by Patricia Watson

Created on: November 13, 2009

If there is no life after the ages of 40, 50 or 60, then someone better get busy digging my grave immediately. Of course there is life after the age of forty. If you are still breathing, life goes on. The quality of that life is up to each individual. Mid-lifers and senior citizens are some of the most innovative and happy people on this planet. We have lived long enough to know we are neither infallible nor invincible. This gives us an edge over the youthful populace. We have made mistakes, learned from them and are smart enough not to make the same missteps in the latter half of our lives.

Armed with the knowledge learned in the school of life, we can still make a mark in our corner of the universe. Aging is not a disease. It is the unstoppable march of time and the inevitable race to live a fulfilling life. Universities are not just for the young. Many senior citizens, who had to drop out of school to earn a living, have gone back to continue their education. Men and women in their forties, fifties and beyond are graduating to become doctors and lawyers and teachers.

In a world where healthy living is in the forefront of the news, men and women are not only living longer, they are enjoying a renewed vigor and zest for life. By the age of sixty, most people have raised their families and paid off their mortgages. Time is not the enemy when you reach your senior years; your only enemy is inaction.

If you feel your productive years are behind you, perhaps your life will feel like it is over. Approach your latter years of life with the same enthusiasm you embraced the early years. Seniors are finishing novels they started in their twenties. Old canvases are being taken down from the attic and paintings are being finished. Living an exciting and activity filled life in your senior years is not just a dream anymore, it is a reality. Once you slide past fifty, don't just let life rush by you, take charge and run at life with every ounce of strength you have in your soul.

Every moment we are alive should be savored and held close. Whether young or old, life is for living. As we age, we have to say good-bye to friends and loved ones. That is just a normal part of the life process. Seniors should not cut themselves off from meeting new friends or establishing new romantic relationships. To keep your life viable, you need to have others in it.

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