How about if for my next 265 blogs, I call them “Impressions About Life from a DINK (dual income no kids)”? I’m on the tail end of the Baby Boomer but DINK better describes me and our lives for purposes of understanding where I’m coming from.

It is truly the most bizarre thing to be old enough that some of my peers are not only parents but now a few of them are, gulp, grandparents as well. Because my husband and I never had children, it is quite easy for us to ease into a “Peter Pan” syndrome about life. Oh we have a mortgage and I’ve gone back to school so we’re paying a college tuition but it’s very easy to get caught up in our world of work and friends and forget that we’ve already lived a good chunk of life.

I’m very, very grateful for our health. It felt good to return to yoga, albeit at beginner’s yoga class and to be recognized for being so flexible. Really, I’m not that flexible compared to other yogis who have been practicing as long as I have, but compared to many people my age I suppose I am pretty darn flexible. I’m grateful that today I can do that squat that some Eastern Indians do when eating or hanging out and find it very relaxing. Especially when I’m filling up the fish pond with water. I love to do the Indian squat and watch the fish come up to play in the currents from the hose. Fish eye level as I like to say.

So now what? What do we do with ourselves when we’re the ones clearing the paths for others? I don’t think many groups of people have aged quite as well as my group (well, except for pretty much my entire family but I’m beginning to think that perhaps we did come here from another planet….). I have several close friends in their sixties who are in amazingly good health and just now seem to be figuring out what is really important about life and how to enjoy themselves. I’m grateful for their wisdom and their jubilant attitude towards life. There is a Coach I know named Sherry Lowery who used to be a therapist who talks a whole lot about cross generational communication happening now between all the various generations. I’d like to think that we Baby Boomers have seeded the path for that to happen because most of us are curious and interested in life and so we strike up friendships with souls who are humans who come in all forms and fashions.

It really humbled me to hang out with my friend Vickie in her new apartment in the Retirement community. I’ve coached someone who has talked about creating a community for aging creatives (musicians and artists) and I sure hope she will see that dream out. I think Carole King has something along those lines in Idaho (though I haven’t googled it yet). I think there are more than a few pods of us people who are ganky (Japanese term for full of energy) enough to keep going for a long time…heck, some of us are just getting started. These are the people I want to be in community with but not only them, I also want my younger friends in with us as well. Maybe I’m talking about Utopia or Shangri La. I just know that I am motivated to creating a different kind of ending for myself. Both my parents are doing really well in their mid 70s living on their own and kicking about their lives. That’s how I plan to be too. But….for those of us who may have unforeseen occurrences in their lives, it sure would be nice to have some good alternatives to consider rather than being shuffled off to a quiet room somewhere to end your days smelling macaroni and cheese and urine.

Now I’m off to read a little bit out of four books I have going on (one written by Steven Fogle “My Mind is Not Always My Friend) who I’m interviewing on BTR, Tuesday, June 29) and love on my cats and dogs and husband.

What are your thoughts about getting older?