If you can clearly recall always making sure that on Wednesday nights you were somewhere you could watch Dynasty, then I bet you can’t count the times you’ve briskly walked into your bedroom, paused, and then said out loud, ‘now why did I come in here?’ But then, I’ve called our dog by my husband’s name, filled my supermarket cart with everything but the toilet paper that instigated the shopping trip, and frantically run back to a restaurant for my glasses only to have the waiter grimace and softly ask, “What’s that perched on your forehead.”
Aging is a challenge. And this year, the noise made about it has been deafening and often hurtful. But you’re not running for office, especially when you are way too busy looking for your smartphone, so, ignore the bumming ageism for a few minutes and see if you identify with me in other ways.
I’ve way more energy than I remember older people having when I was a kid. I wake up grateful to have done just that, eager to be surprised, inspired, almost annoyingly curious. As I begin writing my eighth book and developing a TV show based on my last one, retirement rarely crosses my mind.
When I look in the mirror, yup, the lines are deeper, the hair slightly thinner, but frankly and unexpectedly, I look damn good. Not for my age. For a human. Despite a slower pace, I still believe it’s vital and uplifting to put your best foot forward, to eschew merely entering into a room when you can make an entrance, to keep up with technology, to make a meaningful contribution and to remain a person worthy of being loved and respected. So far, it’s been a pretty terrific life, I guess you could call me a HAPPY GROWNUP.
What’s even more exhilarating is knowing that I’m not New Aging alone. Chip Conley’s havens of two Modern Elder Academy campuses are vivid proof that a growing portion of the 100 million American now over 50 have no intention of building their days around shuffleboard and sunsets.
In fact, New Agers now possess 73% of the disposable income in the U.S., spend one trillion on self-care alone, 90 billion on automobiles (ask a Gen Z if he/she even has a license). We account for 25% of new businesses and college students and we’re maturing in a more vibrant and engaged way than any previous generation. But our culture’s focus is so imbalanced that only 15% of American advertising is designed to attract the attention of anyone over 35.
So, where does a New Ager go to feel recognized, connected, inspired, encouraged and enlightened?
Announcing the launch this month of THE HAPPY GROWNUP, a weekly Substack newsletter and podcast (to be found wherever you listen to them) that we believe will serve as your indispensable GPS, informing and guiding you towards the health you want to maintain or improve, the clothes that flatter, the serenity you seek, the skin care you should trust, the exercises that work, the destinations that will excite you, the humor you need to survive, the next act you want to create, the relationship you hope to rekindle or begin, and the best ways to give back, delivered by the smartest, savviest, and most generous New Aging men and women in their respective fields.
You may recognize the names of some of our contributors: skin care sage Dr. Barbara Sturm, actress and activist Rosie Perez, designer Norma Kamali, Shark Tank’s Daymond John. But though you may be less familiar with stylist Elizabeth Stewart, legendary editor Terry McDonnell (Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated), former CEO (of Ralph Lauren’s RRL, HSN, and Nike) Mindy Grossman, former model and diversity firebrand BethAnn Hardison, and me, all are committed to making THE HAPPY GROWNUP a pragmatic, proven, wryly positive, doable way to edit your life.
They taught us in high school biology that our time here would be graphed as a bell curve. No. Why shouldn’t our trajectories of our lives travel across the top of that curve for as long as possible. THE HAPPY GROWNUP’s mission is to sustain that energy and drive. As stated in one of our upcoming weekly Halgorhythms:
“Curiosity is the best moisturizer”
If you are as excited and delighted by the time that’s still ahead of you, please go to www.thehappygrownup.com and subscribe. If you have a topic that you want to know more about, please re-enter that domain name and add a /questions. At THE HAPPY GROWNUP we look forward to building a thriving community of New Agers, and can hardly wait for you to see, hear and read what we have to say about making your days brighter than ever. So, it would help if you found that smartphone.
-Hal
Hal Rubenstein, is an award-winning journalist, a founding editor of Details, Egg, 7 Days, Mountains and InStyle (where he served as its Fashion Director), restaurant critic, and author of seven books on style and living well, his most recent being Dressing the Part: Television’s Most Stylish Shows (HarperBooks).