Col#283- 5/16/26
NEW FRONTIERS
By
Richard Davis
When I was 35 I decided I wanted to begin a serious relationship with a clarinet I had played very little, and poorly, until then. It was a struggle, and much of that struggle had to do with my age. It became clear that even at 35 my brain was not as sharp as an early learner would be at 10 or 11 years old. After eight years of lessons and daily practice I had established a solid foundation that helped me for the 41 years that followed.
Music has not been the only challenge as I age. One of the realities of aging is that your body often lets you know how old you are. You do the best you can to keep it functional without too many problems. Some days are easier than others. My motto has always been, “Keep moving”. Simple and wise advice.
I have been thinking about the two simultaneous paths that our lives take. Our bodies take us on one path ,and our minds take us on another. Some people might think that this is a false dichotomy and that you can’t separate the two. There is some truth to that. Nothing is black and white.
Yet, I think it is helpful to look at body and mind as separate entities as we reach our older years. I say this because it can keep us from falling into the trap of believing that a person can’t do certain things because of their age or because of their infirmities.
Being realistic about physical challenges is a good thing. If you know that your balance is getting worse or certain activities cause too much lingering pain you can avoid problems by making good choices. I have had to give up a number of physical activities that I enjoyed over the years, but I have found new activities to replace them. They may be less strenuous, but they keep me moving and that is the key.
Then there is the brain. It takes more effort to learn new things as we get older, but the trade off in wisdom may be worth it if we choose to continue to challenge ourselves with activities that stimulate the brain more than the body. Lately, I have been thinking about whether I am too old to start on a new learning adventure or a new activity. Excuses are easy to find.
When you find too many excuses not to do new things it is the equivalent of not moving anymore. A body that moves less becomes less functional and the same is true of the brain in that body. Studies indicate that as we age our brains can still create new neural pathways. That is neuroplasticity and it gives us the ability to learn new things no matter our age.
All of this navel gazing has been the result of me wanting to move in a direction in musical learning that I have wanted to do for years. It will be a long, difficult challenge but I finally have come to the conclusion that I have nothing to lose by taking it on. Pride and fear of failure are for younger people.
Then there is politics. Part of the reason so many older people hold office so long is that the job is not physically demanding. I don’t want to see age limits to run for office but we certainly need more younger people in office at the national level,
On the local level age should be even less of a consideration. My generation still has a lot to offer and we can’t hide behind a number if we feel strongly about wanting to be in the middle of the most current local issue battle. The work of politics usually only requires sitting and talking, a job made to order for a person of advanced years.
