How would you describe being 60 years old in 2 words? That was the deceptively simple question that I recently asked the women in our Sixty and Me community. Why “deceptively simple?” Because, shorter definitions are often the hardest to give. As Mark Twain once said, “I would have written a shorter letter but I didn’t have the time.”

Who Cares What Being 60 Years Old is Like?

The answer to this question has important implications for older and younger women alike. Older women are often bombarded with expectations. Whether we like it or not, our behaviors are strongly influenced by what society expects of us as we get a little older. It has only been recently that we have started to fight back against aging stereotypes and live life in our own way.

For younger women, getting older is traditionally something to be feared. What most of us fail to realize is that being 60 years old is actually amazing. Of course, there are the inevitable aches and pains that come with life after 60. But, on the whole, most women my age say that this is one of the best times of their lives.

Whether you are 16 or 60, I hope that the following 2-word descriptions help you to see that getting older is something to be embraced. We all see life after 60 slightly differently. At the same time, the great majority of us are grateful that we made it this far and optimistic about the future.

Here’s How 224 Women Describe Life After 60 in 2 Words

Prasenna: Best ever

Helen: Bloody marvelous

Faye: Promise granted

Anne: Looking ahead

Judy: Enjoying retirement

Lana: Getting better

Margaret: Never busier

Pam: Feeling great

Margaret: New career

Sonia: Healthy and grateful

Lynda: Life altering

Cecile: Having fun

Susan: Ignoring age

Theta: Spring chicken

Mary: Loving wrinkles

Carol: Newlywed at 74

Glenna: Happy and alive

Beverly: Fab and sexy

Cathy: Loving myself

Pauline: Feel sixteen

Shari: Still working

Carol: Loving it

Susan: Very comfortable

Sue: Absolutely amazing

Marsha: Hearty and happy

Gail: Absolutely fabulous

Pat: Free and full

Marian: Better than alternative

Jinny: Full of adventure

Jacquie: New start

Melanie: Absolutely fantastic

Marcia: Best time

Nancy: Amazing and unexpected

Barb: Freaking fantastic

Maurita: Aching but grateful

Jeanne: Still trying

Natalie: travel and (more) travel

Mary: Wonderful and marvelous

Edith: Good health

Denese: Happy days

Marilyn: No worries

Flourine: So blessed

Rita: Getting forgetful

Judith: New chance

Cherril: An achievement

Suroia: Still learning

Vickie: Loving life

Kathleen: A blessing

Robbie: Made it

Mary: Calm spirit

Mattie: Reflecting on life

Wendy: My time

Ginny: Very blessed

Anita: Audaciously wonderful

Nancy: Groovy baby

Jackie: Be yourself

Susan: Loving life

Cindy: I’m 60?

Stella: Achy joints

Brenda: Still learning

Carol: Still young

Betty: Anti-aging

Michelle: Life affirming

Leni: Saggy bits

Gail: Knowing myself

Sandi: Just a number

Maureen: All good

Rose: Rockin’ it

Angela: No difference

Cynthia: Surprisingly young

Lucy: Mixed Bag

Deborah: Loving life

Josephine: Wanting love

Bridget: Freaking awesome!

Donna: At Peace

Marielos: Wise and complete

Denise: Absolutely fabulous

Sandi: Feeling great

Jan: Joyously alive

Dee Ann: Life changing

Lorraine: Another chapter!

Viv: Recycled teenager

Kimberly: Loving life

Donna: Less mobile

Cecile: Having fun

Beth: Not bad

Margaret: Wonderful and marvelous

Leslie: Completely content

Karen: Amazingly interesting

Cynthia: A blast

Roxane: Lots of fun

Barbie: Aches and pains

Susan: Beautiful life

Helene: Not old

Marilyn: Amazing and exciting

Carol: Very different

Renate: Pretty amazing

Juanita: New beginning

Laurie: Healthy and happy

Joanie: Bloody lovely

Mary: Pretty good

Lulu: Love it

Cynthia: Loving life

Barbara: Very grateful

Margaret: Still young

Kim: Liberatingly good

Carol: Exciting and adventurous

Suzie: Sheer bliss

Donna: No different

Claudia: Thankful and blessed

Patricia: Relaxing time

Barbara: Complete peace

Rose: Truly fabulous

Susan: Surprisingly easy

Elsa: Doing good

Jeanette: Bloody terrific

Darlene: Very scary

Thea: Healthy and happy

Maria: Loving life

Michelle: Feeling free

Jane: It sucks

Kathy: Embracing travel

Kathy: Very cool

Carol: loving it

Vicki: Feeling free

Olivia: Loving and healthy

Hamida: Grateful and fabulous

Sheri: Always busy

Hendrikkien: Fabulously beautiful

Shirley: Retirement soon

Annette: No different

Valerie: Bit elderly

Janice: Utterly fascinating

Lins: Loving life

Barbara: New journey

Carol: Unexpectedly fun

Donna: Goodbye youth

Rhonda: Content and excited

Ann: Very lucky

Sheri: Life changing

Deirdre: Just wonderful

Vera: Still working

Catherine: Zumba dancing

Deby: Not bad

Lana: Discovering and reinventing

Maggie: New 50

Bea: Made it

Patricia: Crazy good

Marylin: Wiser but slower

Paula: Loving life

Sheree: Retirement please

Vickie: Life changing

Jennifer: Very blessed

Nanni: Still enjoying

Rita: Very happy

Beverley: Slightly barmy

Janet: Still young

Jane: young heart

Ella: limit-less

JoAnn: Love it

Darla: Trusting God

Ann: Incredibly blessed

Juanita: It’s ok

Deborah: More accepting

Beverly: Mind changing

Donna: Awesome and liberating

Jacqueline: Blinkin’ brilliant

Coralee: woo hoo!

Margie: Real contentment

Diane: Feels amazing

Sandy: Eye opening

Chris: My way

Linda: An adventure

Lynne: The pits

Rhonda: Simply fabulous

Anne: Just fine

Carolyn: Made it

Sue: Awesomely freeing

Linda: Still learning

Carole: New and different

Mattie: Counting forward

Caren: Be strong

Tamara: Only a number

Janet: Very scary

Deb: Toward forever

Jodie: Happy and contented

Liz: Still adjusting

Trish: Very peaceful

Kat: Completely amazing

Brenda: Big adjustment

Trish: Great fun

Suzi: Life is good

Rita: Loving life

Dee: Love it

Chrissie: Absolutely fabulous

Nola: Still kicking

Familia: Simply wiser

Rebecca: Ever onward

Teresa: Feeling great

Gail Dow: Working progress

Joy Lyons: Bloody amazing

Deb: Reality check

Anni: Sadly painful

Patty: Worth it

Nancy: Six oh!

Linda: What happened?

Christine: Droopy saggy

Margo: An adventure

Yvonne: Me time

Pam: Happy age

Janice: Nailed it

Susan: Inner peace

Margaret: Good times

Mirela: Mostly contented

Kathie: Richly blessed

Donna: The best

Ginny: Much fun

Judy: Grateful and excited

Kathy: Appreciate life

Janice: Me time

Ann: Always busy

Linda: Learning experience

Elaine: Adventures await

Linda: The best

What I love about these responses is that they show that life after 60 is nothing like the world assumes that it is. The great majority of women over 60 are living interesting, passionate and authentic lives. We are all grateful to be alive during this time of such amazing possibilities. For many of us, after years of compromising, we are ready to live on our own terms. We are living with: passion and verve.

How would you describe what being 60 years old (or better) is like in 2 words? Please join the conversation.