Remember a time when you were so excited about life that you could barely contain yourself? A time when everything felt new and alive?
As a little girl, I had so much energy for life that I used to bounce off the walls, believing I could fly, just like Judy Miller, the character Gilda Radner made famous on Saturday Night Live.
(And, yes, my mother would holler up the stairs: ‘what’s going on up there?!’)
Fara Lagstein, left, celebrating her 3rd annual Girls on Fire party! (Photo by Wendy Lagstein)
Last week I was reminded of all that joy and energy I once possessed when I heard from our youngest Girls on Fire — and from our oldest Woman on Fire who is nearly 90!
Anne Thurston-Brandley, author and newspaper and magazine columnist, at nearly 90 is newly married — and a cover girl!
Lucky me that I receive news and emails every single day from women in every decade of their lives who share with me what they are “on fire” about or not.
The latest from our young ones: Fara Lagstein, 9, hosted her 3rd annual Girls on Fire party; Carly Dulitsky, 8, opened her first bank account and said she loves money; and Sierra Vaughn Tollefson, 16, an aspiring champion equestrian, cheerfully and selflessly spends day-after-day nursing back to health her horse after surgery.
And, the latest from our oldest: with several books written and waiting to be published, our enthusiastic Anne Thurston-Brandley landed on the cover of Women2Women Michigan Magazine!
Even though there is a span of eight decades between the youngest and oldest in our community of amazing women, can you guess what they share in common that keeps them all so vibrant?
Before I tell you…
Do you know how to tap into your own vibrancy and juiciness — that sweet spot that keeps you inspired and engaged in life?
Most of us find ourselves in age and experience somewhere in between our youngest and oldest Women on Fire.
If you are anything like me, even though you know you’ll feel better, you have to drag yourself to the gym or out for a walk; you sometimes approach the next stage of life with a bit (or a lot of) fear and trepidation; and you might even wonder if the best years are behind you.
None of this seems to be the case with our youngers and olders!
So, today, I decided to explore that energy well they seem to access so easily. I found some nuggets of gold — and remembered a wise woman from my past.
Years ago I had the great fortune to meet in person Martha Reeves, the lead singer of the Motown girl band Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. She was in her 50s at the time and incredibly vibrant and energetic.
I asked her how she did it.
“Girl, every single morning I get up and dance to my own record “Dancin’ in the Street,” she told me. “It keeps me young and going for the rest of day.”
And, that made me realize something about our youngest and oldest Women on Fire.
They dance to their own rhythms.
“I’m a Girl on Fire,” says nine-year old Fara, “because I’m smart, confident and fun. I love to experience everything in life and I’m kind.”
From 16-year-old Sierra: “I’m on fire about horses because through my training I’ve discovered who I am.
“Horses have taught me how to be a whole human being. When I ride I can’t be thinking about an embarrassing mistake I made yesterday, or what I’ll be tomorrow. I have to put it all away and embrace what’s happening in that moment, or else I’ll lose my balance and control.”
Eighty-nine-year-old Anne was happily married to Ed for 65 years. After he died, she decided she wanted to find love again. She went online and was so moved by her experience datng that she wrote a book on how to meet online for seniors.
Last year she married Ray, a younger man. He’s 85. “We feel like 18-year-olds and couldn’t be happier,” she reported.
What these two ends of the Women on Fire age spectrum seem to have in common is an unstoppable zest for living. In addition, they are kind, grateful, determined, proud, loving, caring, giving and they know how to have fun!
So, in my tiredness this morning, I headed outside, plugged in my earbuds, tapped my iTunes, and let the music touch my soul until I could feel I was dancing to my own rhythm.
Thanks to Martha’s “Dancin’ in the Street, Bruce Springsteen’s “Tunnel of Love” and Katy Perry’s “Firework” I started to feel again I could fly!
Please tell us how you tap into those feelings that you can do anything? And, if you’re not feeling it right now, I hope this helps you think about ways you can change the channel.
How will you stay vibrant throughout your life?
It sure makes it easier getting things accomplished when you can ride that current of energy just as Fara, Carly, Sierra and Anne and so many of you are doing!
Have an amazing week ~
