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Am I still relevant? Are you?

By Susan B. Geffen

I began to ask myself this question when I went to see Neil Young in concert this month. He is 69 years old and truly rocked the house. He jammed his guitar with the twenty somethings on his stage and did not miss a beat.

When I first arrived I wondered out loud,"Are there any young people at the concert?" There were not. As a 52 year old, and I might have been the "young person" at this venue tonight.

When the lights faded and the iconic star sat at the piano opening with a melancholy solo, I felt something that I never felt before. I was part of something that will always be relevant. I am the last of the Boomers and am part of a generation that teeters on the one before me. We all shared time on this planet and experiences that no other generation will ever be able to feel.

The following month I accompanied my 15 year old daughter to see her favorite band, Florence and the Machine in concert. When I first arrived I wondered, out loud, if there were any old people at the concert. There were not. As a 52 year old, I might have been the "old person."

When the lights faded and the effervescent star pirouetted her way across the stage, I felt something that I never felt before. I was creating beautiful memories with my daughter. I was part of something that will always be relevant. I was part of my child's life. I put my foot in a generation that surpasses mine by decades.

I have pondered the question of my relevancy often because I see the toll that the prejudice of ageism has on older adults. However, I have come to realize that ageism is something that is done by others.

No one can render you irrelevant except you. I no longer worry that I lack relevance. I now ask myself a different question: Am I engaged? I believe that nothing will keep you "feeling relevant" longer than actively participating in your life and feeling something that you never felt before. This takes commitment. It is easy to retreat. It is hard to reconfigure your hardware and work to find the beauty and meaning in all that you do.

I can tell you that my life is far more rewarding now that I have built this muscle of gratitude.

My dedication to diving in every day with my eyes and heart wide open is what makes me relevant.

I hope that you dive in and take from your time on this planet what belongs to you.... a life well lived.

Thank you for listening to my inner thoughts.