The crowd poured into the Boston Garden, a mix of young and old, to see the rock band Rush on their “Fifty Something” tour. I had to laugh when I looked up the ages of the two main band members, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, who played full-on for more than two and a half hours. Both men are 73 years old.

How was it possible for these two septuagenarians to play so well for so long? As I watched the two men on stage, I marveled at their boundless energy, their mastery of their instruments, and their endurance. By the end of the show, they looked like they could keep playing, while I felt exhausted just watching.

One of the biggest challenges of aging is the expectations we set for ourselves. Many of us believe we can keep doing what we’ve always done, even though our capacity has changed. It certainly seemed that way while watching the show. I kept thinking, isn’t it amazing what we can do when fueled by passion, regardless of age?

But passion was only the beginning of their story.

As I dug a little deeper into how Geddy and Alex were able to tour and perform over 50 shows, I learned about the relentless hours spent relearning old songs, the steps they took to get into solid physical shape, the need to lower the keys and invest in vocal coaching, and the crazy number of times they rehearsed full shows before ever getting on stage.

This info is important because embarking on a Fifty Something tour at seventy-three and performing the way they did reinforces a message about aging that can be misleading. Most of us simply can’t do what we’ve always done without paying a hefty price. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. For example, when I continued my CrossFit workouts a year longer than I should have, I ended up with minor injuries that required major rehabilitation. While I loved challenging my body by lifting weights in dynamic ways, that experience taught me that loving what you do doesn’t mean doing it the same way as you age.

Rush’s show was terrific, and their concert left me inspired, knowing we can keep doing what we love decades after midlife if we’re willing to work with reality. We may no longer be the person our minds remember us to be, but we can adjust our expectations, accept our limitations, and adapt how we operate to better care for ourselves. After all, the goal isn’t to do what we did at thirty or forty, it’s to keep doing what makes us feel alive at any age.

Love,

Cheryl

P.S. – The drummer, Anika Nilles, is a beast and a brave woman to take the seat of the deceased and much-beloved former drummer Neil Peart. She was remarkable.