Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but it seems to me that what was once considered old age is no longer old. It’s not just that people are looking younger than past generations have at their age, from what I’m observing, they’re also acting younger.

A motivating factor for going on this cruise was a belief that I’ve moved into a decade of life that is classified as “old,”  and should go while I’m still physically able to enjoy traveling.  But meeting so many people who are several years older than I am is rapidly changing my belief about age-imposed limits.

One of the cruise ship’s doctors was seated at my dinner table last week and mentioned that the average age of passengers onboard is 83.  I knew that the oldest passenger is 98, but I didn’t realize that the average age was over 80. I look around me and I observe people who clearly aren’t young, but who don’t act old – or at least aren’t behaving in a way we once believed appropriate for a person over a certain age.

There are a small number of people on the ship who use canes, walkers, scooters, or are in wheelchairs, but they’re still going on a cruise around the world. They aren’t sitting at home in front of the TV thinking about the life they once had or could have if they were younger and healthier.  They’re going places despite the physical limitations of getting older. Think about how many wheelchairs you see in airports these days.

Of course, cruising does attract an older demographic because it is less physically demanding than other forms of travel, but it still requires a lot of walking to get to different areas of the ship and go on tours when we are in port. When we’re at sea I average walking two miles a day just going from place to place onboard in addition to the two miles I walk around the ship as daily exercise. And then there’s all the dancing on the ship. Someone’s always dancing somewhere. There are dance lessons during the day and dancing in two locations every night. I look at the people who are dancing and they aren’t young, but they’re still walking and dancing on a ship that is often rolling from side to side or up and down.

I realize that my fellow passengers may not be representative demographics of the larger over 80 population.  They have the financial means to eat healthily, engage in activities that support mental stimulation, and connect with people who are active instead of living in isolation as many seniors do. And yes, there are grumpy old people onboard who never smile and will be miserable anywhere they go, just as you can find people in their 20’s and 30’s who are prematurely grumpy.  Who wants to model them?

We’ve learned from multiple studies that key factors contributing to a long healthy life are relationships, exercise, and diet; but I’m observing the behaviors, attitude, and mindset described below in my fellow passengers that I believe contribute as well.

1.       Talk more about the future more than the past. The future my fellow passengers often talk about is their next cruise, but the point is that they have something to look forward to. People who talk more about the past than the future typically can’t envision a future that is as enjoyable than their past and can develop the belief that there is nothing to look forward to. Their best years are behind them.

2.       Focus on what you want to experience instead of what you believe you must accomplish.  If you’re old enough to be classified as old you’ve probably already accomplished enough for a lifetime, plus it sounds like work. Instead, think about how you want to experience life at this stage of your life. I seldom hear anyone on the ship talk about the career or profession they’ve retired from, but they do talk about the experiences they want to have.  

3.       Engage with people who are active and share your outlook on life. It’s easy to become isolated when you don’t have a job to go to every day that also provides an outlet to build relationships with others who have similar interests. You must make an effort to find religious, charitable, political, and educational organizations that provide the structure to form relationships that your job once did.  The attitude and behavior of people you spend time with can limit or expand your view of what’s possible for you at any age.  If your friends sit around and complain, you’re likely to as well. Not fun.

We can’t stop the aging process but there are steps we can take to turn getting older into feeling younger, even with a few aches and pains.

Something to think about.