Ten Signs You’re either a Perennial or Late Bloomer

I saw on my Internet home page a few months ago that Davy Jones, of the 60’s band the Monkey’s, died of a heart attack – he was 66.  That’s a good twenty to thirty years earlier than the average baby boomer.  The 66 year old's I know are in excellent health and are very interested and involved in life.  What happened to Jones?  That’s a good question and one that I probably will never know, but what I do know is that being a late bloomer, that is someone who continues to grow and develop and yes bloom late in life, or those who are perennial bloomers, the ones who have been blooming all along, are the ones who have the last laugh and enjoy life well into their 80’s, 90’s and beyond.  I have identified ten things that separate the early bloomers who die young and the perennial and late bloomers who live long soulful lives. 

1. They move into new things and new challenges as they move along in life and don’t hang on to their youthful exploits and accomplishments.
2. They value and respect their age but do not deny it or focus on it.
3. They make sure they continue to learn and grow throughout life and do not allow thinking about “getting old” to enter into their belief system or their self-talk. They do not engage in jokes about this. 
4. They take care of their bodies, their minds and their spirits by eating right, exercising, being optimistic and having faith in their abilities to negotiate the course of their lives, no matter where it takes them. 
5. They have identified their gifts and talents and are using them in service to something bigger than their own comfort and pleasure.
6. They avoid negative thinkers and those who accept aging as a slow slide into oblivion by by remaining engaged in the mainstream of life.   
7. They know that making a contribution to the greater good is what’s really important to a well-lived life and they are busy doing that.
8. If they have unfinished business from the past they make a point of attending to it and learning and growing from what has happened to them along the way. 
9. They forgive those who have hurt them and ask for forgiveness from those they have hurt and then they let go, disengaging from any on-going conflict, chaos or old resentments. 
10. They are grateful and reverent about life whether they do this via a religion spiritual path or simply by living each day feeling blessed.   

My guess about Davy Jones is he tried to hang on to his rock star status and this is simply not possible for the long haul.  He needed to move on from that into something that allowed him to grow and develop and also to give back what he had been given.  I see this, at least, at this time, with Steven Tyler, now in his early 60’s, who became a judge on American Idol last year.  He’s still holding on to his rock star image, but is also moving into a more mentoring stage of life.  Of course, the jury is still out on him. It will be interesting to see if he can truly transition into a musical sage rather than someone who still wants to perform with the twenty year old's. 

But that is what he will need to do or do what Bob Dylan has done, continue to perform but get into art or something else as well.  Dylan has authored three books of his drawings and his artwork is now on display in a prestigious gallery in NYC. 

So, whether you are a perennial or a late bloomer, rejoice in your life, it’s better to bloom late than never to have bloomed at all. 

Blessings, Lorraine