This Is A Man Who Clearly Enjoys Life In The City
Last Sunday, my husband Charlie and I were strolling down the street, and we passed this man who captivated me.  He was well dressed, had just attended Church or a nice brunch out, and was hailing a cab with his cane!  I couldn’t help but walk back a few steps and take this picture!
Recently, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ, in their Health & Wellness Section, wrote about the significance and importance of cultivating skills  other than learning about grief, finances, and how to treat our physical problems as we grow older!
I had the pleasure of meeting Ken & his wife Maddy Dychtwald, CEO of Age Wave, consultants in the Bay Area who specialize in aging, when I was working at GRF Marketing, Ltd,  an marketing research consultancy.  They have been studying the aging population at least as long as me! They told the WSJ in this article that they were stymied in their search for finding an expert on how to have FUN as we age.  They view this as an empty pocket in the aging market as older people have more hours of free time than most other adults. Apparently, the FUN EXPERTS specialize in children.
Why Having Fun Is Important in Our Quest To Age Well…….
Older people aren’t necessarily unhappy and reportedly we get happier as we grow older.  The three prongs of angst; stress,  & anger, actually decrease as we grow older which is backed up by research done by The Stanford Center on Longevity.  The problem is that as we grow older we sometimes forget HOW to have fun.  The ability to play has been shown to help people aged 65+ to be more cheerful and satisfied with their lives.  This article refers to a scale called “The Older Adults Playfulness Scale” and is an interesting way to think about having fun.  Here are some questions that you can ask yourself:
1. What makes you happy?
2. When do you laugh the most?
3. What activities did you enjoy in your childhood?
People who engage with others be it through a book club, golf, music , art appreciation group or other activities have been shown to be happier. Older people still love to ski, play other sports, or just have long lingering lunches which may not have been a part of the routine due to work and/ or family obligations.
I have fun watching people and interviewing older people who area having fun!  I enjoy comments; so how do you like this post?