Jenness Hobart: Aging Into Things

Jenness Hobart shares how her life experiences have changed as she ages.

“I’m aging out of certain styles,” said my 78-year-old friend. “I’ll never wear three-inch heels again.”

I laughed. “Nor cheese cloth smocks. Not that I that ever wore cheesecloth.”

Even as we laughed, we know there are many things we’ve aged out of. Clothes are easy. Other things are difficult to come to terms with. For example, I’ll never trek to [Mount] Everest’s base camp again. Or climb Half Dome, which I last did at 60. I’ll never expose myself to a sub-zero spa, even though it “promises” longevity. I’ve aged out of getting another Labrador. As much as I love Labs, my next dog will be small and senior. I’ve aged out of driving on the freeway in the dark, though I still night drive to the small town close to where I live.

I’ve aged out of being the youngest person in a yoga class. In truth, I’ve aged into being the oldest and often the only Baby Boomer. I was a mover and shaker in my 50s… a time when I felt invincible. I taught in a community college, cared for my daughters and hosted political meetings.

Nowadays, I’m finding other activities to age into. And I’m proud to be inspiring high school students through my nonprofit. A nonprofit that raises awareness about animal issues through a contest of essay writing and making videos, inspiring young people with decades ahead of them.

I might only have one more decade left, but the contest inspires me, even as I see what I’m aging out of. But I still hike and I do around eight  thousand steps daily. Plus, I take comfort in the fact that my 90-year-old friend plays tennis twice weekly. Although I probably won’t age into twice weekly tennis, I believe in the next decade there are still so many wonderful things for me to age into. With a Perspective, I’m Jenness Hobart.

Jenness Hobart runs a nonprofit to raise awareness of animal issues. She lives in Woodside.