In GRAB BAG, I share extra stories, discoveries and gems that don’t quite “fit” anywhere else on my blog — but are too good not to share. Kind of like a piñata or a mystery box: you never know what’s going to be inside! Enjoy!
Portraits of men and women in their 80s and 90s, who have enjoyed substantial and celebrated careers are asked : why their love’s labor is not lost but still to be found. Why do they persist with their work and creative endeavors? To what end is the unceasing effort to discover or create something new? Why not just rest?
The answers show a hunger for knowledge, a passion for creativity, a feeling of ongoing youthfulness, and awareness that because time marches forward undaunted, one must keep seeking the joys of being alive.
This article was an inspiration — a breath of fresh air in this youth-infused culture and a sense that for everyone, the best years lie ahead.
Some of the profiles include:
• Carmen Herrera, painter, 99, in her Manhattan studio. Herrera sold her first painting at age 89. Today her work is in the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Modern.
• Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 81, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
• Ginette Bedard, long-distance runner, 81. Bedard will run in her 12th consecutive New York City Marathon this year.
• Ellsworth Kelly, artist, 91.Last year, President Obama presented Kelly with the National Medal of Arts.
• Carl Reiner, actor, 92. Reiner published his second memoir, ‘‘I Just Remembered,’’ this year.
• Frank Gehry, architect, 85. Gehry’s latest project was the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, an arts center sponsored by the LVMH Fashion Group.
• Betty White, actress, 92. White currently stars in the TV Land original sitcom ‘‘Hot in Cleveland.’’
Find great work. Do great work. Unlock every door in your way.
Image: Erik Madigan Heck for the New York Times.