As far as I’m concerned, the original Star Wars (episodes 4,5 and 6) is the great movie series of all time.  Full of action, romance, good guys and bad guys, they are stories I’ve never grown tired of.  That is why when the last couple of installments came back with my three favorite characters, I was curious as to how they would be portrayed.  How would they address the aging process in terms of the story line?  I mean, every action hero eventually becomes too old for a blaster fight, right?

The movies did not disappoint but as I tend to do with everything, I began to analyze the personalities and compare them to their younger selves and wondered how we could learn from these characters in terms of our own aging.  Sure, it’s a little out there but I’ve always said we can learn something from anything.

Luke, the young man who is impatient to grow up and have adventures, ends up becoming a recluse, hiding from mistakes he felt he made in the past.  Things he can’t forgive himself for.  He was fortunate to have some success as a young man, I mean, helping to overthrow the Empire is no small feat.  But perhaps ego got the best of him as he felt he could train others to do as he did.  When he experienced failure, rather than learn from it and work to make it better, he gave up and disappeared.  His life was over.  His mistakes were unforgivable.  And so he spent his last years living through his mistakes over and over again, until the very end when someone challenged him to help someone he loved.  A death bed effort, so to speak.  It got me to wondering about all those people out there who retire and feel like that’s the end.  They sit in their recliners and rocking chairs, pulling away from the world until there is no one left.  What a waste.

Han is all about himself, Full of bravado, he is the ultimate mercenary until he develops relationships with others whose cause touches something in him.  So much of his personality is doing whatever he has to do to survive and he creates tactics like talking himself out of things to do it.  He’s not about to let anyone know he has feelings for something or someone.  As he grows older, after losing his son, he leaves his relationships behind and returns to what he knows; the seemingly uncaring, fast talking mercenary.  The key here is going back to what he is comfortable with.  No more adventures, no more relationships where he might get hurt.  So many of us as we get older tend to do this.  Same places, same routines, sticking to the familiar.  Feeling too old to have any more adventures or try something new.

And then there is Leia.  Always looking to do whatever she can to save others, fighting against evil.   Even as she grows older, she continues her crusade, despite the hardships of losing her son, husband and brother.  She sees a purpose higher than herself, opportunities to make things better for others.  We marvel at these types of people.  How are they this strong?  How do they face such dire situations and still maintain focus?  How do they continue learning and looking forward instead of back?  Like Luke, she’s done her duty – she could hide away and never look.  She’s faced more than anyone should be able to handle and she could return to an easy life.  After all, she’s a princess.

As I get ready to celebrate my last year in my 50’s, I look at these characteristics and wonder where I am.  I tend to want to stick with the familiar and occasionally want to become a hermit when things are just too much.  I so want to be like Leia as I see things in the world that I want a hand in making better.  And yet so many times I let my past or my fear keep me from doing those things.

The average life span for women in the U.S. is @79 years.  That gives me 20 years, more or less, to either get something done or give up.  What will it be?  Luke, Leia or Han?