Is 50+ The Winter of Life?
Poppycock!
Some say if you’re over 50, you're “over the hill,” a pejorative phrase that implies your career and energy have peaked. Others consider those of us past 50 in “the winter of life.”
To which I respond: Poppycock! (Translation: Nonsense).
Perhaps this Hasidic saying puts it best:
"For the unlearned, old age is winter; for the learned, it is the season of the harvest."
Consider three late bloomers who harvested after 50:
Ray Kroc: Transformed McDonald's from a small burger operation into a global franchise empire starting at age 52, fundamentally changing the fast-food industry and American eating habits.
Nelson Mandela: Became President of South Africa at age 75, leading the country's transition from apartheid to democracy after spending 27 years in prison.
Anna Mary Robertson Moses ("Grandma Moses" ): After the death of her husband, at age 78, she looked for something “to keep busy and out of mischief.” She tried embroidery, but found it difficult for her arthritic hands. She finally gave painting a try, capturing bucolic scenes of farm life and seasonal landscapes in a unique self-taught style. “Grandma Moses” continued painting until she was 100, leaving behind a legacy of over 1,500 paintings!
Are you past 50? You’re not done yet.
You’re primed to paint new paintings and climb new mountains!