Fay, 69 yrs

“When I think of being 'old', I think of my grandparents, but I don’t know how that feels like because I don’t consider myself old. I agree that I’m aging, but I think an old person is somebody who is not capable of taking care of themselves anymore.

I know a lady who is 95 and she lived in her own apartment until she was 90. She is a very vibrant and independent woman and would model at women’s events with such finesse. The question is, is she old? Is somebody that is 85 old? Or is 75 old? I think everybody ages at a different time. Aging isn’t a number. It’s a way of life and attitude. It depends on the individual and their health.

I work with individuals who are 20, and right now the oldest on staff is 30. We’re mostly alike, but where I do find a difference is when we can have these big conversations about life events and I can share experiences I had when I was young. When you see an older person, you don’t think about their experiences, you just think, 'oh, that’s an older person'. Unless you meaningfully interact with an older person, you miss out on their personality and intricate life experiences.

The aging process is especially important for women transitioning from their 40s to 50s. They may feel the same as they did when they were 30, but then they look at their younger selves in photographs and think, 'I used to look so beautiful'. I want to tell them, 'you’re gonna love this photograph when you’re 50. You’ll think you were gorgeous at 40'. Your face and body continues to change with age, but then there comes a point when you don’t worry about it anymore.

What I’m most proud of is sharing my faith. I love making memories and engaging with people, but what really matters to me is how my life will impact other people permanently, and that would be through faith.

Do what you always do until you can’t. Maybe you’re not running marathons anymore, but you could be doing other things that are equally challenging. The people around me are very engaged in the things that they’re doing to the point that they don’t notice they are aging. They continue to live meaningful lives.”