Author: Sarah Jane Watson Category: Lifestyle, Our Generation
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A recent article on Fighting Fifty about Tracey McAlpine’s friend of 100 years old, led me to contemplate the role of older women in society and their impact on my life. 

It can be said that the young bring freshness and vibrancy but the older generation have a wealth of wisdom and experience to share with us.

I am someone who really relishes the company of older women and have a close friend who is in her eighties.  She is one of the most switched-on people I know.  She follows everything that is happening in the world and can inform you on anything from the latest football transfer to European politics.  Her razor sharp observations and wicked sense of humour make for uplifting and stimulating conversation.

Sitting in her elegant drawing room and enjoying tea served in her silver tea service, I often wonder what will the world look like when this generation are no longer living.  Who will uphold their values and traditions?  When they are gone it will be the end of an era.

A few years ago I was at the Salzburg Festival and at one of the concerts I spotted a woman whom I could not take my eyes off.  She must have been in her seventies.  She was the epitome of refinement, wearing an incredibly chic long midnight blue evening gown, which made a striking contrast against her sleekly styled white hair, and adorned with the most exquisite diamond jewellery.  She was absolutely majestic and I swore to myself in that moment I will aspire to be more and more dignified the older I become.

There is in fact a saying in France – ‘Elegance is the privilege of age.’

I receive so much when spending time with my older friends.  There is lightness in their energy as they have shed so many of the issues that weigh us down when we are younger.  I find their perspective on life enlightening; their conversation nourishing and they have the ability to tap into a wisdom that only life experience can bring.

An older woman’s life experiences are not only something that can elevate our day-to-day life; they can bring richness to many areas such as, for example, the arts.  I have experienced this when watching flamenco.  Dancers, who are older, bring such a depth of feeling and emotion to their movements that they are able to touch us at a very profound level creating a performance that is so soulful and moving.

Indigenous tribes across the world have revered the wisdom of the mature woman.  These wise elders held high positions in the tribe’s hierarchy and were greatly respected.  I wish this were something that was held in higher regard in our culture.  Knowledge is sacred and we should treasure it.

Both my grandmothers have now passed away.  Memories of their presence in my life are still vivid.  My partner’s Italian grandmother is also no longer living.  Her stories of living with German occupation make me marvel at this generation’s spirit and resolve.

May all the older women in our lives continue to inspire us, may we value what they have to share with us and may we in turn seek to live lives that will be an inspiration for the next generation to come.

Read the article about Dominique Murray here.

Sarah Jane Watson is a holistic massage therapist and aromatherapist.   Learn more about Sarah Jane by visiting her website here.