How to Stay Relevant in a Youth-obsessed Culture: 10 Commandments for Seniors

But alas we are not in Spain. So the issue then becomes, how does one remain relevant as the years go on in a culture fixated on youth? (No. plastic surgery isn’t the answer.) How do we keep from becoming obsolete to our own families, to society, and in the end, to ourselves? Let me offer some suggestions that have worked for me.

Be careful about retiring too early and check your motives. If it’s just about leisure, you may be in trouble. Leisure can mean different things to different people. If for you it means “not having to do anything,” you could be one of the many retirees that find themselves with too much time on there hands. Many of these types end up TV junkies.

Keep on working. At least consider it, or a part time version of what you already do. My own father made the mistake of retiring when expected. After the dinner and the gold watch, all he pretty much did was stare at his gold watch. A man who took tremendous pride in his work, he was never quite the same after that.

If you do retire, make an extensive list of activities you can become involved in beforehand. Fill those golden years with productive hobbies, volunteer work, or be that vital support for working family members who could use your help with children.

Keep abreast of the times. Read, read, read. Or, if you’re not a reader, find others ways to keep on top of what’s going on in the world. Public radio stations are a great source of interesting topics, and you don’t have to sit down and watch in order to benefit. Personally, I like to dazzle my younger counterparts in conversation with my knowledge of topics they’ve never even heard of. It’s a hoot and great for the ego.

Keep fit. Exercise. Joining a gym is a good way to keep healthy and to participate in an activity with a room full of people of all ages. Caution: don’t try to be a Mandelbaum (you Seinfeld aficionados will get that reference.) Keep the exercise within your physical limits.

Avoid isolating yourself in groups that do not include younger people. Retirement communities, while economically and socially beneficial to older people, tend to encourage withdrawal from the culture at large. Once inside their exclusive walls, little gets in, and little gets out.

Have parties and gatherings and invite people of various ages. It’ll keep you hip and them from becoming isolated in their own youthful age cliques.

Don’t be reluctant to make a friend just because they are younger. It’s a good way to keep up with current attitudes.

Avoid the old fogy identity by resisting temptation to criticize all the younger generation hold dear. Act interested, even if you’re not. You never know what you’ll learn.

Finally, don’t be intimidated by people who try to use your age against you. I’m still working as a freelance writer and earning a sizeable living doing so. Recently, I had lunch with a colleague who jokingly referred to me as, “Mother.”

“And what will Mother have,” he grinned. The waiter kind of frowned. Responding as if I didn’t hear him, I ordered my lunch. When the waiter left I found a good opening both to tell him something I’d been meaning to, and to get even with him for his thoughtless remark.

“Oh, by the way, Pat (my husband) and I are off to Spain next month.” My colleague frowned. We had several projects lined up. Glancing up, I popped a maki roll in my mouth and grinned. “Mother gets around.”