Playing as I do… headshot, filter, watercolour. Oh, and I went on Fiveaa to talk about the ‘Day of the Older Person’ 1 October that we celebrate each year.

1 October — International Day of Older Persons

GreyMatter has been banging on about inspired and inspiring over-50s since we launched in 2024, although the thinking behind it began more than a decade ago. We’ve spent years asking questions about what ageing really looks like when we move beyond the usual stories of decline, retirement and slowing down.

Getting older doesn’t mean becoming less relevant. If anything, it can give us something increasingly valuable: perspective, experience, curiosity and the freedom to become more fully ourselves.

Age is part of our story, but it isn’t the whole story.

So, for International Day of Older Persons on 1 October, we’re inviting you to think about your own next chapter.

What have you taken up, learned or explored recently that would have surprised your younger self? Is there a chapter of your life that people might never guess simply by looking at your age? What are you working towards now — a project, a passion, a relationship, an adventure — and what is it that makes you excited to get out of bed and keep going?

And perhaps most importantly: what does purpose mean to you now?

Purpose doesn’t necessarily arrive in the form of a job title or a pay cheque. It might be caring for someone, volunteering, making something, learning something new, building a business, contributing to your community, travelling, creating, performing or simply being there for the people who matter.

My friend Paul (pictured) was a wonderful example. In his seventies, he was still travelling around Australia, running a business and planning his next adventure. He didn’t seem to regard 70 as a finish line. There was always another idea, another place to explore, something else to do.

That’s the thing about getting older: there are still new skills to learn, relationships to build, places to go and experiences to have.

We don’t know how many pages are left in our story. None of us do. So perhaps the more interesting question isn’t How old am I? but What’s next?

And if you could offer one piece of wisdom to someone who is worried about getting older, what would you tell them about the perspective you have now?

Because we’re not finished.

We’re still becoming.

As Helen wrote in our Facebook group chatter, “I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis 12 months ago after years of pain and inflammation, and for a while I worried that getting older meant losing myself.

It doesn’t. It means you finally listen to yourself. You learn to nourish your body instead of punishing it, and to surround yourself with people and energy that helps you heal. Getting older isn’t about losing value.

It’s about finally knowing your value. Amen 🙏”

^^ yes! What Helen said!