Ellen Goodman: Letting Go

[IndianaGreen]

Ellen Goodman | Letting Go

Wednesday 30 December 2009

Boston - There is something fitting about writing my last column on the first day of a new year. January, after all, is named for the Roman god of beginnings and endings. He looked backward and forward at the same time. So, this morning, do I.

I wish I could find the right language to describe this rite of passage. Retirement, that swoon of a word, just won't do. The Spanish translation, jubilacion, is a bit over the top for my own mix of feelings.

The phrase that kept running through my head as I considered this next step was: "I'm letting myself go." Yes, I can imagine the response if a tweet came across the screen announcing, "Ellen Goodman has let herself go." I can see the illustration: out of shape, lazy, slovenly, the very worst things you can whisper about a woman of a certain age.

But I love the idea of reclaiming that phrase. After all, where will you go when you let yourself go? To let this question fill the free space between deadlines in my life has been quite liberating. It suggests the freedom that can fuel this journey.

Looking backward and forward. I belong to a generation that has transformed our culture. We've been the change agents for civil rights, women's rights, gay rights. Now, we find ourselves on the cutting edge of another huge social change. This time, it's the longevity revolution. Ours is the first generation to collectively cross the demarcation line of senior citizenship with actuarial tables on our side.

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