Inspiration for those here who think they're too old to follow their dreams

Parent Cafe
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<p>As a 57-year-old mom who over the past year has started acting in community theater, is taking ballet (something I haven’t done since I was 9), and even has been an extra in a TV movie, I love this story. </p>

<p>Follow your dreams. Don’t worry about being imperfect or looking silly to people who are more earth bound. What matters is following your dreams while you still have the ability to do so. Life is short.</p>

<p>"Ken Mink’s ready for his shot.</p>

<p>The Roane State (Tenn.) senior may become the world’s oldest college basketball player on Monday. He’s no ordinary senior. The last time Mink played college hoops, Dwight Eisenhower was President.</p>

<p>The 73-year-old hoopster has garnered plenty of attention in his return to the court…</p>

<p>When the Raiders open their season against King College, the Guinness Book of World Records will be paying attention. “Inside Edition” will have a film crew on hand.</p>

<p>The attention’s nice, but right now, Mink’s more concerned about how he’ll fare. He last played college hoops at Lees College (Ky.) in 1956…</p>

<p>Thankfully, there won’t be a lot of pressure on Mink. Roane, a community college about 35 miles west of Knoxville, is expected to be among its league’s better teams this season. According to its coach, Randy Nesbit, the Raiders are a deep, fairly talented team. If Mink does play, it’ll probably be for a few minutes. But don’t expect him to be left behind.</p>

<p>“He does have his physical limitations,” Nesbit says. “But he’s also got this moxie about him. He’s going to hit his shots if he’s open. You think ‘Oh, he’s 73, he’s going to freeze up. Nope. He’ll hit that 20 footer.”…"
[Mink</a>, 73, ready for shot at hoops history - Beyond the Arc - msnbc.com](<a href=“http://beyondthearc.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/02/1628595.aspx]Mink”>http://beyondthearc.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/02/1628595.aspx)</p>

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<p>NSMom</p>

<p>Great story!</p>

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<p>I’m in my late 40’s. Last year, I took up the harp, and this year I am learning the hula and how to spin wool. I also had a non-speaking role in a small independent film.</p>

<p>It is easy for me to get into a rut, so I keep a running list of “100 things I want to do before I die” in my journal.</p>

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<p>"HARRIMAN, Tenn. - Ken Mink, a 73-year-old full-time student, scored two points Monday night in Roane State Community College’s 93-42 victory over King College’s junior varsity.</p>

<p>Mink entered the game with about 16 minutes left in the second half and attempted one shot in about three minutes. Seven minutes later, he went back in the game, was fouled and made two free throws.</p>

<p>“I found myself on the free-throw line 52 years after my last college game,” Mink said. “I said, ’Just relax and shoot it like you know how to all day long.’ I just floated the shots in there. I’m in the books now. I can relax a little bit.”
[73-year-old</a> scores in college hoops game - College basketball - NBCSports.com](<a href=“NBC Sports - news, scores, stats, rumors, videos, and more”>NBC Sports - news, scores, stats, rumors, videos, and more)</p>

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<p>Here’s another great story, from the NYC marathon–</p>

<p>Ms. Johnson, a silver-haired, 81-year-old former Minnesota farm girl from San Jose, Calif., competing in her 21st consecutive New York City Marathon. “I want to die running. That’s my goal.” . . . Throughout the summer she ran 50 to 55 miles each week instead of 30 to 35. She ran hills and bleachers at the local high-school football field, and she worked to build up her core strength at a running camp in Minnesota. . . Two decades after she became a marathoner, Ms. Johnson still runs 11 races a year, including three marathons, the 12-kilometer Bay to Breakers race through San Francisco, and the 13.1 mile Securian Frozen Half Marathon in St. Paul each January. “It’s cold as the dickens but it’s so much fun,” she says.</p>

<p>[Over</a> 80, It’s Anyone’s Race - WSJ.com](<a href=“http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122541525316986643.html]Over”>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122541525316986643.html)</p>

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<p>:)</p>

<p>I’m young yet, but I sometimes get overwhelmed thinking of all the things I “have” to do before it’s “too late.” Hearing that, yes, silly, life goes on… it’s one of those things I logically know and understand, but have a hard time integrating.</p>

<p>Spreading my list of things to do over 50 years instead of 10 makes it all seem a lot more doable. :smiley: Not to mention knowing that changing that list won’t be the end of the world, and it’s never too late.</p>