Earlier I’d written about our lives divided into 3 acts, like a play, and the third act makes sense of the first two. That was from a book Jane Fonda wrote. It was the first I’d heard of that description, and I found it an interesting consideration.

Now there’s a documentary coming out on Fonda’s life. It refers to the Five Acts in her life, reorganizing the film material into an act for her father and each of  her three husbands, with the fifth being her relationship with herself. At 81 she claims she never felt better, and is grateful for each step and act that led her to this moment.

I recently returned from visiting my mother, who celebrated her 95th birthday. The night I arrived, she told me she had watched a show and in the discussion about the book The Power of Now. The interview covered how our strong reactions or negative interpretation of what people say may actually be coming from how we think, and not necessarily what they mean. And we can have body pain associated with that.

Mom went on to describe a personal example and how watching this show helped her to  decide to change her behavior. She could see how her reaction got in the way of meeting new people in her retirement village. WOW. She called it a teachable moment, the student was ready to learn. I guess this conversation amazed me and warmed my heart. In the days that followed I experienced her changed reaction in some of our dealings, what sometimes could be defensive, now felt loving. Ahhh like a beautiful breeze.

So how many acts in life do we experience I wonder? Life and living look different from the generation before. The path ahead isn’t forged. It unfolds.

And we have some mighty ageilicious women sharing their way.