Class Note 1990. I asked ’90s, “What’s something you have noticed about getting older or what’s something you do that keeps you young (or feeling young) or, if you have a philosophy about aging, tell us what it is!” Here’s Part 3 of your answers.
Sarah Lennon writes, “Age doesn’t matter! I started a vigorous workout regime just after the pandemic started, and in the process, I lost 20-plus pounds and am fitter and stronger than ever before. I totally disagree with the notion that strength declines once you hit 50—it only will happen if you let it! I love lifting weights, and the confidence and power it gives me will also help keep me feeling young.” Michael Keller writes, “More and more I seem to spend small parts of my day in reflection mode, so I suppose as life experience grows, you can become increasingly susceptible to that proclivity. A family member once asked me when I was going to grow up. I told them, ‘I hope never.’ Immaturity (in moderation) helps me amuse myself at least. What keeps me young?Sex, drugs, and rock and roll—it’s a time-tested formula.” Michelle Brownlee writes, “What keeps me young is doing things that seem incongruous with being old: snowboarding, riding my bike along the Boston Marathon route starting at midnight and hitting the finish line at 2 a.m., going to ACL music fest, eating cotton candy and FunDip. How can I possibly be old if I do all of these things?” Jennifer Bransford writes, “The first thing that comes to my mind that I have noticed about getting older is how little I know, how infinite love is, how grateful I am for my friendships, how I have realized that my greatest gifts came from things I thought were my biggest failures, and that while I hope to live a long life, I feel everything beyond today is icing.” Judi Cassel writes, “I’d love to answer, but I can’t find my reading glasses.” Wendy Cue writes, “I can’t believe we’ve officially entered the alumni group that’s considered ‘old’—wow that went fast! What keeps me feeling young is reading and hearing about fellow ’90s who are still out there getting it done and going for it, whether it’s a career pivot, completing a master’s (M.S. in environmental management and sustainability for Basia Nikonotow!) or a marathon (Ruth Filep Bossler running a 3:32 at Boston!). They inspire me to seek new challenges. And I also recommend intergenerational friendships to keep connected with different perspectives.” Rick Dunham writes, “My approach for staying young is to not accept the fact I am 57 but rather 10 to 15 years younger and essentially begin each day with that state of mind. My wife is 12 years younger than I am, and my kids are 9 and 12, so acting younger is pretty much a requirement for me. While I religiously go to my local gym when at my home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I still travel quite frequently throughout Latin America and often going to the gym is not feasible. During my days at Dartmouth, I started an exercise routine using a deck of cards to get a quick workout in taking less than 30 minutes. All you need is a deck of playing cards, a smooth flat surface, an elevated piece of furniture, and enough space to stretch out. Shuffle the cards and flip the first one over and if it’s a six, do six pushups. Flip over the next card and if it’s a face card, do 10 sit-ups. You alternate between pushups and sit-ups and transition from one to the other in the time it takes to re-position yourself. Initially you may only get through one-third or one-half the deck, but through time you’ll get better and eventually through the whole deck!”
—Rob Crawford, 22 Black Oak Road, Weston, MA 02493; crawdaddy37@gmail.com