I’m almost 70, this is what I stopped doing, and what I am doing.

At almost 70, there is a bunch of things that don’t matter anymore.

I stopped writing out New Year’s resolutions. My best idea ever.
I stopped saying yes to everything.
I don’t write out 5-year goals anymore. 🙂
I stopped drinking. Not because I wanted to, it was because of my insomnia, and I’m doing much better.

And these are some of the things I am doing and some that I gave up.

I stopped going to Pilates, I do weight training, and I love it. Very important for my almost 70 years.

I stopped saying yes to everything.

I don’t wear high heels. I’ve become the biggest fan of sneakers (trainers).
I stopped making lists. I kind of miss doing that, but they never helped me with anything.

I don’t give excuses for anything I do or don’t do.
I think of myself first. I help my friends, and I am thoughtful, but I take care of myself first.
I don’t wait for people. If someone says they’ll meet me at a certain time and they don’t show up, I leave or never make plans with them again. I’m from Brazil, and I understand that many people think it’s ok to make you wait for them. I hate it.
I like to laugh at silly things.
I am writing and illustrating my memoir, Alentejo Blue.
I exercise every day. I have a personal trainer, and I don’t cancel any exercise time for anything. Unless I’m traveling.
I love solo travel.
I do a lot of things alone, and I love it.
I am pretty cynical about things. Age did that to me, and I enjoy it.

How did I get to this place at almost 70?

It was a slow and crazy journey.

Do these things seem cold to you?

It’s taken me such a long time to learn how to stand up for myself. I used to give in quite a bit. It was pretty easy for people to change my mind or for me to waffle. I was constantly doing things I did not want to do.

I did that thing of saying yes to everything because I had isolated myself, and what a mistake. It was like diving into the weirdest world. Mix that with my inability to stand up for myself, and well, things were pretty awful.

So then I decided it was best to say “no” to everything and reboot.

I got a journal and wrote, and wrote and wrote. After a while, I recognized my patterns and started practicing aging ungracefully.

I had to tweak my behavior because, of course, I went too far on some things.

After a few years, I reached my goal.

I became a very independent, older woman who takes care of her life, loves people and dogs, but is protective of her privacy and passions.

Art played a big part in my refusing to age gracefully.

When I finally decided that it was ok to dedicate my time to art, my world changed. I started sketching, painting, and going to workshops to learn more about it.

I spent more time photographing and writing. I traveled for art exhibits and went to art talks. Art was no longer a hobby; it became a way of life and a reason to do things.

Changing is hard but fun. Aging ungracefully is even more fun at almost 70.

The first time I realized I needed to follow my passion was when I participated in a photo workshop with Lee Friedlander.

I was in awe of his work, and I loved his photographic sense of humor. I ate, slept, walked, and talked photography for a week or so, and went back home feeling good about myself and full of new ideas.

I started guarding that passion and those ideas and used that experience in everything I did from then on.

woman holding iPad, shot from above, almost 70

When you let passion into your life, it becomes a lot more exciting.

It’s easy to say no to things when they don’t fall into your passion folder.

Marguerite Beaty, Blogger, Photographer & Artist

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