Should passion and curiosity about life fade as you reach your vintage years? Absolutely not.
Remember the wind we experienced a few days ago, with gusts reaching 50 mph? My husband played 18 holes of golf that day. Chuck is a man who perseveres when he sets his mind to something. He is also a true golf enthusiast.
When he putted, he had to keep his eye on the ball and hit it before the wind carried it away. Sometimes, the wind pushed him, and he said he felt like he was playing drunk. (Which he has never been.)
He was determined because of his love for golf. He is truly passionate about a game that I’ll never understand, nor will I take it up. Chuck took me once. I said, “One and done.” I’ve told him he can go as often as he wants. I still think one of the perks of moving into my house when we got married was that I lived closer to Stony Creek Golf Course.
His passion for golf drives him to the course on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, as long as it’s at least 45º.
And then there’s me, hearing the voices that call me to get out of bed before the sun even considers rising. For some reason, 4:38 is the magic time when you’ll find me at our kitchen table. Trust me, there will be a nap later.
The thing is, I believe our passions change over the years. Chuck became serious about golfing when he retired as the HSE School Superintendent. I started writing books when I retired from selling cars and trucks. It’s as if you are giving a new chance at enjoying life when you retire. It’s not about just sitting around depositing that ‘nice’ Social Security check. (I hope you read that with sarcasm.)
It’s about keeping your mind active and your body moving. I don’t see myself as old. I thought my mother was old at 70. How dare my kids or grandkids think I’m old!
Since Chuck retired in 2001, he has hit TWO hole-in-ones. He keeps at it, trying for another. I’ve written two books since I retired in 2020. I’m now writing a mystery that has been in my head for a couple of years. I may never be a bestseller, but I’m having fun. Grammarly tells me that I have written thousands of words since February 2022. I’m not slowing down. In fact, I’m bound and determined to keep on writing until I run out of breath, not words.
My mother quilted until her fingers struggled to sew. Then she crocheted dolls until her fingers couldn’t anymore. After that, she made beaded bracelets. She never stopped discovering new passions. She could barely walk, and yet, she took physical therapy until the complications and aftereffects of COVID took her life. She never gave up.
Chuck and I enjoy yoga (well, most of the time). We lift weights (which is pretty funny). We walk – a lot.
This is a public service announcement:
Never lose your curiosity about life. We start out as kids, curious and looking for new adventures. Then we are placed behind a desk and taught the facts.
I loved the arts, language, and science. Math, however, was never my friend. My husband was a math teacher. I can do old-fashioned division problems, easily make change, and estimate payments for a five-year car loan. Geometry, Algebra, and all that X, Y, Z stuff are like a foreign language. By the way, I took four years of Latin in high school. I was fascinated by words even back then. I am truly a word nerd.
We are fascinated with Jeopardy!. I can’t say we are ready for the Jeopardy! stage, but we keep our minds engaged. Chuck goes straight for the History, Math and Sports clues. I take my guesses with Bible, Country Music, and 70s Sitcoms.
Chuck does his magic every morning with the crossword puzzle in the Indianapolis Star. I’m nearing 20 years of writing weekly columns. If I do the math right and account for a few weeks when I didn’t have a column published (that’s a story in itself), I’ve written almost 1,000 columns. Imagine the number of words I’ve written.
Chuck has many rounds of golf where he drives, chips, and puts. I have plenty more words to write. We are living some of our best years, so don’t tell us we are old.
At a wedding in Colorado, Chuck Leonard, wearing his suit, checked out the green at the golf course, pondering a hole-in-one. (Photo provided by Janet Hart Leonard)
If I have any advice to give anyone who is fearful of becoming of a vintage age, it is to embrace it, stay curious, and move that body.
Get ready to enjoy your best chapter that is being written. I’ll be over here writing about a dastardly preacher who goes missing. Stay tuned.
And as I’m finishing this column, Chuck is headed to Stony Creek Golf Course to try for another hole-in-one.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). She is the recipient of the Reporter’s Spring 2025 Ink-Stained Wretch award. Visit janethartleonard.com.