The Joy of Turning 60

ake it stand out

BEGINNING TO PAINT

LATER IN LIFE

I’m turning 60 years old this week! 

There have been a lot of changes in my life over the last few years. 

It’s hard to make changes, especially the older we get. 

Five years ago, my husband and I moved to Spain. Becoming an expat and moving permanently from your native country is a big deal, especially if it involves speaking daily in a language other than your native tongue. To become an expat, you are not quite part of your old world or new world. You are something unto yourself- an expat, an immigrant. You assimilate and at the same time, remove yourself from your new culture as you begin to create a new home. 

And the years have been full. There was the pandemic, hiking the Santiago Trail, getting a dog, my cancer diagnosis, and treatments. Followed by giving away the dog, and my mother’s decline and death. During all of those events there have been the ups and downs of the economy, marriage, aging aches, tutoring English, learning Spanish, and then last year’s flood near our city, and of course, the USA elections.

Through it all, I’ve painted. It is the one steady act and upward growth of my life, my years, my months, my weeks, my days. Art is the thread that carries me through the waves. Some days it brings me peace. Some days it frustrates me. Some days it’s blah, and others, full of joy or pride. 

Painting is something I started late in life. We should all be on the lookout for something to do that brings joy and meaning to our days, especially in the later years of retirement. Someone said to me, “Artists never really retire because there is always one more piece to paint.”  Even though I started late in life, it is something that makes me happy to jump out of bed and greet the day every day. Even though my closet may be full and some friends don’t ask or know much about my daily creative workouts, even though my husband rarely reads my blogs but sees me disappear into my studio to work, it is self-fulfilling, an opportunity, and a gift I appreciate. On the few days I don’t sketch, write, or paint, I’m reading about art, thinking about the next one, observing shapes, shadows, and light in the world around me. I also appreciate art made by others and learning from those observations, so there’s never really a “day off.” I don’t want many days “off”. That would be like fasting for too long.

Whether you are 20, 60, or 80 years old, trying new things with curiosity and gusto is good for the body and soul.

Learning a language, a creative pursuit, or a new sport. It’s all good. All we can do is follow the threads of interest and joy. The world will spin on, and time will pass on. It’s quite a ride.