You Are Never Too Old to Take a Joy Ride!

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the Amazon commercial entitled “Joy Ride” with the three elderly ladies sledding down the hill, I hope you will take the time to watch (it’s only a minute long). Prepare yourself to have tears sting your eyes, or as what happened to me the first time I saw it, flow freely.

Overview

Three elderly ladies, life-long friends, are sitting on a park bench, sipping hot cocoa, while watching children squeal with delight as they are sledding down a hill on, what surely was, a much hoped for snow day. The camera pans across each of the ladies’ faces, obviously reminiscing on what it was like to be a part of that fun “way back when.”

One of the women has her cell phone in her hand and the camera zooms in as she touches the “purchase now” button on the Amazon site. Next, we see a box arrive at her house. She, then, takes the package to their next “sleigh ride watching” excursion. As she hands one of her friends the box, we first see a quizzical look that quickly changes to mischief on their faces when they see seat cushions inside. The scene cuts to them getting settled on their sleds with that soft layer safely in place to protect their “bums” and off they go on their descent down the hill.

The look of pure joy on their faces and the surprised faces of children who just stop and watch in awe as they slide down the hill is priceless! In a flashback moment reminiscing years gone by, the camera once again zooms in on the lady in the middle and we watch her seasoned face, and those of her girlfriends, being transformed into faces of their youth. Just as quickly, the camera brings the focus back to the present. As they landed safely at the bottom of the hill, giggling like little girls, they did not hesitate to turn right around to head back up that hill again!

My Lifelong Friends

While Christmas is, and should always be, first and foremost the celebration of the birth of Jesus and what that means to the world, it is also a season of reflection that can encompass myriad emotions. This commercial sure stirred up plenty in my heart. It made me miss my college girlfriends, with whom I am thankful that we get to have our three-way phone calls connecting us from Kansas to South Carolina to Kentucky. They bring much needed humor and wisdom to me when I need it.

I so appreciate my bestie from high school going out of her way to make sure we connect every time she gets within a “sniff” of Kentucky in her constant travels and work for the Salvation Army. Facebook recently brought back my “long lost” suite mate from my freshman year in college. At our small Christian College, we four of us girls had a blast and made many memories together.

I have three beautiful blood sisters—sadly, one lives in northern Minnesota and we do not get to see her enough. I am thankful for my baby sister, Starr, who started a new girls night tradition three years ago and hosts a delightful pajama party night to watch “White Christmas” with the Blakeman girls local, our precious mom, and a dear friend.

With all of these little groups of women, there have been so many incredible memories and it would be amazing to be able to go back and repeat some of our fun times we had in our youth. We have all traveled our own roads of joy, heartbreak, grief, and success. We have the bond of lessons learned. Thankfully, through it all, our deeply rooted Christian faith that has sustained us all.

Choose Joy

As 2023 ends, what I simply want to convey to this “Living Your Best Life” Sixty Plus audience, is that I am going to continue to look for, abide in, cling to, bring as much as possible to others, but mainly, choose JOY in all circumstances as I am barreling through my sixth decade—and, I pray, for several more beyond.

I have so enjoyed reading the blog posts from this Best-Life inaugural year and am so thankful for the wisdom and the fun and poignant messages that have been shared. Thank you so much!

I also want to thank Amazon for giving me this “Hallmark Moment!” For sure, they outdid Hallmark this time.

Lastly, if, today, you are finding yourself in a difficult time, I want to leave you with some words that speak louder than any I can convey and that I hope will help you wake up in 2024 with peace.

“May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

“Rejoice in the lord always; I will say it again, rejoice.” Philippians 4:4. 

May the Lord bless us and keep us all and let’s never get too old to take a Joy Ride and to get right back up and head up that hill again and again! Happy New Year! 

---

Debbie was honored to serve as Ms. Senior America 2023. She holds a degree in Vocal Performance and has performed across the continental U.S. and abroad. She’s also a talent and interview coach for Miss America Scholarship Organization contestants, high school and college bound performing arts students, and conservative political candidates. Debbie is married to Scott Robbins. They have one son, Jackson, born when Debbie was 44. He is now a Freshman at the University of Louisville.