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Life begins again at 60, right? Well, it does if you have the right attitude! As a person over 60 I am so excited to share with you our new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Age Is Just a Number. This is a fun read for dynamic, active men and women in their sixties, seventies, eighties, and even nineties who prove the adage that age is just a number!

Here is a preview of two of my favorite stories about how your senior years can be the best part of your life:

1. It’s never too late to try that new thing.
In her story "Realizing a Dream" Beverly Burmeier's new normal is the constant pursuit of her dreams. She describes taking a beginner trapeze class in her seventies and being the oldest participant by a number of decades. But she did well, flying through the air and catching the trapeze with ease, then dropping onto the safety net like a pro. Her instructor was so impressed he taught her some additional tricks.

Beverly says, “This was truly a dream come true. But I learned more than how to fly on a trapeze that day. I learned that it’s never too late to try new things. Now I’m not afraid to step out of my comfort zone with activities such as ziplining, hang gliding, parasailing, paragliding, Flyboarding, and skydiving. I’ve traveled worldwide to fascinating places including Antarctica, India, Nepal, Cuba, and seven countries in Africa.�

2. It’s time to confront your fears and surprise yourself!
Confronting your fears at any age makes you proud. Sometimes you even surprise yourself with what you’re capable of doing. That was the case for Barbara Bartocci in her story "Going the Distance" after experiencing a major change in her life—a divorce after 30 years of marriage. Her younger brother Rob had been through a divorce himself, so he knew what she needed. He encouraged her to drive all the way from Kansas City to his waterfront vacation condo two hours north of Seattle. She would have the place to herself on weekdays and he and his girlfriend would join her on weekends.

Barbara was nervous about making the 1,800-mile drive by herself, but she did it, even camping outdoors along the way. And then she found herself enjoying the solitude at the condo and the time to do whatever she wanted, whether it was biking for hours, reading novels until two in the morning, or sitting on the peaceful deck sipping coffee.

Barbara says, “It felt less like an ending and more like a beginning.� When she returned to Kansas City after a few weeks, she says, “I carried with me the memory that in camping and driving to Seattle, I had done something way outside my comfort zone. If I could do this, perhaps I could navigate my new life.�


Amy Newmark