Saturday in honour to those who don’t grow old …
I am usually reluctant to write too much about women who are not dead; mainly because they are in a position to answer back. However I feel I must write in honour of Maya Fiennes. If only because she mentioned at least three of my ‘favourite’ women and my favourite painter in one paragraph. I would like to write about them; but could never do them justice in my self inflicted word limit. So they are best left to the experts.
Maya; in her book Yoga for real life discusses the contribution ‘elderly’ people make to society. Those such as Pablo Picasso who continued to produce innovative works of art until his death at ninety one.
And Barbara Castle, the Labour minister who broke new ground for women in British politics, was still active in the House of Lords right up to her death in 2002, aged ninety one.
Then Maya mentioned my all time favourite author Doris Lessing who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 2007; when she was eighty seven and she gave a powerful speech on global inequality.
Popular and classical music if full of icons old enough to ‘qualify for a free bus pass’ in particular Maya considers Tina Turner who is my most- liked female rock star who seem to go on for ever.
In this context Maya Fiennes suggests that we should not use lines such as ‘ I am too old for that’ instead we should be saying ‘I am wise, capable and I can do anything’
