Happy Birthday!
Years ago, a national news station covered the life of Flossie Dickey, who was turning 110 years old. Throughout the interview, the news anchor struggled to get answers regarding Flossie’s family, the secret to longevity, and what she does for fun. She was tired and less than thrilled to be doing the interview. Finally, the interviewer asked Flossie if she was excited about her upcoming 110th birthday celebration, and Flossie, with a slow southern accent, said:
“Not one bit.”[i]
The newscast couldn’t help but burst out laughing, and neither could I when I heard her reply. I hope Flossie’s “zest for life” is the exception and not the rule of what it looks like to live 100 and beyond. No judgment, Flossie; when I live to be 110, I may be tired, too, and according to The 100-Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, this is a real possibility as we move forward. Things are changing, as usual. Old models and stages of life are becoming obsolete as food scarcity decreases, financial security increases and education becomes more accessible for people. Gratton argues that the “three-stage life” of education, work, and retirement has been based on a shorter life span. As the authors point out in Chapter 2, if someone retires at age 65 and lives to be 100, that is 35 years of retirement, which is a lot of life to live on the golf course and is not financially viable for many people.[ii] Living longer means different dynamics are emerging for a “multi-stage life”. Gratton and Scott encourage people to plan and think differently about their finances, education, leisure, vocation, and values to ensure the highest quality of life as we extend our days on earth.
One current pain point I consistently hear from older individuals is their frustration with new technology or software introduced by medical facilities, businesses, and schools. Some have even left their jobs because of their inability to adapt. This is not to point a finger or bring shame, but this book challenges me to stay on top of technological changes. Technology is advancing at breakneck speeds.
Side note: I would argue it is moving faster than our emotional and spiritual maturity can handle. We can access information and share things before filtering them through healthy critical and emotional grids, but I digress….
Back to technology, unless we have a major apocalyptic event that shuts down the power grid, technology will continue to advance, and none of us can afford to “let the youngsters handle all of that new stuff”. I admit I did not engage with AI as quickly as I probably should have; now, I use it almost daily. Scott says, “Given the degree of likely technological advances, it seems impossible to imagine that a specialism learned early in a career will sustain someone through their long working life. Either through boredom or technological obsolescence, the acquisition of new skills and new specialisms will become a lifelong endeavor.”[iii] This book has not only prompted my wife and I to have more conversations around financial planning and building more vacations into our lives, but it has also reinforced a mindset that prioritizes education and learning. Whether this comes in books, post-graduate education, night classes, certifications, or workshops, keeping a hunger for growth and adaptability is not an option if we take multistage living as a real possibility.
While reading this book, I could not help but think about health and fitness. Gratton and Scott touch on health and mental deterioration topics but do not dedicate large sections toward it. Working in the fitness industry for several years allowed me to see the stark difference between individuals 65 and above who moved regularly and those who did not. Our older clients saw the most results and gained the most benefits from regular exercise, which branded the phrase, “move it or lose it,” in my brain. The encouraging thing is that it didn’t take a lot. It just took doing simple movements regularly and consistently over time to significantly impact mobility, strength, balance, flexibility, and even cognitive functioning. Our God-given bodies are meant to be used, or they deteriorate, and I believe the mind works the same way. Anticipating multistage living moves us from education and even exercise as an early-stage endeavor to a lifelong journey in our 30s, 50s, 70s, and beyond.
Speaking of journeys, I thought about Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak during the sections on re-creating versus recreation, which is ultimately about identity. Gratton and Scott say, “Might these years, distributed throughout a life, bring the time and opportunity to explore who you are and arrive at a way of living that is nearer to your own personal values and hopes than to the traditions of the society into which you were born? If so, then this is perhaps the greatest gift that longevity can bestow.”[iv] When it comes to Palmer’s Let You Life Speak, he talks about the first half of life as putting masks on for social conformity and success and the last half as taking masks off to find your true self (whatever that may be).[v] Will living longer give us more time to live as our authentic selves? I wonder what Flossie Dickey would say to that? Either way, we need to plan accordingly, make our mark, and enjoy the time we have on this earth.
[i] “Interview with 110 Year Old Woman, Flossie Dickey.” Youtube, February 18, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAUn3A4QtaI.
[ii] Gratton, Lynda, and Andrew Scott. The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity. Paperback edition. Bloomsbury Business. London Oxford New York, NY New Delhi Sydney: Bloomsbury Business, 2017, 50.
[iii] Gratton and Scott, The 100-Year Life, 94.
[iv] Ibid., 283.
[v] Palmer, Parker J. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey Bass, 2024.
About the Author
Adam Harris
I am currently the Associate Pastor at a church called Godwhy in Hendersonville, TN near Nashville. We love questions and love people even more. Our faith community embraces God and education wholeheartedly. I graduated from Oral Roberts University for undergrad and Vanderbilt for my masters. I teach historical critical Biblical studies at my church to help our community through their questions and ultimately deepen their faith. I love research, writing, learning, and teaching. I oversee our staff and leadership development. Before being at Godwhy I worked as a regional sales coach and director for Anytime Fitness. I've been married for over 13 years to my best friend and we have two amazing boys that keep us busy.8 responses to “Happy Birthday!”
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Adam, I really enjoyed reading your post. Some helpful highlights for me:
– the value of the discipline of physical exercise extending into our “golden years”
– the value of intellectual curiosity applied to keeping up with emerging technologies
– the time we have on this Earth as an opportunity to discover (and hopefully deploy) the passions, gifts and talents we have received.
That’s a lot to pack into one blog post! Great thoughts.
Thanks Jennifer and if you have not seen the video, please do yourself a favor and watch Flossie Dickey’s interview on YouTube!
Hi Adam!
Thank you for your inspiring post. I like your idea of linking longevity and old age to our encounters with technology, fitness issues, and sense of self. You have correctly formulated the crucial issues everyone should prepare for when they receive the gift of longevity. My question is, what can affect a person’s sense of self when they are ancient? Is the decline in nerve power and thinking ability the cause? Can it be overcome as early as possible?
If I understand the question, the “sense of self” issue seems to suggest being yourself and doing more of what you feel is true to who you are rather than what society or others tell you is appropriate. It goes back to my statement about wearing masks for the first half of life and taking them off the last half of life.
The 100-year life talks about living long enough to figure out what you actually care about versus what everyone has imposed on you. For example, each culture tells us how we are “supposed” to dress, talk, think, feel, or behave, which may or may not be true to who we are. Hope that makes sense, and yes, cognitive decline could also literally cause us to lose our sense of self. Thanks for the reply Dinka!
Hi Adam,
I just don’t have the money for a face lift or hair implants. Had I known I would live so long I would have saved up. But that would be vain!
At age 65 I used the book as a checklist for things I set into motion financially, academically, and physically. My worst scores (I took the test) was in health. SOOO…I went for a walk.
While do agree that I have become prickly in my old age, I also have less masks to worry about. My health goal is to keep my heart pumping. All of my uncles died between 60 and 65 of a heart attack.
So I seem to be pushing the genetic envelope.
Shalom…
Nice man! Walking is one of the best things we can do for our health! People who live in the blue zone (places on earth where people live the longest) do natural movements every day, like walking and gardening (that is something I believe you do). They also noticed that the quality of our relationships and talking with the cashier, strangers in public, and randoms throughout the day extend our lives. Another thing you are good at!
Flossie cracked me up!! I would wager most of us would say that after a certain age. I wonder about your question about moving into our authentic selves. I think Flossie is probably the evidence that that is true. She told the truth regardless of who was asking and who was watching. No more room or time for bullshit!
I think you are right to discuss with your wife, retirement and planning more vacations! they go together. I’ve seen the worst grief that comes from delaying Joy!
Our family loves that video. My youngest watched it about 5 times and says, “Not one bit,” all the time now. You’re right, Flossie is over the pleasantries and could not care less what people think and how she is supposed to perform in front of millions of people.
Thank you for your encouragement, we are in the process of planning some out.