I turned 55 this year and old enough to skate through life with the help of family and friends of all ages.
My “incredible good looks” are achieved without hair color, botox or other cosmetic enhancements. Other than glaucoma eye drops (I can still see out of both eyes!) I’m prescription free. My weight holds pretty steady at 175 (though I wish that was more muscle with 6-pack abs). I have a clean bill of health. Financially, I’m not rockin’ it like some might imagine. This magazine is a non-profit Christian ministry — and I mean NON-PROFIT! My 401-K from previous employment is ‘concerning’ to financial planners. Nonetheless, I characterize my life as modest, comfortable enough, filled with relatively manageable stresses and blessed in every way by God.
LACE-UP AND ACT YOUR AGE
My life has been rich with experiences. Some seemed painful at the time while others were totally carefree (translated “not acting my age!”). As a child I worked hard – very hard, in the garden for hours with siblings, parents and grandparents. In high school I ran way too many miles in cross-country with my peers and eventually in races with multiple ages. Accompanying my young children was my excuse for crawling through the indoor playground tubes and playing in the ball pit as an adult at ChuckECheese. Cutting a grapevine at a men’s retreat offered a moment of surprise and adventure as I demonstrated to the younger, stronger and more able men how to hang upside down while swinging high above the others. A few took the challenge and went for it.
Most recently at my granddaughter’s birthday party I laced-up some rollerblades to join my adult children and help their kids (my eight young grandchildren) go around the roller rink. It was rough at first but they were pros by the end.
When I do crazy stuff like this, someone is usually watching and I get asked, “How old are you?” My answer these days is, “I’m old enough to do this!”
WHOSE COUNTING AND WHAT SHOULD WE REALLY BE MEASURING?
Ask children their age and they’ll answer by holding up fingers. Ask adults and you’ll likely make them uncomfortable. We’ve all heard that age is a state of mind – you can have a positive attitude at any age. But, God wants you to have much more because you’re old enough to physically and spiritually influence other generations.
Younger people have so much to gain from those who are older. And – those who have lived life fully have learned along the way that the fullness of life that God gives us is never fully filled. They need and want to connect with younger generations. Read A Place For All by Stephanie Gibson to see how this is happening in some YMCA’s throughout the U.S.
I once participated in a webinar for church recreation leaders. The topic: programming for seniors. After the conversation exhausted the assumptions that old people are old and need adaption, accommodation, patience and understanding I suggested something different. The dying church congregating has a lot to offer. Quit treating them as feeble and out-of-touch. Tell them you need them, find ways to get them engaged in the lives of young families and children and realize that by design God intends for generations to be together and be active together.
LISTEN TO YOUR BELAY
We need to pursue naturally occurring wisdom from other generations who are around us by eagerly engaging with them in conversation and listening. In particular everyone in the fitness culture needs to resist the mentality that only fitness related dialog is legit and politically correct. Similarly this same mentality and spirit-freeing attitude needs to be applied in church communities if faith is to be more than religion and grow strong roots in daily lifestyles. Gyms and churches will deliver better results when they actively structure for, facilitate and promote FELLOWSHIP.
Cardio equipment with mindless entertainment misses the mark. An earbud and headphone infested weight room silences the voice of shared community muting everyone’s potential with ‘mind your own business’. Sanctuaries that only host well-produced in-and-out services are sterile surgical centers. Small group fellowship gatherings that are closely tethered to and leashed by the church leadership approved ‘currlculum’ and scope un-invite God’s spirit opting for constraint under the guise of restraint.
When the gym and church fail to promote intentional intergenerational interactions they foster a learned mindset of SEGREGATION. We’re old enough to know better and DO better. Read 5 Benefits Of Intergenerational Fitness For Adults by Dino Nowak to see how to foster organic community in the gym.
Intergenerational fitness makes you stronger. It’s like having a climbing partner where you’re both working together to reach a higher goal. You increase in understanding. You gain greater capacity for forgiveness. You exercise cooperation and discover new levels of selflessness. AND this doesn’t just make you stronger. You rub off on others in more than just a positive way. It is the proximity principle. Proximity = Influence.
That proximity and influence in faith and fitness can result in a form of physical and spiritual ferromagnetism. Allow me to illustrate it this way. In my kitchen my cutting knives are mounted to a magnetic strip. They’ve been attached to the magnet for so long that they too are now magnetic so that even away from the strip they also attract other metal. Your passion for faith and fitness shared well and frequently can ultimately result in those you influence being a strong influence among others.
NO SECOND GUESSING ALLOWED
This can be spiritually intuitive for all of us. Breath deeply and let this Spirit be in you [CLICK AND READ ALL OF THIS]. Be fit for every age that will encounter you today. It may be someone’s first time to skate and someone else’s final spin around the rink. For both, you are just the right age to be used by God.
How old are you? You’re the perfect age for doing exactly what needs to be done.
Are you ‘old enough’? Share this article and your pictures related to this topic on your social media using these hashtags:
#imoldenoughtodothis
#fitforeveryage
