Five lessons on aging with purpose: Part 2

“Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.” – Robert Browning

“Old age is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better.” – Ingrid Bergman

So many wise prescriptions out there on how to age gracefully.

For nearly 20 percent of Americans—about 65 million of us age 65 or older (July 2025 estimate)—it’s time to pay attention; that is, if we want to enjoy the final stretch of our journey here on Earth.

We need to learn how to age well.

In fact, those behind us should listen because in a blink of an eye, you’ll be here too. Maybe you can do better than us Baby Boomers.

Now it’s true that average life expectancy has risen from 77.4 years in 2005 to 79 years in 2024. Progress, right? Longevity is no longer unusual; it’s becoming the American experience.

The challenge is shifting from simply adding years to life to adding quality of life to those years.

Was Robert Browning on to something when he said, “Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.” Is the view on top of the mountain much better, as Ingrid Bergman insisted?

What about all those aches and pains that follow us into our 50s, and the illnesses that threaten our quality of life? And how about the disappointments and sorrows that try to steal our joy?

Is money the answer to securing a happy retirement? Here’s King Solomon’s opinion: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure…Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” – the book of Ecclesiastes

Don’t get me wrong. Financial security certainly makes growing older easier. It can buy comfort, convenience, and quality medical care.

But can it buy joy, purpose, peace, or hope? There are plenty of rich people living lives of quiet desperation.

On the other hand, there are some like Joni Eareckson Tada, who has lived as a quadriplegic since a diving accident in 1967 while radiating remarkable joy and faith.

Spend a few minutes reading her story someday. You’ll come away encouraged. “Joy is the serious business of heaven,” she often says, afavorite expression echoing C.S. Lewis.

I think it’s true that those who choose to live in the light, despite their age or circumstances, will have hope-filled lives. How else do we explain the spirituals sung by enslaved men and women in America’s darkest chapters? Their bodies were held captive, but their hope wasn’t.

Joy has never depended solely on circumstances. I pray that I will be granted the grace to seek the light of hope in difficult times.

I also believe the opposite is equally true. Those who choose bitterness over gratitude, resentment over hope, often discover that the darkness grows deeper with each passing year.

A few weeks back, Karen and I were watching the program “CBS Sunday Morning,” when actor Ted Danson reflected on growing older. It was brilliant! (There are some great human interest segments on that show. It has become part of our Sunday morning ritual before church.)

Danson’s observations about aging, summarized here, were thoughtful, practical, and profound.

1. Don’t slow down.
“Don’t slow down, just keep going, keep living your life. I think that’s one of the things our elders can pass on to use. This is how you live life right up until the end.”

He says this mindset is inspired by watching Jane Fonda remain energetic and purposeful well into her later years.

2. Keep your foot on the gas pedal.
Danson has admitted that when he turned 70, he began thinking it might be time to ease into retirement. Watching Jane Fonda changed his outlook: “She has her foot on the gas pedal.”

Now he says he tries to live the same way—remaining curious, active, and engaged rather than assuming aging means withdrawing from life.

3. Stay curious.
Discussing his acting career, Danson said he wanted to discover what it means “to be funny and act at every age.” Rather than longing for earlier years, he embraces the challenges and opportunities of each new stage of life.

4. Connection matters.
One of his central messages is that loneliness, not age itself, is often the greater threat. Danson emphasizes maintaining relationships, friendships, and purpose as we grow older.

5. Acceptance brings freedom.
After a recent health scare, Danson said it made mortality feel real but also surprisingly liberating. He and his wife, Mary Steenburgen, now meditate together twice a day, and he speaks about living with greater gratitude and presence rather than fear.

Danson’s message is a hopeful one: aging gracefully isn’t about denying the years. It’s about continuing to live with purpose, curiosity, and faith until the very end.

Psalm 92:14 says it perfectly:

“They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.”