00:00:11:19 - 00:00:19:15 Unknown I'm Catherine and I'm Gail. And welcome to women over 70. Aging reimagined, our award winning weekly podcast, 00:00:19:17 - 00:00:26:14 Unknown now in its sixth year. Visit women over 70 that come and explore our offerings and join the aging, 00:00:26:14 - 00:00:37:18 Unknown Reimagined Circle, our free online community where women of all ages connect, share and re-imagine aging as a time of creativity, growth, and empowerment. 00:00:37:20 - 00:00:39:01 Unknown We're glad you're here, 00:00:39:06 - 00:01:01:18 Unknown and today we are delighted to introduce you to Arlene Borner, a 75 year old from Minnesota who proudly calls herself an adventurous, adventurous outdoor woman. From skydiving and rafting rivers to riding her Harley and camping the Boundary Waters, Arlene has never shied away from a physical challenge. But outdoor adventure is only part of her story. 00:01:01:20 - 00:01:35:06 Unknown Over a 36 year teaching career, Arlene worked around the globe, Sweden, Bangladesh, Romania and here in the United States and continues to inspire college students today with her commitment to experiential learning. Arlene is also a devoted volunteer musician, foundation leader, wife of 55 years, and grandmother to five self-described badass grandkids. So welcome Arlene to women over 70 reimagined, and thanks to our earlier podcast, guests, Karen Marino for referring you to us. 00:01:35:08 - 00:01:40:12 Unknown Thank you. That's quite an introduction. Yeah, well, you have quite a story. 00:01:40:14 - 00:01:49:19 Unknown So let's, let's start with this. You describe yourself as an adventurous outdoors woman. So how did this identity take shape for you? 00:01:49:21 - 00:01:55:21 Unknown You know, that's kind of interesting, because very often we don't stop to reflect and think about, okay, where did that all come from? 00:01:55:21 - 00:02:14:13 Unknown But, so, my roots are growing up on a farm. I had to create my own excitement. I didn't ever want to be just bored and sitting around. And so I thought, well, I'll go out in the woods and create all kinds of different things. And actually, my love for being outdoors came out, of being. 00:02:14:15 - 00:02:40:08 Unknown You can take the girl out of the country, but the country, not of the girls. So I really do enjoy, being outdoors, as an adult. I really, I guess my main challenges have been physical. I don't, I don't shy away from other kinds of, challenges, but it just seems as though I kind of gravitated towards physical, challenges. 00:02:40:08 - 00:03:01:23 Unknown And so, that those list of things that you put in the introduction there. Yeah, I, I it's kind of like, well, let's try it, let's do it and, go from there. Many of them were one and done. It's like skydiving. And that was a one and done thing. But, my husband was, the skydiver and someone kind of had to stay home and take care of the kids on the weekends. 00:03:01:23 - 00:03:23:09 Unknown So, I got the adventure. And the same with scuba diving and, a lot of the other things that I've done, I think, I love to move. And so, running has been a big part of my life, running some marathons and lots of tanks and, so, where does it all come from? 00:03:23:09 - 00:03:43:03 Unknown A love of movement and, I actually ended up being a teacher. Never planned to be a teacher. I always thought I would be a doctor, but never got there. But I had done a lot of health and physical education courses, and so I ended up being a physical education teacher and just really trying to teach the love of movement to kids as well. 00:03:43:03 - 00:04:08:02 Unknown And so, yeah, that's kind of where I think it came from, my outdoor farm roots and, just loving to move and, always wanting to try something new. Wow. I know I grew up on a farm, but I didn't necessarily follow in your footsteps. Right? You know, we all have our own footsteps, right? You know, you really say something. 00:04:08:02 - 00:04:35:09 Unknown Sorry. Only that I. I love all those things that you have done that really resonates with me. Oh. Does it? Yes, it does. And yeah, it's great. It's great. Really great. So, well, you you've added to the list of physical activities, just adventures you've been involved in and also skiing. Downhill skiing. Yeah. And I think you continue to do that. 00:04:35:11 - 00:05:00:22 Unknown Probably other things. But talk with us about what do these kinds of, of physical adventures have taught you about, about resilience and, so, you know, I can think of one instance, for example, I love to water ski and I continue to water ski. I remember getting a wetsuit for my birthday at 65 years of age and thinking like, what am I going to do with this? 00:05:00:22 - 00:05:33:15 Unknown Because I'll probably use it for two years and then that's it. And, it actually, you know, having those challenges in front of me, keep me going. I mean, it would be really easy to quit, you know, getting out that, and six in the morning when when it's, 60 degrees out and the lake is glass and you think, oh, would just be so much easier to stay in bed, but I know that I would not be satisfied if I did that, and it would be bugging me all day long that I didn't take advantage of that opportunity. 00:05:33:15 - 00:05:56:12 Unknown And so on. I think the challenges do you know, they're hard and they're not easy to do, and they would be easier not to do them. But you realize that there is a payoff. And, sometimes that payoff is just the exhilaration of having done it, or having achieved a goal. I mean, running marathons are not an easy thing to do. 00:05:56:14 - 00:06:20:13 Unknown And, and, and right now, I think my body is pretty well done with marathons, but they're not done with running. And so, it's a matter of putting those tennis shoes on and stepping out the door and, and, doing it that, you know, that there's a payoff and thus there is resilience there. And you know, that, you know, it's just a sense of accomplishment, really. 00:06:20:15 - 00:06:43:23 Unknown And people get their sense of accomplishment in different ways. You know, not everybody gets a sense of accomplishment from running a ten K, but they're they the hard things create the resilience. I think. You mentioned that you got a wetsuit when you were 65. I think your husband bought you a Harley for your 50th birthday. 00:06:44:04 - 00:07:04:17 Unknown It. Yeah. Tell us about that. Well okay. So my husband is a state trooper and he was totally against motorcycles for all those years that he was working a patrol. And then for some very strange reason, he had a change of thoughts and started writing and, then said that I needed to start to ride and I go like, well, okay. 00:07:04:19 - 00:07:26:05 Unknown So he got me a motorcycle for my birthday. I remember when I got it, we live on a hill, and I would walk it down the hill because I wouldn't drive it down the hill. But, there again, it's the payoff. You know, you get through the hard thing or the challenging thing and, and then you, you feel this sense of enjoyment. 00:07:26:05 - 00:07:50:10 Unknown And so now I've been riding for now, 20 years because, that was a long time ago. And, you really just got home this summer from a, trip around Lake Superior. We've been to Sturgis many, many times, like, 20 times. And, really all over the country interacting with people that we probably wouldn't always interact with. 00:07:50:12 - 00:08:17:19 Unknown I remember going to one motorcycle, event down in Springfield, Missouri, some years ago, and my husband and I drove up to this hotel where we were supposed to be seeing. And there were these tattooed chain gang people that I'm hanging around the metallic. I look at my husband and say, what have we gotten into? And, we got to know these people and actually went on rides with them for probably a good five, ten years after that meeting in different locations around the nation. 00:08:17:19 - 00:08:41:17 Unknown And, so, yeah, it's just you step out and it's rich. It's, it's it's something worth having done and you have a story to tell when you're done. So, yeah, my my sister sent me a photo of you on your Harley when you were stopped by her place up on Lake Superior. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we stopped at her house on the way around the lake. 00:08:41:19 - 00:09:02:14 Unknown It's nice and and so switching gears just a little bit, how did you get into this teaching career that took you around the world? Well, first of all, like I said, I was never going to be a teacher, but I think God knew I should have been. So then that's kind of where I ended up. Didn't kind of that is where I ended up. 00:09:02:16 - 00:09:26:20 Unknown Yeah. And so I love to travel. I wished I did a whole lot more of it than I do. And I kind of deflecting from your question a little bit. My, I, my first experience. Really? Internet. Well, not first, but, internationally, I when I was probably in my 40s, I just needed to decide that I could get around the world on my own. 00:09:26:22 - 00:09:54:22 Unknown And so, I ended up signing up for a teaching, of swimming lessons in Sweden. And so I went off with my backpack to Sweden and this little town called Ursa, and taught swimming lessons there to little kids who didn't understand a word of English. And it was all kind of like mimicking, you know. So there I am, standing on the side of the pool trying to, you know, show them how to do that front stroke or whatever. 00:09:55:03 - 00:10:18:00 Unknown So that was really the first of it. And I thought, you know, adventure with a purpose. Adventure is, getting out of your comfort zone. And so a great way to get out of your comfort zone is to get into a different country. I mean, so many full paths in in Sweden, I can't count them, but, it kind of gave me the confidence to, like, well, maybe I can do something in Romania. 00:10:18:00 - 00:10:40:05 Unknown And so, 2 or 2 of the instances through right through my church where I taught English language is a second language, in Romania, and then also in Bangladesh. And it was it was just, such a rich experience. And there again, you got to be ready to feel like a foreigner in a foreign country. 00:10:40:05 - 00:11:16:19 Unknown And, I remember one incident with, teaching Bengalis, English. And so we were talking about you always contextualized the other teaching. And so the context for today's class was the zoo. And, and in, in what's in your town and what was, what would you bring me to see? And, and so one of the students in my, Van Gali English class said to me, well, I'd bring you to see the Jew, and I go, the Jew, you know, like, what with the Jew, you know, and and so I went home to my host family and I said, what is that all about? 00:11:16:19 - 00:11:38:17 Unknown And they said, it's the zoo, and I'm going. I go, oh, the zoo. And, yeah. So just kind of entering into the willingness to be laughed at and to feel like, okay, well, I learned something there. And I guess these Westerners don't know everything there is to know about the world. So it was it's been very rich. 00:11:38:19 - 00:12:06:00 Unknown It's curious. You were in your 40s. Were you married with children at that time? I was, and my kids were a lot of that work. I, I just left them, yeah. They they were independent. And so I just said that was great. I mean, I, I well, I did find out one thing, that I really missed my husband, which was really kind of a nice thing to find out. 00:12:06:02 - 00:12:30:19 Unknown Here I am. I think I need to be independent. And yet, I found out that I still needed him so that that was cool. That is cool. Were you awake for long periods of time when you did this? Actually, no. 2 or 3 weeks. It wasn't months at a time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm also curious, how did you find these positions? 00:12:30:19 - 00:12:55:06 Unknown What did you do to do that? I'm sure. Okay. Like to know one the the Sweden one. Was through, the University of Wisconsin, I think, and they offered a teaching abroad thing, so I signed up for that, the Romania one. Our church had, partnered with a church in Romania. And so, I made the connection there. 00:12:55:06 - 00:13:27:06 Unknown And then, also, we were, we knew some friends in Barnes and Desch that, we connected with, and they had an English school there. And so I said, okay, I'm on my way. So, it was personal connections, church connections, school connections. All right. Yeah. Thank you. So you seem to be, you know, very driven by service and creativity and adventure and say a little bit more about how this feeds your, your, your sense of purpose. 00:13:27:06 - 00:13:57:07 Unknown You've talked about purpose with, adventure with purpose. So can you say more for what purpose means to you? Yeah. Yeah. That's a delicate road to go down. Purpose can be very selfish. I think, you you always look for things that fill you up and to keep you happy and all of that. But I this purpose goes beyond that. 00:13:57:09 - 00:14:28:05 Unknown And, sometimes, you don't discover your real purpose until you stick your neck out, you know, and you discover that you, that you have something to offer, and, and that becomes the purpose, for that time and, and as I am in my retirement right now, of course, I taught all these many years, you know, your purpose changes, but it doesn't. 00:14:28:07 - 00:14:56:05 Unknown And I'm still at a college, and I'm still, interacting with students. I think one of the. I might be jumping questions here, but I think one of the things that's so important to me is that kids realize that there is a connection between what they learn in a book and what the world has to offer. And, and, so when I was teaching in that, school system, service learning was huge. 00:14:56:05 - 00:15:24:22 Unknown And that was just a great way to learn about the world and yet realize that they had something to offer. They had a voice. And, I've been trying to get kids voices for a lot of years, and, now I'm working with, future teachers in the teacher ed department and, and helping them discover that they have a voice and so, I think purpose comes from life experience. 00:15:24:22 - 00:15:35:00 Unknown And, discovering about yourself as you go through life. I like that. Me too. Right. 00:15:35:02 - 00:16:10:24 Unknown That was about these five grandchildren of yours. I'd love to, I have three granddaughters and two grandsons. And they are badass. And the reason that they are is, that they don't shy away from, shy away from failure. They're willing to try, a three of them are, college athletes where they've worked a long time, discovered the real dedication of of putting good work into it. 00:16:11:01 - 00:16:37:15 Unknown And, the one that isn't the athlete has worked very hard and and runs a social media. Presence for, companies, you know, so, they just, don't sit around and wait for life to happen. Let me give you an example of, my two granddaughters that are now both in college. Well, three of them are at their tumor. 00:16:37:17 - 00:17:02:02 Unknown So I took them to Arizona. Because I like to take my kids, my grandkids on, like, a senior trip. Okay. And so the two oldest I brought to the Cannes Grand Canyon rafting, which was an experience in of itself. It was crazy. It could have been on a sitcom show. But anyway, the two that I took to Sedona for hiking the only time that they were available was mid-July. 00:17:02:04 - 00:17:22:00 Unknown Yeah. Okay. So okay, so the temperatures are like in the upper 90s, and, these two girls are out there hiking away. And there was one day in particular, we had cold things around our neck, and we had big slashes of ice. And, and they said, we are not going to quit. We are going to finish this hike. 00:17:22:02 - 00:17:52:02 Unknown And yes, go, girls. You know, they just don't quit. And, I love that about them. And that's what's made that successful. One is, Division one hockey player, the other one Division two volleyball player. They're they're just, they're just good kids. Yeah. Is that sound like a grandma? Yep. Sounds like a very proud grandma. And one who was a terrific role model for them. 00:17:52:04 - 00:18:14:17 Unknown Yeah, yeah. And you're very. I'm sure your perseverance and resilience and all the joy you get from the things that you do has rubbed off on them. They see that. I can only hope. Thank you for sure. They go back to this being married for 55 years and being away for a few weeks and discovering that you really you really missed your husband. 00:18:14:23 - 00:18:41:03 Unknown So what's the what's the the secret sauce here? I have about 55 years. You know, I've been asked that actually several times. It bottom line, it's commitment. Thing that things are not always easy. But, learning and growing with the person that you committed to when you were 18 years old. You know that that is it simply is commitment. 00:18:41:05 - 00:19:07:02 Unknown And, he's been great. He's been giving me that. He's he's supported my career. And, and so, I was given an award for, I don't know, teacher of the year or whatever it was, and, and I had to give a speech and, and in that speech, I said, you know, it's almost one meals, you know, are you familiar with ones? 00:19:07:08 - 00:19:33:04 Unknown They're they're not anymore. Are they discontinued? But it's like, you know, TV dinners, all those years and, you know, he I think it was sometimes where it was like, frustrating for him and, and, I just appreciate the fact that he supported me and in my career and in my adventures and all of that. And and it turns out that motorcycling really is something that we really share. 00:19:33:06 - 00:19:53:18 Unknown And, he doesn't share water skiing other than that he pulls me, which is very nice too. And he would get up like at six in the morning, get in the boat. So yeah, it's it's a give and take and a commitment to each other. I know you live in Chaska and you've been you've mentioned water several times. 00:19:53:20 - 00:20:18:11 Unknown You have a you have a lake home. Awesome. We do. Yeah. We have a lake. And, I'm just so thankful. It's been a place for our family for 30 years. Some. Yeah. Yes. And do you all gather there? 4th of July is the big deal. And, we have, histories of 4th of July and the last three years. 00:20:18:11 - 00:20:44:03 Unknown We, started a pickleball tournament. And so the family plays a pickleball tournament every 4th of July. One year, my, granddaughters formed a waterski pyramid, and we skid around the lake, in the in the parade. In the boat parade. So just everything. And now it's interesting because, the three older, grandkids have significant others. 00:20:44:05 - 00:21:11:04 Unknown And so now they're joining in the craziest, too. So, yes, we do have family gatherings. I'd like to be a fly on the wall. Yeah. How do you intend to keep adventuring as you move along here? Well, I kind of just. I don't know that I have plans. I have a bucket list. I would love to travel more. 00:21:11:06 - 00:21:34:22 Unknown I'm going to keep skiing as long as I can. Both snow and down and water skiing. I would really. I love to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I don't know if that's going to happen or not, but but, we'll have to see. I just want to stay open to what God has for me in terms of where I am and what I'm doing. 00:21:34:22 - 00:21:55:20 Unknown And people always ask me, you know, are you going to retire? And I said, well, I am retired. And I'm doing exactly what I want to be in my retirement. So, yeah, it it's good to go. And as long as I have health and, and mobility and all of that. Does my body hurt sometimes? Yes. 00:21:55:20 - 00:22:21:08 Unknown It does. You just, say, okay, but get moving and it may go away. So. So, yeah, I guess my plan is to keep going. Keep moving. It's great. So is there a myth about aging that you would like to just bust wide open? Oh, I would love to bust a myth wide open. Just because you're not a digital native does not mean that you're irrelevant. 00:22:21:10 - 00:22:55:14 Unknown I think that that is the bane of my existence. You know, in in college life here now, it's like, you know, everybody's much more digitally native than I am. And then and then I think another one is that that retirement is, is, kind of a Western cultural concept. I don't know that the rest of the world speaks as much about retirement accounts and all of that, and it it really isn't, it isn't a construct in which you slow down. 00:22:55:14 - 00:23:25:06 Unknown It's a control construct in which you rediscover and, and, and actually have the opportunity to try new things. I think another, myth might be that, reading glasses and hearing aids don't define old, you know, and nor does a number. So, yeah, I guess those are myths that are out there. So it could mean there are out there for sure. 00:23:25:08 - 00:23:53:01 Unknown Yeah. For sure. So I think you've you've, you've really talked about this already, but just how do you think about your own aging process? You know, that's an interesting question. I would be lying if I didn't say that. I'm rebelling. I, I know that I'm not as strong as I was. I know that I, I don't run marathons anymore. 00:23:53:01 - 00:24:19:15 Unknown I do run, but I don't run marathons anymore. And I don't like that, you know, but it is what it is. And you don't quit because of it. So, if I were to say, oh, I love aging, I don't, I don't, and to be honest and, and I think what I'm doing is just keeping a mindset that that's positive. 00:24:19:20 - 00:24:42:20 Unknown You can get really easy into deficit thinking. It's like, oh, does this hurt? Will I hurt this? What if, even especially on my motorcycle, you know, like, what if and and, I just really guard myself against that thinking I it comes to my mind. I look at it and I see, okay, that's deficit thinking. You're not going to go there. 00:24:42:22 - 00:24:55:08 Unknown And that's and that's not the same thing as denial. It's the difference in that. Yeah. Although I would like to deny aging. 00:24:55:10 - 00:25:18:03 Unknown So the what ifs don't serve us. Yes. Right. Is that what you're saying that you know, now we have to put them aside and just keep keep doing what we think we can do. Amen. On on our farmer guest talks about the three days of aging. 00:25:18:08 - 00:25:19:18 Unknown Acknowledge. 00:25:19:20 - 00:25:21:17 Unknown Adjust and accept. 00:25:21:19 - 00:25:24:16 Unknown That seems to me that's a lot of what you've been talking about 00:25:24:18 - 00:25:25:17 Unknown those are good. Yes, 00:25:25:17 - 00:25:27:13 Unknown I can identify with that. 00:25:27:15 - 00:25:28:16 Unknown Keep moving. 00:25:28:18 - 00:25:29:14 Unknown I'm always 00:25:29:19 - 00:25:31:12 Unknown Well, motion is lotion 00:25:31:14 - 00:25:37:23 Unknown according to physical therapist. Yes it is. I write that down. Yeah. With all the other things. 00:25:37:23 - 00:25:38:18 Unknown I'm running out. 00:25:38:23 - 00:25:44:16 Unknown Well, Arlene, thank you so much for being with us. This has really been a pleasure and fun for us. 00:25:44:18 - 00:25:48:03 Unknown you for the work that you do. I mean, it's great. Yeah. 00:25:48:05 - 00:26:06:16 Unknown and, listeners, we're glad that you're here with us and we thank you for listening. Your loyalty helps our community thrive, and we invite you to get more involved in the aging, reimagined circle and your voice as we challenge myths and create challenge myths. 00:26:06:16 - 00:26:42:17 Unknown That's what we're doing here. Challenge myths and create bold new narratives about women and aging. Visit women over 70.com to learn more. Women over 70 is proud to be part of the Age Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro aging voices. This week, we share the spotlight on wellness when this Wednesday's hosted by gerontologist Sally Duplantier, these free and recorded webinars feature experts on topics about healthy aging. 00:26:42:19 - 00:26:47:06 Unknown Visit my Zing life.com to learn more.