Even at One Hundred and One

You're never too old to live into Ikigai

At 101, Sarah Yerkes published her first book of poetry; she signed copies recently at a book party in the District. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Woman publishes her first collection of poems...at 101!

Sarah Yerkes published her first book of poetry after turning 101 years old.

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While being published at her age is undoubtedly inspiring, it wasn't the big takeaway for me from Sarah Yerkes’ story.

The most inspiring thing was this was only her latest pivot.

Sarah studied architecture in college and became a landscape architect through an accident of timing.

She later became an accomplished sculptor, building on things she knew from architecture, and she did that until her 80s when it became physically challenging for her.

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Poetry

It was then that Sarah made the pivot to poetry.

Kendra Kopelke, her co-editor, said about Sarah, "When you are older, you have to adapt to a smaller universe, but you bring to that all the tools you have learned throughout your life and apply them in new and interesting ways."

Her poetry teacher noted she brought elements of sculpture to her writing.

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"I never fully understood how satisfying it could be to shape, build and form a piece with words rather than with wood, aluminum, stone, and iron pipe."

Sarah Yerkes

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I love the example here; at each point in life, we can pivot and bring along a part of what we were or knew before, incorporating it into the new 'thing.'

It's never too late to be who you were meant to be, to live your Ikigai.

Or, for that matter, it's never too late to find a new and unique way to express it.

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🌀 How about you?

🌀 Time to explore something new?