Life is a Party not a Race

Last week I told a friend how I was part of a class action suit brought up against several film studios due to ageism. There is nothing surprising about this story. People write all kinds of scripts at every age. One thing about writing as an art form is that authors often improve with time, their voices sharpening as their well of experience deepens. But not everyone agrees. At least not in Hollywood where a belief is held that buzzy scripts are the exclusive domain of the very young.

And in my opinion, today’s young are overly dramatic, often depressed, and dressed in head-to-toe black with a gloomy outlook on life.

American culture loves a rapid ascent. Our icons are young — or make a great effort to look like they are. Even outside of Hollywood, we have the National Book Foundation’s 5 under 35 and the Fortune 40 under 40.

For a lot of us, clarity takes its sweet time. The prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain responsible for complex planning, decision making, and moderating social behavior doesn’t fully develop until age 30.

“Late to the party” sounds preferable to “late bloomer,” a term I’d respectfully like to retire. Doing stuff later than others does not make you a defective flower. It makes you an interesting person who is living life on your own schedule. Besides who makes up these dumb rules? I think one of the reasons older folks become unhappy is that they subscribed to age restrictions. By liberating themselves they’ll rid themselves of the shackles that keep them from going forward. So I say, date whenever you want. Dare whenever you want. Be whoever you want, whenever you’re ready.

I collect quotes, stories, and facts about people that inspire me. Among them are those who found success after 40. Here are some of them:

Julia Child first tasted French cuisine at 36. She fell in love with it that she studied it obsessively, becoming skilled enough to write her first cookbook at 50 and host The French Chef at 51.

Edwina Brockelsby, the “Irongran,” became the oldest British woman to compete in an Ironman at 72. She did not begin exercising until her 50s.

Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first of the “Little House” books at age 65.

Vera Wang designed her first dress at 40.

Frank McCourt took up writing at 65. His book Angela’s Ashes won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award.

Kittie Weston-Knauer, a literal trailblazer, paved the way for women in BMX racing going up against men and cycling through knee and hip replacements. At 74, she is currently the oldest woman competing, with no plans to stop.

Martha Stewart worked as a caterer in her early years, but didn’t publish her first cookbook, or begin her meteoric ascent as a lifestyle maven, until her 40s.

Toni Morrison published her first book, The Bluest Eye, at 40. Along with an extensive list of honors, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction at 57 and the Nobel Prize in Literature at 62.

Yuichiro Miura, the 89-year-old skier, and adventurer became the oldest person to climb Mount Everest when he reached the summit for the third time at age 80.

Iris Apfel, a 101-year-old self-described “geriatric starlet,” is proof that fashion icons and entrepreneurs can dazzle and inspire at any age. (See photo of her blooming in orange)

Harriette Thompson, a classical pianist and cancer survivor, began to run marathons at 76. She later broke the record for being the oldest woman to run a marathon, at 92, and the oldest woman to run a half marathon, at 94.

Dame Judi Dench was revered on the London theater scene but her Hollywood film career didn’t take off until Goldeneye when she was in her 60s. She won her first Oscar, for Best Actress, at 64.

Grandma Moses or Anna Mary Robertson Moses began painting in earnest at 78, when embroidery became too difficult due to arthritis. Her work continues to be shown, and sold, worldwide — the painting Sugaring Off sold for $1.2 million in 2006.

Harry Bernstein published his first memoir, The Invisible Wall, at age 96. He went on to write two more books, saying, “The 90s were the most productive years of my life.”

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