There is a certain freedom that comes with tackling new things when you are a little older.
You care less about what other people think.
You let go of secret dreams of being rich or famous or being good enough to represent your country.
You know that worthwhile achievements take time and gumption and that the glow inside as you tick off a bucket list item could light the night.
And you also know that life can be very short and – to borrow from Lemony Snicket — if you wait until you are ready, you will be waiting for the rest of your life.
So you dive in, dig in and give whatever it is a red-hot crack.
By the time this is published, the dust will be settling on the Mooloolaba Triathlon.
Thousands of athletes will have pushed themselves in three sports back-to-back, with most achieving some sort of personal milestone even if they didn’t break actual records.
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Half of this year’s Mooloolaba Tri entrants were first timers.
I will have been one of them, an enthusiastic newbie in the surging, seething sprint event field.
At the start of the year I had never ridden a road bike, but a generous friend lent me one and also joined me in training.
My athletic and multi-talented Beloved took on the role of patient coach and chief encourager.
My longstanding weekly exercise regime was diversified to include lap swimming, something I had not done since high school.
Importantly, a few more similarly-aged daredevils I know made completing a Mooloolaba Tri event their goal too.
And there is the key: community. Being open to finding your tribe and joining with others in the challenges we take on is a very Sunny Coast thing to do.
The Sunshine Coast is heaving with communities of mature people who dare.
Surf clubs are a classic example, but there are groups and sessions for triathlon, walking, bowls, tennis, squash, swimming and trail running that are pitched not just at the elite athletes, but at the slightly older, gutsy triers.
It makes sense, given the last Census showed the median age of a Sunshine Coaster is 44.
At USC, where I work, more students are deemed mature age than are not, with a surge in recent times.
COVID-19 carved its signature on the nation’s jobs landscape and ways of life, but also pushed more people to study their way towards a new career.
I have been in the mature learning space, too. In my 40s, I earned a Masters degree, then a PhD – and I learnt to surf. All were life changing in their way.
My first surf lessons with Robbie Sherwell’s XL Surf Academy were with other ocean lovers of my vintage. Today, our surf breaks – where diversity abounds – are peppered with people in their middle years united by a love of the brine.
It is said that your vibe attracts your tribe.
And doing something surprising is the new black. Why? Because, as the years roll by, why not?
Jane Stephens is a USC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.
