THE MONEY MINUTE: Enjoy every age, they’re all good

by Jac M. Arbour CFP®, ChFC®
President, J.M. Arbour Wealth Management

Something I enjoy in life more than most things is sitting and chatting with a voice of experience. I recently had a conversation with a friend who is going strong at 91 and certainly has that voice. She was blessed to share a marriage with the love of her life that lasted up until his death earlier this year; they had celebrated 73 years together.

My friend keeps a calendar with important dates, and I felt fortunate when she mentioned that I had a birthday coming up (which let me know I made the cut). “How old will you be this year, Jac?”

“Thirty-five,” I responded.

She sat back in her chair and, with a big smile, reminded me that I have a whole lifetime ahead of me. “Oh, to be 35,” she said. She reminisced for a few moments, and joked about how all the women in her friend group use to lie about their age in an attempt to stop the aging process altogether. She looked at me (just a bit more seriously, but not really), then came the voice of experience: “There is no reason to hide your age,” she chuckled. “They are all good, and you should enjoy every age.”

Later, we were going through a bunch of old things in my friend’s basement, each with a vivid memory attached to it, and she asked if I would carry a number of things upstairs. So, without hesitation I picked them up and, taking two steps at a time as I always do, ran up the stairs to place them where she had asked. When I was halfway up the stairs, I heard her say, “Oh, to be able to go up the stairs like that.”

It’s amazing how much we take for granted or don’t think about simply because we have never been older than we are right now. We don’t know what we don’t know, as they say, or what we haven’t yet experienced. Life itself is clearly one of the greatest teachers, but so too can be those who have been there already.

I hope that, wherever you are on your journey, you stop to acknowledge where you are now. Every point is good. No matter what.

Here is what I promise: There is a difference between communicating and connecting. Aim for the latter, and the voice of experience is something you might get to hear.

See you all next month.

Jac Arbour CFP®, ChFC®

Jac Arbour is the President of J.M. Arbour Wealth Management and can be reached at 207-248-6767.

Investment advisory services are offered through Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser.