Like many celebrities who found fame in their younger years, Diane Keaton is still adjusting to this wise new chapter of her life. What she loves most about older age, it seems, is the confidence and freedom that comes along with it.
"I tell myself I'm free to do whatever the hell I want with my body,” she writes in her memoir, Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty. “Why not? I may be a caricature of my former self; I'm still wearing wide-belted plaid coats, horn-rimmed glasses, and turtlenecks in the summertime. So what? Nobody cares but me."
She also writes, "I don't see anything wrong with face-lifts or Botox or fillers. They just erase the hidden battle scars. I intend to wear mine, sort of." The actress told People that she takes on the physical changes of aging with time on the treadmill, flattering hairstyles, and lighting.
One thing she knows for sure? She doesn’t feel any less vibrant in this phase of her life. “I never understood the idea that you’re supposed to mellow as you get older,” she told AARP Magazine. “Slowing down isn’t something I relate to at all. The goal is to continue in good and bad, all of it. To continue to express myself, particularly. To feel the world. To explore. To be with people. To take things far. To risk. To love. I just want to know more and see more. The best part is that I’m still here and, because the end is in sight, I treasure it all more.”
Diane stays joyful and grounded through gratitude. “Every day for the last few years I have a little chat with myself,” she writes in her book. "Okay, Diane…your hands still wash your face. You can still feel hot water. See's Candies peanut brittle is still your favorite dessert. The wild parrots on the telephone wire outside your bathroom still sing to you every morning, and just like them, you're still a live animal. Be grateful for what you have, you big jerk…stay curious, energized and engaged, and to let go of your concerns as much as possible.”
Research has found that gratitude is greatest in older adults! And gratitude is continually linked to well-being, no matter what age you are (9). It’s a great approach for cultivating joy no matter where you are in life.