Elderlescence

I was introduced to a new word this week — Elderlescence. Have you heard it before? It’s not in the dictionaries yet.

Hans Finzel, author of the new book, Launch Your Encore (Baker Books), told me that it describes a new stage of life between one’s career and old age. Hans also calls it the “60-80 Window.” That is, life between 60 and 80 years old. “We view it as a stage of life filled with just as much prominence and adventure as adolescence” (page 17).

Most researchers stopped their life stage studies at the traditional retirement age of 65 years old. There was little reason to explore further. Actuarial tables in the past indicated people would not live too far beyond that age.

However, health and technology advancements have now extended life expectancies far into the future. For those reaching 65, it is likely they will live another 25-30 years. That’s another lifetime for people to consider and many are not prepared for it.

It’s very good news once the initial shock of all those additional years wears off.

Finzel goes on to say, “Let’s step into this underexplored time of life with hope and expectation. Yes, we have gone from being the youth to the adults, and now we’re the elders among those around us. That opens, for all of us, a world of potential where we can find greatly fulfilling and sorely needed roles in our society and around the world” (page 42).

For those of us nearing or in this newly defined life stage, it makes sense to start dreaming more about what these future years can hold. The opportunity to leave a spiritual legacy to our children and especially to our grandchildren should be high on our list. How many creative ideas to be that spiritual influencer could we come up with if given a 10-20 year window of time!

God has given each of us the possibility of many more years. This is a great time to start making plans for our exciting season of “elderlescence!”