My column today is semi-autobiographical and geared toward people, like me, who are past the official retirement age. I have, long before I reached my present age of seventy-one, known and believed that I would be a late bloomer. I felt and believed that I would make my greatest contributions and achievements in my latter years. Therefore, everywhere I have gone in America and around the world, I have shared with people, once I reached my sixties, that I am a late bloomer in the prime of life.
Exactly what is meant by the term “late bloomer in the prime of life”? Let me explain this term by defining what is considered by most as the prime of life. A man is supposedly not at the prime of life until he is forty years old. This is the commonly held belief though there are some exceptions. A late bloomer in the prime of life is a person who arrives at their full potential as well as their peak of creativity and productivity after the age of sixty and beyond. The Bible and secular history are replete with people who made their greatest discoveries, contributions, and impact on humanity when they were in the late bloomers categories. I will present to you first a few from the biblical narrative and afterward a few from secular history.
Perhaps at the top of the list was Abraham and his wife Sarah, who God blessed to give birth to a son named Isaac, who would impact the world through his lineage culminating in the coming of Jesus Christ as the God-man and Savior of the world. Abraham was ninety-nine and Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born. Then there was a man named Caleb who was of the Tribe of Judah. He was eighty-five when he defeated giants and other adversaries who occupied the land that was a part of his inheritance. Finally, Moses was eighty years of age when he led the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and was used by God to establish the nation and author the first five books of the Bible called the Pentateuch before he died at the age of one hundred and twenty.
In the secular world, there were a host of late bloomers who achieved remarkable things way past the standard prime of life of forty. I will only consider a few in my piece today to further validate my point. The writer Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the novel Little House on the Prairie at the age of sixty-five. This book was the inspiration for the long running television series Little House on the Prairie starring Michael Landon. Perhaps the greatest statesman and politician of the 20th century who is credited with inspiring and preserving England during World War II before America became directly involved in the war was Winston Churchill. Sir Winston Churchill, who had been a member of Parliament and Lord of the Admiralty, was elected to be the Prime Minister of England at the age of sixty-five replacing the pacifist, Neville Chamberlain. Finally, the founder of arguably the most well-known fast-food chain, which is globally located, was Harland Sanders. Colonel Sanders, who became the iconic and international face of the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise that features his famous eleven herbs and spices, was sixty-five when he founded his first fast food restaurant. Amazingly, I was around the age of sixty-five when I was given the idea to write the manuscript that would become my first novel to be published entitled The Seed of Simon. This book was released a little over a month ago.
As a man who believes that I am a late bloomer in the prime of life, I will conclude today by sharing a few important things that will help you to be productive in your latter years and not a member of the over the hill gang. Firstly, do not let growing old make you think or believe that you can no longer be creative or productive. Like expensive and fine wine, many only get better in their abilities and talents as they age. Then, stay active and busy even if you have retired from a regular job or profession. Staying active and involved in your church, community, or some other group with others will help to stimulate you in every area: spirit, soul, and body. Delay and avoid early retirement and work as long as you are mentally and physically able to do so. Then there are the essentials of proper dieting, exercising, and making sure that you are getting the right amount of sleep.
Make sure that you are keeping your doctor’s appointments and taking your prescriptions, if you are on medication. Finally, read as much as you can whether it is the Bible, books, or newspapers. Reading does for the brain and mind what exercising does for the body.