This blog is inspired by our podcast, Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined, where we talk weekly with women in their 70s-100s about things that matter to women as we age. See Podcasts>Categories. You can listen to women’s stories in 8 different categories. This blog focuses on Reinvention.
By the time you’ve reached your 8th decade or beyond, we imagine you know quite a bit about reinventing yourself, in large or small ways. What has been your experience with reinvention? For some of the Women Over 70 podcast guests, it has involved a dramatic change that makes their lives appear strikingly new. When Donna Marie Scheifler (episode #31) left the convent after 28 years, she had no clear vision of who to be or what to do next. Donna uses the metaphor of the chrysalis becoming the butterfly to describe her transformational process.
Now, at age 74, Donna facilitates Women’s Circles where she uses movement, drawing and writing to help women reconnect with or reinvent themselves. While in her 60s, Judy Shindler, now age 77, (episode #10) left a lucrative career in advertising to write a book about how to raise husbands, perform a one-woman comedy show, and act in small theatre productions. While it might appear that Donna and Judy executed a complete re-do, they drew on earlier interests and talents–Donna on education and Judy on theatre.
We see reinvention as becoming new in some way that builds on already existing aspects of yourself. The beauty of reinvention is you get to keep the essence of who you are while you embark on a journey of renewing, regenerating, reconstructing, refashioning, revitalizing, remaking, or reawakening– you choose the term(s) that fits best for you.
As Donna and Judy illustrate, reinvention is a complex undertaking. It tends to be triggered by a combination of external forces and internal desires, often involving a shift in identity. For example, feminist historian Lauren Coodley, age 70 (episode #124) was forced to retire from a tenured college faculty position and give up her passion for teaching. She has parlayed her interests and talents into full-time writing.
Originally from China, Dinah Lin (episode #47) experienced alternate lives: as a resident in the U.S. and in Asian countries; and, as a stay-at-home mom and an MBA international business executive. After her divorce, Dinah returned to China to study her roots; at age 78, she has become an inspirational speaker and best-selling author for her memoir, Daring to Dream. Linda Gesler, age 72, (episode #5) has used retirement from a demanding career in juvenile justice administration as an opportunity to focus on knowing and becoming more comfortable with herself.
As women advance in age, reinvention seems to take an even more contemplative path. Jean Ann Durades, age 89 (episode #126), has long been involved in cultural, civic and change-making activities. As she approaches 90, Jean Ann questions how much energy and interest she has left for downhill skiing and her many volunteer activities; she wonders what might come next? After enduring numerous life tragedies in the U.S., Elaine Mays, age 84 (episode #103), has built a new home and a new life among the Maroons in Jamaica, seeking peace and tranquility. It is Elaine’s quote that headlines this blog: It’s never too early or too late…to make change; you can always regroup and rediscover.
