here diangriesel@silverdisobedience.com