The Freedom of Growing Older, Not Growing Old

You Are Never Too Old!

The world has changed. We all know it. Respect has become a rare currency, and somehow our worth now seems to be measured by how many people “like” our lives through a screen. If you’re not trending, you’re apparently invisible.
But there’s a large, quietly powerful, beautiful group of people who don’t buy into that illusion, a group who don’t measure their value by followers, filters, or “friends.”

We are the generation that remembers dial-up tones, handwritten letters, and meeting someone new without having to Google them first. We remember when you had to actually be somewhere to connect, not just log in. We remember a time when friends came over for coffee, not “likes.”

And yes, it’s true — the younger generations are flocking to new social platforms faster than we can learn what half of them are. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Pinterest, Telegram, Discord, WeChat, Tumblr, and on and on it goes.

The list is endless, and apparently, if you’re not juggling at least five accounts, you’re practically invisible.

We now live in a world where human behaviour is shaped by hashtags.
What’s “acceptable” or “unacceptable” depends on what’s trending. The younger generations’ sense of identity often revolves around how they appear online. And while there’s creativity and connection in that, it’s also made it easier to forget empathy.
Comments fly fast. Opinions sting harder. And somehow, cruelty has become a form of entertainment.
Validation is sought through strangers, and empathy… well, empathy seems to have left the chat.

Those of us who remember life before the internet, we still hold onto some of the old values. Though, if I’m honest, even our crowd is shrinking. Somewhere along the way, age started being treated like a glitch instead of a gift.

It’s not all bad, social media connects, teaches, and inspires too. But somewhere along the way, we’ve allowed it to start defining us.
Especially the younger generations, whose sense of self-worth is often tied to how they appear online.
It’s heart-breaking and fascinating at the same time, because we can see both sides of the fence.
We remember life before it all began.

Once you pass fifty, something strange happens.
You start to notice the way society looks at you, as if you’ve become outdated software.
You get dismissed with a polite smile and a quiet, “You wouldn’t understand.”
But here’s the thing: we DO understand. We’ve lived it, worked through it, and probably fixed it while they were still Googling how to.
We’ve built careers, raised families, survived chaos, laughed through heartbreak, and yes, learned how to reboot life more than once.
Once you hit fifty, suddenly you’re not considered “relevant.” You’re not taken seriously.
You become the butt of subtle jokes or the subject of endless “over 50” advice articles written by people who haven’t even reached thirty.

Let’s get something straight: people over fifty don’t just know things, we’ve lived them.
We’ve worked, built, broken, mended, lost, and loved again. We’ve seen life in all its raw, beautiful, unfiltered chaos.
And we didn’t cry about every challenge or give up at every obstacle. We adapted. We learned. We grew.
We’ve survived more world changes than any algorithm could ever predict, and yet, somewhere along the way, society decided we don’t know anything about the 'new' world.

EXCUSE ME .... WHAT?

Just because I didn’t grow up filming every meal doesn’t mean I don’t understand life.
In fact, I might understand it a little too well.

The other day, I saw a post on social media titled:
“Why You Shouldn’t Wear Jeans After 50.”

I nearly choked on my coffee. Why not?!
If anyone has earned the right to wear jeans, it’s us!
We made them popular long before they were trendy. We wore them out dancing, we painted in them, we lived in them.
Jeans are a symbol of freedom, not a privilege that expires with age.

But the age-shaming list doesn’t stop there. Every day, I see posts saying:
“Hairstyles to Avoid After 50.”
“Makeup Mistakes for Women Over 50.”
“Colors You Shouldn’t Wear Past 50.”
“Fashion Rules for Women Over 50.”

And I always think… who comes up with this nonsense?
What’s worse is that these articles are not just posts on Social Media, some of them are articles in magazines! And worst of all they usually written by twenty-somethings with zero real-life mileage but an overinflated sense of authority and pouty lips.
They talk like they’ve seen it all, but life experience doesn’t come with a Wi-Fi connection.

Let me tell you something.
I’m over sixty. I still wear jeans. I still experiment with hair colors. I still wear makeup exactly how I like it.
And I don’t give a single ounce of energy to anyone’s opinion about it. Because the truth is, I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
I don’t care about what’s 'age-appropriate', I care about what’s 'me-appropriate'.
At this stage, confidence is my best accessory. I like who I am because I’ve lived to become her. I’m not a filter.
I’m not a clone of another social media post. I’m me, original, seasoned, and gloriously imperfect.

The funny thing is, the older I get, the freer I feel.
There’s a kind of peace that comes with age, not from giving up, but from finally getting it.
You stop trying to please the crowd and start dancing to your own rhythm again. You stop apologizing for taking up space. You stop caring about the opinions of people who wouldn’t last a day in your shoes.

Just last week, I came across a post that broke my heart and warmed it at the same time.
A woman shared that her 80-year-old father had bought a house in Hungary.
He was living his dream, but since he didn’t speak the language, he was feeling a bit lonely.
She kindly asked if anyone nearby might visit him for coffee sometimes.
You’d think such a simple, sweet post would bring out the best in people. And it did, for about 60% of the comments.

The rest? Brutal.

“Well, he should have thought of that before moving.”
“What if he gets sick?”
“That’s not how you fix loneliness.”
“What was he thinking at his age?”

What was he thinking??? How dare you! Why wouldn’t he?
He was thinking that life is short, and he didn’t want to spend his remaining years waiting for permission to enjoy it.
Age isn’t a restriction.
Physical limits might be, sure, but not age itself.
Age isn’t a prison sentence. It’s not a countdown clock to invisibility.
It’s a reminder that time is precious, and that every single day still matters.
Why should he give up on adventure just because he has more candles on the cake?

Too many elderly people spend their final years in quiet loneliness, not because they want to,
but because society decided they’re “too old” for change.
And yes, retirement homes and care facilities are a blessing for many, but not for everyone!
Some people wither in those environments. They don’t want to spend their days “safely waiting.” They want to keep living.

My grandmother was one of those people. She lived in a care home (by choice), but she still complained about being lonely.
I said, “Gran, you could go to the common room and have coffee with some of the other residents.”
She looked at me with complete disbelief and said,
“You’ve got to be kidding! You don’t think I’m going to sit there with all those old people, do you?”
She was 85, and still cheeky, fiery, and wonderfully alive.

That’s the spirit I love. Because age is truly just a number.
I’ve met 40-year-olds who act ancient and 90-year-olds who dance like teenagers.
The difference isn’t in their bodies, it’s in their spirit.

Getting older doesn’t mean growing old.
Your body may age, sure, but your spark, your curiosity, your humor, your dreams, those are ageless.
And if the world wants to underestimate you, let it. It only makes your shine stand out brighter.

My husband and I often say that when our time comes, we don’t want to look back and think, “I wish I had…”
We’d rather laugh at the things we did do than mourn the things we didn’t.
Life is meant to be lived, not merely tolerated.
Sure, some dreams take more planning now. Some goals take more courage. But none of that should stop you from trying.

Keep dreaming. Keep laughing. Keep doing the things that light you up.
And if you can’t reach your dream, inspire someone else to reach theirs.
Dreams don’t come with expiration dates. And joy doesn’t retire.

So, if you want to wear jeans, for heaven’s sake, wear the jeans.
Try that hairstyle.
Paint the walls pink.
Move to another country if that’s what calls to your soul.
And if anyone tells you that you’re too old, smile and remind them that you’ve survived decades of history, and you’re still here.
Still laughing. Still learning. Still living.

Let social media suffocate in its own prejudice.

You, dear reader, were never meant to be filtered. You were meant to live.
So today, do something you’ve always wanted to do but never dared.
Take the photo, wear the color, chase the dream.
Let social media drown in its own nonsense while you enjoy the freedom of simply being you.
Because, you are never too old to live a full, wild, beautiful life.
Enjoy every single minute you are given. Growing old is a privilege, not a chore

Rosita