I was thinking that there needs to be a new word to replace "senior" in our language. I was thinking that aging brings about change....physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual changes. The new word needs to describe that transformation....so I began to think of butterflies and the change they undergo getting there. Metamorphosis came to mind...and then "metamor" emerged from that word. Now, not everyone who is getting older can be a "metamor".

I see this word only applying to people who embrace the changes associated with living a longer life. I see metamors as people like my mother who are positive despite difficulties that she encounters as she ages. I see metamors as people like my friend, David, who is still advising a Boy Scout troop at age 95 or Vi who is still teaching classes at age 97 or Richard who continues to write books into his 80s. I see metamors as people who don't retreat from life. They see themselves contributing to the world no matter what. Their bodies and even their minds can be failing them, but they still see themselves, at their core, as people who can give and receive love and much, much more. If an older person wants to become a metamor, they must "metamorph". In fact, someone could say, I am "metamorphing" instead of saying "I'm retired." Metamors view every day as a GIFT and they say "Bring it on!" to each day of life. I like the idea that Metamor means BEYOND MORE. Let us all aspire to be a metamor as we age!