ages 51 to 55
Jeneé, 51.17
What is the best age? 5
When do people become old? When they begin to worry about aging
What makes you sad? So many things. Definitely unkindness, when people don't recognize their own worth or beauty or magnificence
What makes you happy? Waking up in the morning. I'm just happy
What is the best place in the world? Asturias Spain, what's amazing is that I've never been. I feel so drawn to it but I only wanted to go with my beloved
What do you worry about? My family, my nephews
What do you love? Besides life, the ability to be grateful
What is next for you? I don't know but it's going to be pure adventure (if I have anything to do with it that is)
What is life about? Expression
Sakina, 51.17
What is the best age? 51
When do people become old? When they think they are old
What makes you sad? When I lose my control
What makes you happy? Even small things
What is the best place in the world? Home
What do you worry about? My Son
What do you love? My family
What is next for you? Lots of things, I want to do some kind of social service, I don't know what but I want to do something to make myself useful to others
What is life about? Full of sound and fury signifying nothing
![Nachiyar, 51.25What is the best age? 32When do people become old? 50What makes you sad? Worries about childrenWhat makes you happy? ChildrenWhat is the best place in the world? ParisWhat do you worry about? Marriage for [my] daughter What do yo…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ffcd3763a7fa1750fcf72fc/1613007410024-KWMSG062OX47T81PLWOM/Aging-268.jpg)
Nachiyar, 51.25
What is the best age? 32
When do people become old? 50
What makes you sad? Worries about children
What makes you happy? Children
What is the best place in the world? Paris
What do you worry about? Marriage for [my] daughter
What do you love? Husband and children
What is next for you? Daughter's job and marriage
What is life about? Good family
Ben, 51.75
What is the best age? Whichever one you're at
When do people become old? Inevitably
What makes you sad? Existence
What makes you happy? Existence
What is the best place in the world? Where I am right now
What do you worry about? I don't worry about much now. I used to. Consciously not that much but I know there's more on the subconscious level. I don't spend much time worrying about them. Because nothing good comes of it.
What do you love? I tend to avoid the word. I use it in an everyday sense but in the real meaning i find it very hard to use at all . Love has nothing to do with what you say, it's what you do. Neurotic Philosophy.
What is next for you? Another coffee, then death
What is life about? Objectively nothing. Subjectively coming to terms that objectively its about nothing.
David, 51.92
What is the best age? 25
When do people become old? You're only as old as you think you are. You're only old when you think you're old
What makes you sad? When I see other other human beings treating human beings badly
What makes you happy? When you feel a sense of accomplishment when you've completed a task, and when you see others happy
What is the best place in the world?My home
What do you worry about? I have the usual ones, war, pestilence but I also worry about if I'll be there for my children and worry about as a parent, their happiness
What do you love? My children, my wife, being with family and friends that I love. Seeing students and family members enjoying life and seeing a sense of accomplishment
What is next for you? Doing something that will make a difference to humanity and more specifically I want to do something impactful for the students I serve and for my family it's to be there day in and day out
What is life about? Life is about love, about shared experiences with others and doing something that makes a difference
Lynn, 52.08
What is the best age? 40, I like 40 a lot
When do people become old? When they stop learning
What makes you sad? Senseless harm to animals and children. Loss of environment and loss of history
What makes you happy? Animals, my husband, travel, doing healthy things, things that enrich my mind, books, art, learning. Getting out and away from everything- where there's no cell service
What is the best place in the world? I've been a lot of places and that's a tough one, but Whidbey Island
What do you worry about? Health and mortality of my family and friends
What do you love? My husband and family, animals and artwork
What is next for you? Getting my graduate degree, getting dual citizenship [Luxembourg]
What is life about? Making the world a better place, leaving it better than you found it
![Kris, 52.17What is the best age? 32When do people become old? [not asked]What makes you sad? Lost potentialWhat makes you happy? Helping other people and giving them something I create or facilitate What is the best place in the world? The Hawa…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ffcd3763a7fa1750fcf72fc/1613007475499-K43JRD7DRIY26WW4VMBE/Aging-272.jpg)
Kris, 52.17
What is the best age? 32
When do people become old? [not asked]
What makes you sad? Lost potential
What makes you happy? Helping other people and giving them something I create or facilitate
What is the best place in the world? The Hawaiian islands (Kauai because I go with my family)
What do you worry about? Death, handling the impact of death on others and my impending demise at some point
What do you love? Life, potential, love
What is next for you?Living in Hawaii and having my own yoga studio
What is life about? Energy which is live transforming into experience
James, 52.33
What is the best age? 21
When do people become old? I don’t know
What makes you sad? Seeing how the world is
What makes you happy? When I see people come together
What is the best place in the world? Spiritual paradise
What do you worry about? People not recognizing truth (and that includes myself)
What do you love? People
What is next for you? To continue growing
What is life about? Coming to know truth
Deborah, 52.50
What is the best age? This age, whatever age I am
When do people become old? When they lose their enthusiasm
What makes you sad? Loss
What makes you happy? Sunsets
What is the best place in the world? Here, wherever I am
What do you worry about? Giving enough
What do you love? Mornings
What is next for you? I don’t know
What is life about? Connection
Don, 52.58
What is the best age? Life's pretty good at the moment, personally after 40 it's gotten better. More settled in myself, started to figure things out.
When do people become old? It can be when you get sick. My parents have always seemed old. When my Dad started stooping and seeing my mother looking like her mother after her illness. When illness or infirmity takes over. It's easy to say a thought but there is a point where you're overcome by the physicality.
What makes you sad?Irrational violence (physical or emotional). Not having basic financial resources to live in London.
What makes you happy? Friends, being around people I love
What is the best place in the world? Sometimes bed, a comfortable bed, quiet.
What do you worry about? Money. I worry about other things but money is the worst.
What do you love? A lot of my life at the moment, my friends, London
What is next for you? My life has changed a lot in the last few years. What's next is more work and hopefully more money, more of what I'm doing
What is life about? God knows, I don't really know
Donna, 53.00
What is the best age? I like now
When do people become old? My age plus 20 years
What makes you sad? The current political trend
What makes you happy? My family
What is the best place in the world? My home
What do you worry about? My children
What do you love? My family
What is next for you? An empty nest and figuring out how to navigate that
What is life about? Meaningful relationships and making the world a better place. Empowering the next generation.
Willie, 53.42
What is the best age? 30-35
When do people become old? When they feel old
What makes you sad? That I'm not home with my family. That I've made some bad decisions that have kept me from them
What makes you happy? Being able to spend time with my family (during visits)
What is the best place in the world? Home
What do you worry about? Life on the outside, what everyone is doing and how society is treating its children
What do you love? Family- that's basically my life
What is next for you? When I leave here- reuniting with my family and trying to right some wrongs and make a difference
What is life about? Choices and things that make you happy. Things that make your life better and really have a meaning. You want your life to stand for something. One decision can affect it tremendously.
![Richard, 53.92What is the best age? 35When do people become old? [not asked]What makes you sad? Cruelty to other humansWhat makes you happy? Humans using their potential in creative waysWhat is the best place in the world? A place you're surrounded …](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ffcd3763a7fa1750fcf72fc/1613007539976-WIIA11BZ8GQLDB4BGWDQ/Aging-278.jpg)
Richard, 53.92
What is the best age? 35
When do people become old? [not asked]
What makes you sad? Cruelty to other humans
What makes you happy? Humans using their potential in creative ways
What is the best place in the world? A place you're surrounded by love
What do you worry about? Instability of human systems
What do you love? My family
What is next for you? A period where I can realize all of my creative potential
What is life about? Coming to terms with your own individual consciousness
Kimberly, 54.42
What is the best age? 29
When do people become old? When their mind becomes old
What makes you sad? Not a lot
What makes you happy? Living life
What is the best place in the world? Where your heart truly is which could be anywhere at any moment
What do you worry about? How to be my best self
What do you love? So many things come to mind- embracing every moment and everyone who is in that moment
What is next for you? I don't know
What is life about? Learning and growing and evolving from within and sharing the best me with the world
Naima, 54.50
What is the best age? In some sense, 54 (right now)
When do people become old? I'd like to say when they start thinking they are old but physically 60
What makes you sad? That I should have appreciated my time with my daughters more
What makes you happy? When I'm with my [partner] and my daughters and talk with them by phone/Skype
What is the best place in the world? Bed
What do you worry about? Someday I'll lose my freedom because of disease or whatever
What do you love? Touch, people's skin (not everybody, those close to me). I love to feel their bodies
What is next for you? I just started my next stage (divorce). I started modeling last year, I want to express my sexuality and femininity which has been suppressed for a long time.
What is life about? To meet people, to make real connection. Experience everything
Kathryn, 54.58
What is the best age? When I was a teenager parents were so good to me
When do people become old?When they feel old, if they have a lot of medical problems
What makes you sad? When I know people are struggling medically, physically
What makes you happy? Being loved and having my dog around
What is the best place in the world? Home, and Italy and Boston too. Also Ontario, Toronto, Grovenhurst
What do you worry about? A lot, I shouldn't worry but I do
What do you love? Flowers, angels, my dog, my husband, family, friends, so much you can say. And doing genealogy
What is next for you? Heaven knows, I really don't know
What is life about? Life has its ups and downs and thank God we don't know when we're going to die or what we're going to do next.
David, 54.58
What is the best age? Up until 12/14 years old
When do people become old? It depends on the complexity of the challenges that you face and how you respond to them. That shows a level of maturity
What makes you sad? Injustice and circumstances that some people find themselves in that can be seen as unlucky or bad breaks. And conversely the sense of entitlement some people have at their good fortune. Not having a sense of gratitude or humility.
What makes you happy? Family and a balance in life between livelihood and recreation and having time to do the things you'd like to do.
What is the best place in the world? Anywhere that things that make you happy align
What do you worry about? That things are irreversible
What do you love? Things that bring hope
What is next for you? That's the great mystery
What is life about? Hanging on to the mystery, following through and hopefully growing and becoming a better person.
Lut, 54.67
What is the best age? The 40s
When do people become old? At 50 if felt age has an impact on the body and recuperating. In my mind the body is not made to live beyond 80.
What makes you sad? Not feeling well
What makes you happy? The sun, friends, vacation, satisfying work
What is the best place in the world? Somewhere in the mountains, Alaska and I think of Denali
What do you worry about? Aging is probably something I worry about
What do you love? My work, friends, socializing, working out
What is next for you? Currently its very undefined, what I want to do next
What is life about? About feeling happy
Louis, 54.75
What is the best age? I think now (54) because I'm happier now than when I was younger. you take more time at things. My comprehension is better. I feel free. You don't have as much time left, you want to live life in the moment whether that's reading, meditating or doing a 5k run.
When do people become old? When they tend to want to conform to stereotypes of being old
What makes you sad? When people don't get along. People don't communicate as often as they used to
What makes you happy? Six pack of beer and sitting on the beach with my wife
What is the best place in the world? It's in your mind. Where you can turn inward and find inner peace
What do you worry about? The ability to take care of myself. When others have to do things for me. Having to rely on others is scarier than death for me.
What do you love? Living. And the people in my life, especially my wife. It's about people who care about you like family.
What is next for you? To continue to broaden my horizons, travel more and read more
What is life about? Seizing what's right in front of us. Living in the moment
Donna, 55.08
What is the best age? I love my 50s, I think 50 and up
When do people become old? I think that's so individual, depends on the person
What makes you sad? All the discourse right now in the country
What makes you happy? Helping people and having lots of people in my life
What is the best place in the world? The oceans, I like the oceans
What do you worry about? My clients who are on the streets. A very good friend of my who happens to be in jail
What do you love? My family
What is next for you? About to interview for a new job, working out of a street outreach medical van
What is life about? Making life better for everybody here in the here and now. Activism for one another and keeping the earth healthy
Katharine, 55.25
What is the best age? Every era has its own great things about it. Life is so simple as kids, as a teen you're gaining independence but protected, as a young adult you're raising a family. Also now- I have a good life with my husband. We're busy but able to make time and enjoy the two of us.
When do people become old? When their mind becomes old and that could be any age. If they stop believing in themselves and what they can do they can start to become cranky.
What makes you sad? Loss, I'm still missing my Dad and its been 19 years.
What makes you happy? Family being around family and knowing you can reach out to them
What is the best place in the world? 1) Denmark- I loved my time there and the people I got to know and our heritage, and 2) Weatherly, PA where I grew up
What do you worry about? I don't have a lot of worries, like everybody paying bills [getting debt paid off]
What do you love? Family
What is next for you? Hoping to get a promotion at work, hoping my potential is seen so I can move up. In the next 10 years looking at retirement and building up 401k
What is life about? Life has a lot of ups and downs but it’s more about family than anything. They teach you how to deal with ups and downs and love you unconditionally and hopefully will be around you until your dying day.
Kevin, 55.50
What is the best age? 28
When do people become old? 54
What makes you sad? Missing my family
What makes you happy? Seeing my family
What is the best place in the world? Home
What do you worry about? Election results
What do you love? My Grandkids
What is next for you? That's a good question. I don't really know what's next
What is life about? I don't know, those are bigger questions than me