I like the Netflix series Grace & Frankie (IMDb). I never expected that I would relate to a comedy-drama show about people in their 70s. Perhaps my initial reluctance has something to do with my own age (56). I just didn’t want to know how my life may look like in 15+ years. I am glad that I did watch Season 1, and now Season 2. You don’t often see sincere TV and that’s what I like most about Grace & Frankie.
Seeing Frankie and Grace struggle to build a new future, after their very late divorce, also gives me hope. I am also still struggling. It’s not easy finding someone with limited emotional luggage to whom you also feel attracted. It took me time to deal with most of my emotional scars. Not all of them though. Some are still work in progress. Nevertheless, I am determined to continue dealing with them. I don’t want to end up like these grumpy old guys Waldorf & Statler from the Muppet Show (Wiki) even though it’s fun watching them (YouTube).
At 14 years of age, Aaliyah recorded her hit album “Age ain’t nothing but a number” (Wiki). Weirdly, she died at the very young age of 22. For several years, I no longer agreed with her perspective. That perspective implicitly says “don’t worry about today, tomorrow is just another day”. I feel more and more strongly that wasting my time is a luxury I can no longer afford. I want to do the things that are on my mind, like the book I’m working on and these daily blogs. I suppose that creating a legacy has become important to me after finally realising my mortality.
Like Grace & Frankie, I am still considering how to fill the void in my personal life. Unfortunately (or fortunately??), it’s not the only void. There is another one in my business life. And there is also some unfinished business in my personal life. All of these voids interact with each other. Earlier this interaction was paralysing my behaviour to a certain extent. It felt like disentangling the famous Gordian knot (Wiki). Now I have made up my mind and want to continue learning and writing, with or without a part-time job.
However, at 56 it’s no longer easy to find something suitable. I have come to terms with that outlook. My definition of suitable has also changed considerably. I have no interest in working 50+ hours without even having somebody to share the revenue of that labour. Even if she would be around then I would still prefer spending more time together. And most of all, I don’t want to give up on learning and writing about what I’ve learned.
In some ways, Aaliyah was right in her song. Most young people feel it that way, anyway. And even my mind agrees with her. However, my body is slowly posing some limitations on me. This ongoing divergence between body and mind is a weird phenomenon. Stephen Hawking is even a much better example of the body becoming a prison for the mind. The 2015 Sci-Fi movie Chappie (IMDb) solves that Gordian knot. Perhaps it could become reality one day.
A few weeks ago, I watched a documentary on Dutch public TV about Professor Arnold Heertje (82). He had just – and once again – finished revitalising his famous economics books for high school students. For many decades, students before and after me have profited of his gift for explaining things in a meaningful way. It felt good seeing and hearing him talk about his age. Perhaps age is indeed nothing but a number. It all depends on your perspective.
Aaliyah – Age ain’t nothing but a number (1994) – artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
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