Once you reach a certain age it’s natural to want to share experience, lessons learned, and advice with those younger than yourself. I’m no exception.
I also realize how frustrating it is to have someone older tell you what you should be doing, thinking, or valuing. Experience based lessons or not, it’s just annoying, and presumptuous if you’ve not asked for the advice.
My solution? My blog.
In part I’m inspired by Engaging with Aging, a blog written by a nonagenarian (as I write this she’s 95) chronicling her experiences dealing with her lifespan and the resulting “ARCs” (age related changes) that are part of the package. Not only does she represent what I want to be when I grow up — actively writing and involved — but her posts are often food for thought for my future.
No one’s pushing that information at me — I’m seeking it out. By discovering Engaging with Aging via a newspaper I found a source I both respect and feel engaged with (no pun intended). By putting her thoughts “out there”, the author is impacting the lives of not only many people she’ll never meet, but her message is being read by the very audience we all would want: those open to hearing it and willing to learn from her experience.
Thus my own blog. An opportunity for me to capture whatever it is I fell might be interesting, though provoking, and perhaps important. Written not for everyone, just those who might find it of value.
Most writing exercises select an intended audience to help craft and focus the message. As I look back to what I was 10, 20, or 40 years ago I’ve decided to occasionally post an article aimed specifically at those 20 years younger than myself. I’m currently 62, which means today that means those who’ve just completed their fourth decade. Old enough to be receptive, and young enough for my thoughts to maybe have some relevance as they continue forward on their own paths.
Hubris? Perhaps. I guess if I were forcing this on anyone — READ MY ADVICE!! — I’d probably feel like this was an exercise to stroke my own ego. Maybe it is. But if no one cares, if no one reads, that’s OK as well. I’ll have accomplished my goal of capturing some of my thoughts and exercising my writing muscles.
I’m creating a new category on my personal blog — -20 : Thoughts for Those Who Follow — to capture this flavor of post. It won’t be the only thing I write on — I actually have a list of possible topics already — but it has my current interest.
I don’t know that the topic, or even this blog, will survive until I’m 95 (will there still be “blogs” in 2052?), but it’s a place to start.
I hope that some find it interesting.