Late in Life and Just Getting Started

Ok, I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a fan when it comes to some of the talent shows on TV.  I remember in 2009 when Susan Boyle walked on the stage and of course most viewers were wondering how this “older” individual would perform.  She was a 48-year old unknown that belted out a Broadway musical hit.  We were all caught by surprise and have been programmed to expect this kind of performance from someone young and beautiful.

Fact is, you are never too old to make your mark.  Not convinced?  Keep reading……

Laura Ingalls Wilder published a book titled “Little House in the Big Woods”.  Her books were so well-loved that one was adapted into the TV series “Little House on the Prairie”.  She published her first book when she was 64.

Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence at the age of 70.  He attended school until the age of 10 when he began apprenticing as a print-maker, where he formed his interest in writing.

Nelson Mandela became the President of South Africa when he was almost 76.  Best known for his struggle against apartheid, he was a revolutionary who didn’t see the fruits of his labour until much later in life, after being imprisoned for a life sentence that was later reduced.  On his 80th birthday he married his third wife.

Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 at the age of 69.  She became a nun when she was 18 years old and at age 38 she left the convent to open a school in the slums of Calcutta. Her tireless work culminated in a world-wide organization that helps the sick, the poor, the dying, as well as disaster victims through her network in over 120 countries,

Julia Child is synonymous with culinary excellence and clearly paved the way for the many TV chefs we see today.  It took more than a decade and several rounds of rejections before the book that she co-authored, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," was published, and she didn't begin her long-running PBS program "The French Chef" until she was 51.

Peter Mark Roget created the Thesaurus and was 73 when the first edition was published.  After being forced to retire at 70 from the Royal Society, he has done many things worthy of securing a personal legacy.  His is an interesting story.  But instead of retreating into a life of leisure he started working on the scientific ordering of language and while the book was not originally intended for “public” use, Roget managed to create one of the most enduring reference materials in his retirement years.

Gandhi, at the age of 61 led the Salt March to Dandi to protest taxes imposed on the people of India.  He set out with some followers on a 320 kilometer journey that took three weeks and became a central movement in the fight for Indian independence.

Doris Haddock at the age of 89 began walking just over 5000 kilometres between Las Angeles and Washington, DC to raise awareness for the issue of campaign finance reform.  Granny D, as she is known, walked 16 km a day and relied on the kindness of strangers for the 14 months it took her to accomplish her mission.  Four years later (93 years old) she unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the US Senate.

Ray Krok, at the age of 52 and a salesman by trade, set out to build McDonald’s.  Seven years later he became the owner of a franchise that would sell more than a billion hamburgers by 1963 and was involved in McDonalds operations until his death in 1984.

Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as Grandma Moses began painting at the age of 76 when she could no longer embroider due to arthritis.  She couldn’t imagine sitting around doing nothing, had no formal training and little education.  She started painting every day and created more than 1000 paintings in the following 25 years.

John Glenn became one of the 20th century’s greatest explorers as the first American to orbit Earth and later as the world’s oldest astronaut.  At the age of 77, Glenn flew on Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-95 mission, making him the oldest person to enter Earth orbit, and the only person to fly in both the Mercury and the Space Shuttle programs.

What could you do with the next 20-30 years?  I can only imagine!!