An introduction to a multi-part series on Living a Full Life in our 50s, 60s, 70s and Beyond…by New York Times #1 Bestselling Authors Richard and Linda Eyre.

What a time we live in! What a time to grow old in! Even if you are just barely beginning to get a little tiny bit old (like, you are in your 50s) it’s time to start thinking about what we like to call the Autumn of life.

And if you are in your 60s or your 70s or beyond, it’s imperative to think about this life stage and how to make the most of it.

Everything changes in the Autumn, and like the leaves turning to their most bright and beautiful colors, this stage of life can be our peak.

Baby Boomers, the largest generation ever, are all now in their 50s and 60s. Those at the vanguard of the generation are starting to discover the even better decade of their 70s. And it is the best time in all of history to begin to “get a little age on us.”

For one thing, we have longer to live than any previous generation—and more years to live healthy! For another thing, because of the size of our generation, everyone is catering to us. And most importantly of all, we Boomers and Beyond in the Church have the insights that make this a truly exciting time….the only instance in eternity when we have the learning experience of aging, and of learning from this marvelously mellow and opportunistic time of life.

In this series of a dozen articles or so, two each week here on Meridian—we will explore the vast and exciting possibilities that exist for us within our world and within our Church. We will talk about many aspects: about various perspectives that will help us approach this life-phase positively, about “best practices” that others have used to maximize this time, about the advice that 85 year olds give us and about what they would do differently if they had their last 30 years to live over again.

This series is meant to be a guide to we Autumn of Lifers—one that will help us live this season with more gratitude, more optimism, more joy, and more contribution to those we love most.

If you happen to be a Baby-Boomer-or-Beyond, join us here each Tuesday and Thursday. And if you are the child of a Boomer age parent, read along, and forward the articles to your parents.

This series will challenge you to be more deliberate, more proactive, and more on the offense in the Autumn of your life. It will dare you to set a longevity goal and then to do all you can to meet that goal. It will discuss the whole idea of legacy and of what you may want to create and build within your family for the generations to follow. It will discuss fun and quirky ideas like “bucket lists” and “senior adventures.” And it will get deeply into the things you have to protect if you want to reach your goals of longevity and legacy—your health, your wealth, and your faith.

Each article will be brief, about the size and length of this introduction—just enough to think about for that day, just a couple of points or ideas each time for you to consider and think about.

When we speak to audiences of Boomers, we often begin by asking how long they want to live—what age they would like to achieve, how old they want to be with they die. The interesting thing is that the results seem to cluster, with one large group saying they would just as soon check out in their mid seventies, before they lose their capacities or their health and before they become a burden on others.

Another large group says they want to live just as long as they can—well into their nineties and even to one hundred, because they are so curious about what the world will be like by then and because they want to see their grandchildren marry and present them with great grandchildren.

We will be discussing this kind of thinking and making recommendations about what is the healthiest and most productive ways to think about all aspects of the Autumn of life—because we have come to believe that the more constructively and creatively think about it, the better it gets, both for we who are living it and for the children and grandchildren whom we can help, mentor, and support.

We welcome your comments here on Meridian. In fact we value your inputs so much that we will keep a list of all who comment on this article and on all of the articles in the series, and when it has all run, we will have a drawing from all those who have commented and pick a dozen winners to whom we will send a personalized, signed copy of our book by the same name—Life in Full.

So join us each Tuesday and Thursday, ponder the ideas we will present, share them with your friends and family, and align with us in the exciting goal of making the Autumn of our lives the best season of all!