Keep Moving – The secret to youthfulness

I attended a concert last night.  Cyndi Lauper opened for Cher.  Cyndi is 60 and still having fun and entertaining others.  Cher is an icon.  She looks Fabulous at 68.  These ladies love what they do.  Cyndi had a lot to say to the old folks who remembered the things she was talking about and to the young ones in the crowd she said “Look it up.”  in her delightful Queens’ NY accent.  It was a great evening.

What keeps them so youthful?  I think it has a lot to do with attitude.  They are very different people.  If I were to observe for direction and orientation, and I did, I would identify Cher’s orientation as past.  She talked about her past accomplishments and much of her show was spent reminiscing with video of her from the past. Rather than move toward the crowd, she moved away.  I know that sounds strange but she didn’t engage that much.  Between songs she disappeared to change costumes.  She looked fabulous and reminded us that that was what she was there to do. Cher has always been a differentiator.  She works at adding beauty to the world … her own. And there is a melancholy about her that she hides with costumes and fabulous acts on stage with her.

Cyndi on the other hand, is present oriented. Her album is remastered and rereleased to freshen it up.  Although she talked briefly about the past, she responded to the audience in a very present kind of approach and she sang from her heart for us, songs we knew and songs we were less familiar with. She was sharing in the here and now.  She knew where she was.  She entered through the crowd wearing a red serge jacket and a tan hat as a tribute to the Mounties.  She also did one or two songs in a Calgary Flames jersey. She moved TOWARD the audience.  We could not escape her. She was in our faces and we all loved it.  Cyndi is a take charge kind of girl who is going to make sure that girls and everyone else have fun.

In both cases the youthfulness comes from a strong sense of self and a willingness to keep moving, to keep doing what you did when you were young so that you can maintain that feeling.  When it stops being fun I know they will stop.  Cyndi does it because she can.  She is doing musicals and taking shows on the road because she loves it.  I think Cher does it for others … her fans … who adore her and remind her how fabulous she really is.

Thanks to both of you for crushing the ‘granny’ stereotype.