I'm reading Montaigne in Barn Boots by Michael Perry. Near the end of the book, the 51-year-old author writes, "It seems somewhere around my current life stage, people make one of two moves: Some stiffen, dig in their heels, and attempt to block the future; others reinvigorate life by blending it with the spirit of youth."
Like Perry, I am working to achieve the latter.
I consider myself a reasonably active person, and I enjoy outdoor athletic-y pursuits. I also consider myself a reasonably adventurous, and I try to push my comfort boundaries. I can't help but feel I come up short when I compare myself to others, however.
Hiking to the summit of a (smallish) mountain in Thompson Pass was amazing, but she bushwhacked 150 miles through the wilderness at a race pace.
Skiing alone across the lake and into the glacier while listening to the ice groan was great fun, but they skied 120 miles from one western Alaska village to another.
Yahoo! I biked 110 miles in a day...but he did it for days and days in a row.
Seriously, how can I possibly keep up, even in my head?
At this point, repeatedly, I remind myself that all of these wilderness bad asses are 10-20 years younger than me and that I can't possibly keep up. No one's even expecting me to. I don't even do activities with these people, and if I did, I'm sure they'd let me catch up eventually - and wouldn't even laugh at me. They're all very nice people. Really.
What the hell is my problem, then?
I think my problem is that I came to an adventurous, active life late in the game. I started cycling at 37, and it was in my 40s that I really started getting out and pushing my boundaries on a regular basis. As a result, just as my brain and metaphorical heart are ready to be bad asses themselves, my 50-year-old body is starting to question my sanity. Oh, it's a long way from giving up, but it reminds me regularly that I need to take steep descents a little slower as a kindness to my knees and really should stop and stretch more often than I do.
No matter. I still plan on taking up long-distance backpacking soon, not to mention finally going on a truly epic bike tour. I'm loving my first forays into guiding adventure tours for women, most of whom are older than me and still going strong. Who knows what else might strike my fancy. The sky's the limit. That reminds me, skydiving has been on my list for a while....
I refuse to stiffen and dig in my heels. I have every intention of continuing to look at the exploits of my juniors and let them inspire me to my own new heights. The spirit of youth is indeed reinvigorating. I want to be that crazy old lady who is always surprising her friends with her audacity. I think I'm well on my way.
