2 of 5

Write now Article Tools

Page 3 of 3

so perhaps I can land a work-from-home job with a publishing company: nice steady work doing stuff I love, with enough time and freedom left over to follow my other passions.

And therein, I believe, lies the truth of the matter. Age has nothing to do with how interesting you are. What makes anyone interesting is their interests and their history. If you're not interested in or passionate about anything, you'll be pretty boring at any age. If you're mildly insane and restless, always learning something new, trying things you've never tried before, going places you've never been; if your curiosity trumps your desire to be normal in other people's eyes, no one will ever be able to say you're uninteresting. I may be 67, but I can assure you that I ain't dead yet and refuse to behave as though I am. And I bet I'll have more fun at this age than many of you will, unless you start getting interested and interesting now.

I'd like to tell you about a friend of mine, as the supreme example of the kind of spirit that truly interesting people have. He's getting close to 71 years old. He is currently finishing his last semester of college and will get his teaching credentials when he graduates. Last semester, he took his first-ever art class, and struggled with it. He wanted to draw and/or paint things that looked like what they were supposed to look like. He didn't care much for that abstract stuff. He made good progress, but wasn't really into it. This semester, he played around trying to find his style and his medium and has come up with something very creative, very unique, and very good! And it isn't photorealism. He's already gotten press coverage for it, and the semester won't be over for another three days! In an e-mail yesterday, he told me he's thinking he might work next on an M.F.A. in art.

I just hope he can find time to work with me on the book I'm ghostwriting for him, and the other one he wants to do when we finish the current one. He has a big project in the works for October (one of several that have gotten national press coverage in the past), and is occasionally M.I.A. when he goes on free Caribbean cruises as the Captain's Special Assistant, entertaining the passengers and dancing with the single women. He couldn't be boring if he wanted to! He's full of ideas, enthusiasm, and moves with lightening speed from one adventure/project/passion to the next. He simply doesn't have time to be boring. And neither do I.

How about you?

Learn more about this author, Sondra Deuber.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3

Add your voice

Know something about Essays: Is there a mathematical correlation between a person's age and how interesting they are??
We want to hear your view. Write now!