KANSAS CITY- As the state's population continues to age, a growing number of Missourians are realizing there's much life to be lived after navigating adulthood and the traditional career path.
Consumer health expert Janet Taylor cited a steady shift over the years, as more people are determined to seek out meaningful life changes in their older years, from career to health to relationships.
"In fact," she said, "the sentiment is that, at 50-plus, 60-plus, 70-plus, we're not done yet in terms of realizing our passion and our purpose, and how to incorporate more of that into our daily lives."
To help those seeking changes spark some ideas about what they want to accomplish and how to do it, Taylor will join Dr. Bill Thomas on Thursday in Kansas City for a performance as part of what's called the "Second Wind Tour."
Taylor said the production is free to attend and uses a unique blend of theater, video and music to challenge the conventional narrative of decline in midlife and beyond.
"You can come and get information and inspiration," she said. "There's music. There's a movie. It's nonfiction theater, but really meant to inspire you."
Thursday's performance in Kansas City is one of many events connected to the AARP program known as "Life Reimagined." Taylor described it as a sort of personalized guidance system, including online tools to help people dust off their dreams.
"As we get older, people start looking and saying, 'You know, I have less time in front of me than behind me,' and the reality is, there's more than enough time left to do what you want to do, as long as you make the most of it," she said. "And 'Life Reimagined' helps you make the most of the time that you have left."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the aging of the Baby Boomer generation means the nation's 65-and-older population will nearly double by 2050.
More information is online at lifereimagined.aarp.org and at secondwindtour.org.