I had a pleasant conversation with my 70-something y/o neighbor. This man is a caretaker for his very elderly [and sweet, 90-something] mom, but manages to take trips every so often. He came over to my house for questions about renewing a passport. This man is quiet as a mouse, but we exchange short pleasantries often. It’s hard to have a conversation with him. However, get him to talk about his travels, he turns into a word waterfall! I love that we can find a commonality when we have nothing else to chat about. He’s renewing his passport for, in his POV, may be the last time in his life. No travels on the horizon so far, but I’ve been feeding him small ideas here and there. Not only did he need advice and had questions about the renewal process, he went on to talk about his travel bucket list (mostly capitol cities in Europe). I gave him as much advice as I could, but also keeping in mind the lack of internet access and traveling without smart gadgets. I’m sure he’d benefit from group travel. We digested some of his fears and hesitancies [like language barriers], but I found him overall pretty open to trying.
As I reflected on our conversation, I was super proud of him to still be interested in traveling. Moreover, that he wasn’t “too old” or harboring other limiting beliefs. At his age, people tend to like living a quiet life, not so many frills. Worldly news reports seem to have scary stories every day. He also has a responsibility as a caretaker. But, I was really happy to hear he’s still considering traveling around, especially solo. Super brave.
I hope that I can make it to 70+ and still be light on my feet. We’re really not promised tomorrow. Take it from someone who experienced a death of a parent when they were just 48 years young. Life isn’t fair to some. And others, like my 90-something neighbor lady, you can be blessed with decent health and longevity. You’re never too late to do the things you want to do! Be it travel, starting a new hobby, taking some classes at a local rec center – whatever that may mean to you! It’s ok to take chances. This encourages continued growth and keep us young at heart, even as our bodies age.
Napali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, 2024.
