Don’t you love it when people defy stereotypes of aging?
I just read, It’s Not About The Pom Poms – how a 40-year old mom of 2 became the oldest NFL cheerleader. You can get it here on Amazon.
Laura Vikmanis came from a difficult childhood and an 18-year abusive marriage. She had always loved to dance. When she saw the BenGals – the Cincinnati Bengals cheerleaders – take the field in a game, she knew she had to do this.
Laura lost weight from an already good figure. She got breast implants (with the encouragement of her very cool therapist!). Rejected the first time she tried out, she didn’t give up. She bounced back with dance lessons, even taking a hip hop class with 12 year olds.
Her daughters now think she’s cool. She’s a totally confident woman with a supportive boy friend. She has a career as a dietician and fitness trainer. And she’s 42 – finishing 3 seasons as a cheerleader.
Now …that’s inspiration!
And if that’s not enough, just last week a friend in Seattle announced that she had just passed the Washington State Bar Exam, at age 50! To be sure, she had passed a bar exam and practiced law many years earlier. But she had to memorize about a thousand pages of material and then write answers during a grueling exam. She did it. She swears her brain feels sharper than ever.
Any more examples? I believe in refusing to accept age stereotypes. There’s evidence that people change physiologically when they feel younger mentally. That’s the kind of news I like to hear.