As a wheelchair user, I always feel a little funny about people bragging about not using mobility aids. Though at the same time I understand what they represent to most people and especially most people above a certain age: lack of independence and freedom and perhaps even failure. My wheelchair is a tool of freedom but I know not everyone would feel that way. I’ve noticed similar comments in other Oldster interviews too, this pride in not being disabled. I don’t think this perspective should be censored or taken out! This is how people really feel! But it can be questioned, especially because it aligns with dominant societal messaging about disability. And I just wanted to note here that it makes me uncomfortable to read. A walker or wheelchair is nothing to be ashamed of. And it’s possible to live a rich, full, satisfying life with a disability and a mobility aid. I do. My life is really difficult but really beautiful.
Otherwise, though, this was a delightful interview! Elaine, wishing you many more years of achieving goals and swimming and running book clubs. I hope you do find a sweetheart to travel the world with you 😊
Ms. Soloway is another inspiring example of how it is possible to keep thinking, doing, and enjoying life well passed the normal due date. For me, how she continues to try new things and to learn new skills is very motivating.
However, she really can’t give any real insight into how she has remained so fit, healthy, and sharp at 84. Perhaps she feels as much pain and stiffness when she gets out of bed that most people feel at her age, but she doesn’t mention that. She doesn’t mention how she deals with the losses of her friends and family which must affect her emotionally.
It’s great and hopeful to read about her current life and activities, but let’s keep it real. 80% of men are dead at her age. I’m sure that staying active, having a purpose, and having fun have contributed to her longevity, but really, it’s 50% genetic and 25% luck.
Still, good for her. She seems as if she will keep going to 105. She is making the best of the opportunity she has been given.
Elaine: your habits are wonderfully life-affirming, especially the swimming and the tech savviness. I am a swimmer, have been for many years, and it's both a form of therapy and fitness. It is also mind-blowing, a full-out inner experience. I'm 71, and I swim miles every week, outdoors in the summer in my bikini. Doing so makes me feel so alive. But you learned at 80! What courage!
It's crucial to be able to navigate the world of tech. Too many people in their 60s and 70s and beyond do not have the capacity, and they cannot keep up. It's not an option, and younger people are too content for their elders to slip off the grid this way.
I also need to learn how to swim, thanks Elaine for the inspo. I loved the bit about South Commons, a planned community designed to integrate Black and White people. I live in a similar planned community from the 60s, Reston, and it does change you. Different housing for low and high income families within blocks of each other, 50 miles of walking paths, etc. everywhere should be like this.
How you delight me! Chicago dream of a neighborhood, mother to accomplished children, learning to swim and Spanish at 80 and the wisdom that we might not dance our new adventures with perfection but surely with interest and intention. And then there is your writing. Thank you.
What a beautiful story. I adore your spirit Elaine and your fabulous look!!! Age is just a number and what goes on in our mind and heart makes all the difference! 🫶🏻
Elaine- I absolutely loved your responses! I’m 44 and feel like I’m just warming up....I plan to keep learning and impressing myself for the rest of my days!! Thanks for the inspiration ❤️
As a wheelchair user, I always feel a little funny about people bragging about not using mobility aids. Though at the same time I understand what they represent to most people and especially most people above a certain age: lack of independence and freedom and perhaps even failure. My wheelchair is a tool of freedom but I know not everyone would feel that way. I’ve noticed similar comments in other Oldster interviews too, this pride in not being disabled. I don’t think this perspective should be censored or taken out! This is how people really feel! But it can be questioned, especially because it aligns with dominant societal messaging about disability. And I just wanted to note here that it makes me uncomfortable to read. A walker or wheelchair is nothing to be ashamed of. And it’s possible to live a rich, full, satisfying life with a disability and a mobility aid. I do. My life is really difficult but really beautiful.
Otherwise, though, this was a delightful interview! Elaine, wishing you many more years of achieving goals and swimming and running book clubs. I hope you do find a sweetheart to travel the world with you 😊
Small or tall, anyone who hates Mother’s Day (or Father’s for that matter) without explanation is A-OK in my book!
Sari, thank you for introducing me to your readers. I now feel 10 feet tall. xoxo
Ms. Soloway is another inspiring example of how it is possible to keep thinking, doing, and enjoying life well passed the normal due date. For me, how she continues to try new things and to learn new skills is very motivating.
However, she really can’t give any real insight into how she has remained so fit, healthy, and sharp at 84. Perhaps she feels as much pain and stiffness when she gets out of bed that most people feel at her age, but she doesn’t mention that. She doesn’t mention how she deals with the losses of her friends and family which must affect her emotionally.
It’s great and hopeful to read about her current life and activities, but let’s keep it real. 80% of men are dead at her age. I’m sure that staying active, having a purpose, and having fun have contributed to her longevity, but really, it’s 50% genetic and 25% luck.
Still, good for her. She seems as if she will keep going to 105. She is making the best of the opportunity she has been given.
So good! This is the way I want to live and feel in my 80s. Thanks for sharing, and please keep being bold and unconventional and wild and free :)
Elaine: your habits are wonderfully life-affirming, especially the swimming and the tech savviness. I am a swimmer, have been for many years, and it's both a form of therapy and fitness. It is also mind-blowing, a full-out inner experience. I'm 71, and I swim miles every week, outdoors in the summer in my bikini. Doing so makes me feel so alive. But you learned at 80! What courage!
It's crucial to be able to navigate the world of tech. Too many people in their 60s and 70s and beyond do not have the capacity, and they cannot keep up. It's not an option, and younger people are too content for their elders to slip off the grid this way.
I also need to learn how to swim, thanks Elaine for the inspo. I loved the bit about South Commons, a planned community designed to integrate Black and White people. I live in a similar planned community from the 60s, Reston, and it does change you. Different housing for low and high income families within blocks of each other, 50 miles of walking paths, etc. everywhere should be like this.
I want Elaine to adopt me. xo
I'm here for your boasting! I love it!
What an inspiration! May I be as active and engaged as Elaine at 85!
How you delight me! Chicago dream of a neighborhood, mother to accomplished children, learning to swim and Spanish at 80 and the wisdom that we might not dance our new adventures with perfection but surely with interest and intention. And then there is your writing. Thank you.
I am 70 and more than a foot taller than you. I am inspired by this tiny joyful whirlwind of a person. Wow!
Elaine, sharing an elevator with you would teach me how to soark so ething good in 20 seconds. Wouldn’t that be fun!
What a beautiful story. I adore your spirit Elaine and your fabulous look!!! Age is just a number and what goes on in our mind and heart makes all the difference! 🫶🏻
Wow. So inspiring.
Elaine- I absolutely loved your responses! I’m 44 and feel like I’m just warming up....I plan to keep learning and impressing myself for the rest of my days!! Thanks for the inspiration ❤️