It is never too late to start

This is my first blog post ever. I was inspired by the election of Dagny Carlsson as Sweden’s Senior of the Year. Dagny is 104 years old and presumably the oldest blogger in the world. 

Grattis till Årets Senior Dagny Carlsson! 103 år och bloggare. Korad av @SPFSeniorerna https://t.co/ljRuCt0VdC

— Seniorval (@Seniorval) January 29, 2016

She started her blog a few years ago – at the age of 100. In a recent TV documentary, she says that she is not a hero like The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, but just an ordinary old lady, with a healthy curiosity. I would disagree – she is amazing. It should be enough to say that she is 104 years old and blogging, but there is so much more.

Born as a girl in the beginning of the 1900, she could have ended her story as an ordinary garment factory worker in a bad marriage, with no opportunity to realize her dreams.  But she broke free, got an education at age 37 in post-war Sweden, and met the love of her life. The story could have ended after the death of her beloved husband 10 years ago, but she started all over yet again. Many of her girlhood dreams have come true, and she has finally learned to believe in herself. She had always dreamed of teaching, and now she leads computer courses (!) for much younger seniors and inspires others to follow her into the digital age. She had wanted to be a writer, and now she has her own blog with over a million visitors. It is not a coincidence that the blog has become very popular. Apparently, she applies several tools for writing a successful blog; She writes as she talks, she is very self-confident and she expresses clear opinions. She writes about everyday things and has found her style which goes like a common thread through all her posts; a catchy headline with an appropriate image, short paragraphs on the point, a twist of humor and occasionally a pointer. All in all, her posts are coherent, easy to read and just very entertaining. No wonder that she attracts a broad range of readers of all ages, and manages to both engage and build relationships.

She says, “My life began at 100, and I never felt so good as now.”

This story reminds me never to give up, that you can come really far with an open mind. By applying life long learning you can always adapt to changes, even at 104. It is never too late to start.

I think this is a real story of sunshine. Although it is hard to imagine anyone’s story could measure up to Dagny’s, stay tuned — there are many more stories to come!