Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life

You’ve just hit 50 and you are now aware that you are in the second half of your life. What are you going to do with the rest of your life? 

You know what you don’t want to do. You don’t want to spend your life sitting in front of your TV watching show after show or spending hours playing computer games.

Sage-ing International is an organization that honors living the second half of your life in a joyful, fulfilling, and beneficial manner. It is also known as conscious aging. 

We now live longer and spend more of our retirement years in reasonable health and energy. As we grow older, we wonder what our life will be like as we age. We don’t want to spend these years in poor health.

Originally founded by Reb Zalman with his book, From Age-ing to Sage-ing, he described Sage-ing as a “program of spiritual growth that can empower you to add more years to your life and more life to your years.”

Sage-ing involves living your later years with purpose. You learn how to harvest the wisdom of your life and pass it on the next generation.   

It also involves personal and spiritual growth, developing closer connections with friends and family and developing new passions. Serving others is also an important part of Sage-ing. 

It can also give you strength to handle successfully difficulties such as a death of someone close to you or a health issue involving you or a family member.

There are nearly 1,000 members who have embraced Sage-ing International. This organization has an active website at www.

Sage-ing.org where you can learn about books and films that explore later life, find out about a Sage-ing Chapter in your area, discover an upcoming Sage-ing event, receive a quarterly newsletter, and make connections with others who also are seeking a meaningful life. 

You can sign up for a free six-month introductory membership that will include access to the newsletter, the members-only web site, and discounts on training workshops, conferences, books and CDs and DVDs.

Further training to become a Certified Sage-ing Leader is available to members. This involves a year-long process of supportive learning and practicing Sage-ing techniques. 

Having gone through this process myself, I can say that this has helped me live a more meaningful life and also handle the difficulties I have faced in the aging process.