We’ve never really bought into that way of thinking. Perhaps it’s because within our midst is a real-life example that debunks this limiting belief; our own mother, Rita.
Shortly after Mom turned 60, she and Dad sold their farmstead of 30 years, got rid of most of their belongings, purchased a massive RV and hit the road with nothing but a compass and possibility ahead of them. When they announced their plans it wasn’t hard to imagine Dad loving life on the road, but Mom? She was more of the stay at home and tend to the garden type. But, it’s been over 6 years now and together they’ve had enough adventures to prove to anyone that you’re never too old.
While they still summer back at the farm, the rest of the year is spent touring the highways and byways of the country and volunteering for the Texas State Park System. They’ve been east and been west, visited what we believe to be a record number of wineries, walked battlefields and toured mansions, and never leave a state without stopping at the Presidential library, if there is one. Some of their escapades make us extremely nervous and we remind them that we’re not made of money and should they be kidnapped while exploring those remote towns in Mexico, we’re not quite sure how we would pay?!
Their State Park stories make us a bit anxious too. The long hikes on rough terrain setting trail markers is very physically demanding, even for the much younger park rangers, let alone a couple of 60 something gringos. Still, they send back pictures of the group, park rangers exhausted and resting in the shade, Mom and Dad in wide brimmed hats, spry as always and smiling from ear to ear.
You can image our surprise when Mom announced she and Dad would be taking a 4 day tour across the Rio Grande into the mountains of Mexico, on mules no less. Mules? Yes, the extremely steep and rough terrain was too much for most horses. Mules could navigate the rugged country much better. And so they went, and rode, and had a great time. We picture their adventure to be a little like Billy Crystal and the gang in City Slickers. They say it was a full trip, riding up to 25 miles a day, but that they hope to do it again, sore butts and all.
And who can forget white water rafting on the Rio Grande. The white water was no match for Mom. Five hours was spent navigating the river along with a guide. The areas of rapids were a little threatening to them at first but it didn’t take very long at all before they had the hang of it. They also were able to experience rafting through multiple narrow gorges, too. And as they glanced up they couldn’t help but notice stranded vehicles perched along the side wall. Cars that had driven off the road up above and it was too dangerous for any rescue personnel to pull them back out, so there they stayed. Yikes is right!
But the adventure to beat all, and one that makes us wish we could implant a tracking device into each, consisted of them setting out through the Texas dessert to look for ancient hieroglyphics. They had heard about them from a park ranger and listened intently as he described the location. On their next day off they packed up their Jeep and set out across unkempt roads (later we would learn a cactus spine had actually lodged into the tire of their vehicle but they made it all the way back to Wisconsin before the tire began to leak!).
After hours of driving they finally arrived at their destination, a sheer rocky cliff. Not exactly as they envisioned, and not prepared with any type of climbing gear, they stopped for a moment to question if they should really continue.
Well, since others had done it, they certainly could too and so they set out up the rock face. Carefully climbing but enjoying every minute. Upon reaching the top and discovering the ancient drawings, they decided their climb was definitely worth it; a view of untouched history. The hieroglyphics were amazingly preserved within the recesses of the cliff. And the view of the mountainous dessert, well that was amazing too.
But then came the even more difficult task of climbing down. Thankfully they made it back safe and sound and reported back to the park ranger about how amazing their day was. With wide eyes the ranger replied, “What?! No one climbs up there! How did you even make it?!”
Thanks for being such a positive influence on us Mom! We may not be quite as adventurous as you, but we haven’t given up on ourselves yet! You’ve proven to us that there’s plenty of time for wild escapades and thrilling explorations. But more important is this lesson: Age isn’t a number, and it has nothing to do with how you feel…it’s more of an attitude and yours is ageless. We love you!
The Soul Sisters
Soulspiration of the Week:
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” ~C.S. Lewis
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