“If I don’t exercise at least once a day I’m unhappy. I stay in shape and that’s important,” she says.
Adjusting goals to meet circumstances
In order to maintain her routine, Kimball made adjustments when circumstances arose. But she hasn’t let them hinder her from pursuing her passions. In fact, every experience, positive or negative, has strengthened her accomplishments.
She had always dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail in six months, but a 1992 stress fracture changed her plans. Kimball simply adjusted her goal. She hiked the trail in 200-mile increments, one month at a time, starting at age 61 and finishing at age 71.
Her next challenge was one faced by millions of women: breast cancer. But her healthy body and positive attitude helped her overcome it.
“Doctors don’t usually give chemotherapy to people my age, but because I was healthy and active, they did,” she says. “It gave me time to do things I usually don’t have time for, like write. I worked through [the illness] by doing other things I love.”
From life lessons to public speaking
While Kimball’s outdoor experiences have kept her healthy and in shape, they have also taught her the life lessons she presents in her keynotes and workshops for Make It Happen!
With topics like “Overcoming Obstacles to Achieve Your Goals: Life Lessons Learned from Long Distance Hiking” and “Risk Taking at Any Age,” she uses her experiences to express how older adults can break from negative stereotypes.
“There are things in our culture that discourage older people. I call it ageism, which as in racism, people assume they know all about a person based on that one characteristic of age or race,” she says. “I think the best way to tackle it is to be active, be adventurous, and do what you want no matter what other people say.”
Confronting ageism
Organizations like The Erickson School, Social Response to Ageism, Gray Panthers, AARP, and International Longevity Center—U.S.A. join Kimball in the fight against ageism as one of the biggest challenges facing older adults today.
“Ageist stereotypes may discourage some older adults from defying the images of older people as Ms. Kimball is doing. They may see the price of social disapproval and select the easier path of conformity,” says Leslie Morgan, Ph.D., associate dean of The Erickson School and professor of sociology.
“Society needs to progress to a time when Emily Kimball’s actions will just be one of many ways older adults choose to pursue their interests and goals,” she says.
A trailblazer in every sense of the word, Kimball embraces retirement as an adventure. Whether exploring a challenging hike or presenting to a crowded room, she continues to follow her dreams, her passions, and her goals.
And she encourages others to do the same. “I’ve had my obstacles, we all do, but this can be a very exciting time of life. Try new things, visualize your dreams, and make them happen.”
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