Did you know that Charles Darwin wrote “On the Origin of the Species” (1859) when he was 50 years old? When Harland Sanders was 65, "The Colonel" finally made famous his ever-popular chicken recipe, and at the age of 75 Grandma Moses traded her embroidery needles for a paintbrush. It wasn't until Michelangelo turned 88 that he designed the architectural plans for the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. And then there's the British-bon American writer, Harry Bernstein, who earned his claim to fame when he published his first book, The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers at the age of 96.
Granted, not everyone is going to find fame and fortune in their latter years, but there's nothing that says now's the time to wither the decades away in the nearest rocking chair, snuggled under a woolen afghan, surrounded by fiber bar wrappers and tubes of Ben Gay.
Nope! You've gotta bloom a little every day!
We can't talk about blooming without acknowledging the reality that, for some, the later years may not be the healthiest times of their lives. Many folks who I love dearly suffer from some type of undeniable malady that limits possibilities they might have had under different circumstances. But even under the most trying situations, the human spirit finds a way to "accentuate the positive." Somehow they power through — enjoying life to the best of their physical ability. They seem to accept— even embrace— the concept of "blooming where you're planted."
After the last storm, my hubby informed me that the newest addition to my flower collection had taken a pretty hard hit, "That thing is never gonna bloom." But I continued to water the poor, damaged plant and this morning was surprised to find it thriving, in all its glory! Weather-beaten and weary-looking, my iris "rose from the ashes."
Bloomin' Boomers is destined to be a safe place to celebrate the good, and minimize the bad. You just never know what interesting little tidbit might catch your attention and give you that extra little push that you need to motivate you into living, instead of passively accepting life and merely existing.
Buckle up, Buttercup! It's never too late to live your best life!
Connie
At the Age of:
51 Julia Child debuts the PBS series, "The French Chef"
52 Dr. Ruth airs her first "Sex Talk Show" (Let that sink in for a minute)
55 Ronald Reagan enters the political arena
55 American pharmacist John Pemberton invents Coca Cola
62 JRR Tolkein publishes the first volume of Lord of the Rings
65 Laura Ingalls Wilder publishes her fist of 12 in the series Little House on the Prairie
66 Noah Webster completes the American Dictionary of the English Language
69 Mother Teresa wins the Nobel Peace Prize for her dedication to the poor
70 Benjamin Franklin signs the Declaration of Independence
73 Duncan Hines licenses his name for the use of the company famous for Duncan Hines cake mixes
73 Peter Roget creates the Thesaurus at the age of 73. Peter Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases’ has never been out of print since is inception.
75 Nelson Mandela is elected President of South Africa
77 John Glenn becomes the oldest astronaut to enter space
80 Jessica Tandy wins an Oscar for her performance in "Driving Miss Daisy"
82 ...And the Oscar goes to Christopher Plummer for "Beginners"
84 Somerset Maugham writes "Points of View"
90 1st Earl of Halsbury, Hardinge Giffard, sat down to pen a 20-volume encyclopedia of English law