• Cart
  • Checkout
  • My Account
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

Aging Schmaging

Women's Issues Midlife And Beyond

  • Aging Schmaging
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Art
    • Cards
    • Photography
    • Scarves
  • Playshops
  • Blog
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
aging schmaging aging brain
You are here: Home / Musings About Aging / The Aging Brain: Five Questions …Or Was That Six?

The Aging Brain: Five Questions …Or Was That Six?

January 9, 2018 By Gail 2 Comments

aging schmaging aging brain

What’s inside that aging brain?

 “You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things

that make you want to live to be a hundred.” 

-Woody Allen

 

The lovely blond, aged 20-something, sat next to me with pondering eyes. My question to her was this, How old will you be when you believe you are old?

After a moment she smiled almost apologetically. “I used to think it would be 30. Now, because I spend a lot of time with my grandparents, maybe 50?”

I winced, but I also understood. When I was 20-ish, “old” was my grandmother, who was in her 70’s at the time. Now I’m married to a man in his 70’s and he’s not old. Funny how that perspective thing works.

Anyhoo, the reason I was sitting next to a young’un was because I was in a class about aging brains.*

The class was extra interesting because St. Olaf psychology students joined us 50+ aged folks to observe, mingle, and take notes. I felt both ancient and intrigued as a studied specimen.

At one point the professor asked us to answer a series of questions taken from a study that is well known, but not so well known that I can remember the source. Hey! Aging brain!

 

Here are five of the questions that I grappled with:

 

  1. Thinking back to ten years ago, would you say your life, overall, is better today, worse today, or about the same as it was then?
  2. Do you think more elderly people in the population are generally a good thing for American society, a bad thing for American society, or it doesn’t make much difference?
  3. If new medical treatments slow the aging process and allow the average person to live decades longer, to at least 120 years old, do you think that would be a good thing or a bad thing for society?
  4. Do you think you, personally, would want these medical treatments that slow the aging process/allow the average person to live decades longer, or wouldn’t you want them?
  5. Do you think the medical treatments to slow aging would allow our economy to be more productive because people could work longer?

Having the St. Olaf students in the discussion about the above questions added depth. I was pleased that they spoke up about aging from their vantage point.

For example, there was some concern that people working longer meant fewer jobs for new youthful graduates…something clearly on their minds. Another young man said as much as he wanted a successful career, it was sobering to think he might have to work for 70-80 years assuming he would live to be 120.

agingschmaging working and aging

Working longer…?

Young and… older… agreed that no matter the life span, quality of life trumped almost everything else.

As class concluded the lovely young blond turned to me and said, “It was so nice to meet you. I hope you come back next week.”

To her I am an old person. But today, she saw more in me than a chronological number, and that felt pretty darn great.

*(Oh, in full disclosure, I just joined the Northfield Senior Center where they offer college professor lead enrichment courses. They also offered meatloaf for lunch, but I passed on that delicacy. I just couldn’t join a senior center and eat something soft and digestible on the same day. My self-identity can only take so many hits.)

«
»

Filed Under: Musings About Aging Tagged With: aging brain, midlife women, St. Olaf

Avatar photo

A Message From Gail

Through my blog and website, I hope to share beauty, laughter, inspiration, aging & midlife lessons and advice on dealing with menopause. I will also devote time to integrative health and healing tips and news. I want feedback and questions because, while we may be sharing the journey, every woman has her own experience and her own story.

Get Our FREE 
Coloring Book!

Comments

  1. Deb says

    January 16, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    I enjoyed your blog very much!!!! The number 1 question was very interesting. I really don’t consider my life worse than it was 10 years ago, but it certainly has dramatically changed in the last 10 years!!! Keep on blogging, Gail, so you can enlighten the rest of us, put a smile on our face and help us to laugh out loud even when we are by ourselves! 🙂

    Reply
    • Avatar photoGail says

      January 16, 2018 at 9:35 pm

      Seriously, Deb, you don’t know how often you make MY day. Thank you.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Download
Our FREE
Coloring Book!

Get Updates – Signup

Once a month one lucky winner from the sign up pool will receive a scarf courtesy of Aging Schmaging. Good luck!

Categories

  • Giveaways
  • Menopause
  • Midlife Sex
  • Musings About Aging
  • Recipes
  • Remembering
  • Sharing
  • The Best Part Of My Day

Recent Posts

  • Past, Present, and Future: What I am Learning as My Husband Recovers from A Stroke By Gail Gates
  • In One Stroke, My World Changed
  • Christmas Fingerprints On The Surface Of My Heart
  • Tears Water A Memorial Garden
  • Crap Wildlife Photography: How I received 1800 “Likes” From A Fugly Photo

Navigate My Site

  • Almost Done!
  • Free Coloring Book
  • Menopause And Women In Midlife Blog
  • Playshops
  • Privacy Policy
  • Return Policy
  • Shop
  • Silk Scarves Playshops Registration
  • Sitemap
  • Success!
  • Testimonials
  • About
  • Contact

Recent Posts

  • Past, Present, and Future: What I am Learning as My Husband Recovers from A Stroke By Gail Gates
  • In One Stroke, My World Changed
  • Christmas Fingerprints On The Surface Of My Heart
  • Tears Water A Memorial Garden
  • Crap Wildlife Photography: How I received 1800 “Likes” From A Fugly Photo

Connect With Me

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Featured From the Shop

  • habitoi silk scarf Habatoi Hand Painted Silk Scarf 101 $35.00
  • grand marais summer solstice Grand Marais Solstice $10.00 – $45.00

Copyright © 2023 · Gail Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cleantalk Pixel