Gini Corrick, age 80, winning the coveted People’s Choice aware in Paducah, Kentucky, for her hand-dyed, chenille coat and hat
We all need role models in life, people that show us what is possible.
My mother, Gini Corrick, was one of those for me.
It wasn't until after I had landed upon my new business theme of Aging Boldly that I realized that my mother was the inspiration for this new direction. Gini faced aging with a boldness that was remarkable, even astonishing.
I could give you a list of all the incredible accomplishments of my mother's life, one of which is featured in the photo above, but as amazing as they were, they wouldn't convey the bigger story of her spirit.
The story that I want to share is what I can only describe as "transformation" during the last 18 years of her life. Gini truly came into her own when she moved to Minneapolis after the passing of my father, when she was age 76. She courageously began a new life, she made new friends, she passionately developed her talents as an artist, she gave freely and openly of herself to others, becoming a mentor to many and a deep lover of learning.
She became the person that everyone wanted to be...how often did we hear:
I want to be like Gini when I grow up?
What made her my first Rock Star of Aging was the love for life that she exuded.
It was her ability to feel wonder and joy for each new project that she undertook and for every day that she embraced.
It was her authentic appreciation for others that made YOU feel like you were a rock star when you were with her.
It was her optimism that shone through, regardless of the challenges that she faced in life. She creatively expressed her passion in her creative ventures. (Note: she would have loved to have expressed that passion of hers in other ways. A favorite memory is mom telling me at age 92: "Oh, if only I could make love just one more time.")
And she shared her wisdom freely and without pretension with others.
I have really pondered what evoked the transformation in Mom in her later years. Yes, she always had an exuberance for life that you couldn't miss and wanted to be around. But she faced many challenges being married to a complicated alcoholic husband and raising five children. And yes, she made mistakes...as we all do.
I see now that my mother's seemingly effortless ability to age boldly could only have been a choice.
She made a decision to live life to the fullest and get the very most most out of each moment that she was alive. And to do this, she had to learn a big lesson...
In 2010, Mom and I were traveling together in Paris, sharing a tiny room with two twin beds, which we pushed together to create more space.
She was already well into her role of aging boldly...and I asked her: “Mom, how did you learn to become so happy?”
To which she answered: “honey, I learned to forgive myself.”
How simple and how profound.
We have to forgive ourselves to be able to accept ourselves. We must let go of the burden of self-judgment and self-doubt in order to really make the choice to embrace aging, as my mother did.
We are never too old and it is never too late to begin to age boldly. My sister, Kim and I remind each other, on days where we are not feeling very bold, that she began her metamorphosis at age 76. And look what she did in those next 18 years!
This is the closing from the eulogy that I wrote for my mother over two years ago:
"Witnessing how my mother lived her life in her last chapter, and especially in the last year of her life, is her gift to me...her legacy. In her dying, my mother showed me how to live. I mean, how to really live, with a sense of wonder at how beautiful this life really is, if...I choose to see it.
She leaves me with an invitation, an invitation to let go of my stories...of not having enough time, of not going good enough, of my worries...and to step into the light of wonder and joy and love."
I invite you all to join me in accepting this invitation.
I'm introducing a new idea of a Free Virtual Coffee Chat. I want to get to know my readers...what matters to you and what you want to hear about. Just click on this link and schedule some time with me. No strings...just a Virtual Coffee Chat.
Here's to you living boldly today, my beautiful friends... With much love, Rose
Gini Corrick, age 92, at an Art of Cloth photoshoot, modeling for the fall collection.
