One of the reasons I got the idea to do this podcast is because I want to be able to talk others about these things that are happening to me or occurring to me or floating through my mind in these years as I’ve gotten past 60. And they change…boy, do they ever. My 60s were one thing; my 70s are something totally different. Stuff I was so sure about–well, now I’m not so sure I’m sure. And stuff that I thought was really really important–eh, meh, some is and some isn’t.
One thing I’m sure about is that I’m not the last word on any of this. I have several friends, BFFs from over the decades, who are exactly my age. Yet we’re at different stages in our lives, and different things matter to us, or not. So not only is Aging not a determined category; the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s aren’t either.
And yet when commentators or bloggers or experts with the best of intentions set an age limit for some truth or way of being, there are whole crowds of us who are left out. Because we’re outside that age limit. Or we aren’t experiencing that truth or way of being.
My goal with MidLifeBloggers was and with #TOS60 now is to provide a place, a platform where each of us can use their voice for talking about/sharing their vision or their experience or their truth of whatever the moment at hand was.
I’ve been planning this podcast since the fall. I’ve set several do-able deadlines for when I would go “live.” My big girl earphones and mic combo have been in place for about six weeks. Unused.
Why? Because I’m a poster child for all of Brene Brown’s books. Vulnerability–not for me, thank you very much. Oh, but I see and understand that without vulnerability, I’ll achieve nothing. Okay then, I’ll be vulnerable on those days and those times when I am feeling so solidly sure of me that I’m ready for the slings and arrows that I always expect will come.
Obviously, I’ve conquered a lot of that in my writing. But speaking? To some unknown audience (of maybe three BFFs)–nope. I’ll just sit here in the dark….
Except I really do believe that there are secret sharers out there who would like-enjoy-benefit-from-need having a place to air the good and the bad and the meh of life on the other side of sixty.
So I’ll work on screwing up my courage…and continue writing this blog. Until my big girl earphones fit my head.