Age is a Number, Old is a Label

Lessons from a Kids Movie

Inside Out is an animated 2015 Disney Pixar film about the emotions of Fear, Sadness, Anger, Joy, and Disgust. The movie stars a 9-year-old girl coping with her emotions inside her head, a location aptly named Headquarters in the film. I think the movie also reflects attitudes about getting older.

None of us know exactly when this “rollercoaster ride” we call life is going to end. Even in hospice, people given months to live last for years and people given weeks expire in days.

The emotions in Inside Out are what many 40, 50, and 60-year-olds are feeling about becoming 70, 80, and 90+. I’m not sure which year my upper arms continued to jiggle when I waved goodbye. I did bicep curls and overhead presses in the gym preparing for my 60s and it did not result in Michelle Obama's arms. My 50-year-old upper arms are not coming back and I’m not going to lament.

I worked out 3-4 times a week for my 50 y.o. arms in 2007.

We will all approach our later years differently. I had an elderly neighbor, Dorothy, a feisty retired Purdue professor. She would tell me, “Getting old isn’t for sissies.” I would smile as she advised me to ‘toughen up for old age’ because life will throw you curveballs.

On my neighborhood walk one evening, her daughter told me Dorothy died suddenly of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. My neighbor mentioned her painful condition a few months earlier. She shared her decision with everyone not to pursue surgery because, with a 50/50 chance of surviving she’d rather live her life.

If you’re reading this in your 60s to early 70s, actuarial charts are showing many of you will live into your eighties and longer. America’s fastest-growing demographic is people 85 and older according to the U.S. Census. From 2000- 2040, the number of 85+ among us will quadruple.

This year Inside Out 2 was released with additional emotions of Anxiety, Ennui, Nostalgia, and Embarrassment as the lead character entered their teenage years. Again, the movie explored themes that apply to aging in any decade. I didn’t know what ennui was and had to look it up.

En-nui, is a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. (Oxford Dictionary)

The movie reviews were mixed leaving adults feeling depressed because of the focus on anxiety and ennui (loss). This sequel reinforced two ideas: (1) Having positive relationships and maintaining social connections improves our self-confidence, sense of hope, and motivation to take care of ourselves. (2) It is more important than ever to talk to your primary care physician if you’re feeling consistently sad or in continued despair.

Okay, a third thought came from watching Inside Out 2. It reignited the life lessons I learned from Dorothy. RIP Neighbor.

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