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Source: The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.迷你倉Dec. 30--Here's a look at how a few area baby boomers defied the concept of "old age" and went big and bold in 2013 with adventures of a lifetime. Their advice to others in the older generation: don't let age define your dreams or desires.Jen Ballantyne, 60, Gonzaga University law studentJen Ballantyne questioned her quality of life: spending 42 weeks each year on the road selling software. Her sons were raised and educated. She was financially stable. Yet retirement just wasn't an option for this lifelong learner who wanted to work at something more fulfilling.With her husband's backing, Ballantyne applied to Gonzaga University School of Law and the couple moved from Dallas. Ballantyne will be 61, the oldest in her class of about 150 law students, when she graduates in May."It sounds unusual but to me it was kind of the next step," Ballantyne said. "A lot of people my age are just settling into old age."Besides, her grandmother lived to 97. By Ballantyne's calculation that gives her perhaps 20 or more working years. That means she has time to pursue law school, specifically elder law."There's no reason we can't keep working and using our brain and helping other people who have a need," she said.But three grueling years of law school? Ballantyne admits it is extreme and that she was "a bit naive" about the commitment, but for her it is the right choice and a fantastic intellectual challenge.She's not alone. One of her closest friends is in her 50s, a former stay-at-home mom who is in her second year of law school.Most of her classmates, who are younger than her children, are open and 儲存倉riendly."Other people think it's weird someone like their grandma is in class with them," she said, shrugging off the thought. "Having life experience makes a huge difference when helping people with their life."Some of her clients at the school's elder law clinic, which provides free legal services to low-income clients, are relieved they don't have to tell their problems to a "kid." She feels privileged to help, she said, telling of a client forced to live in his car after being evicted because of a glitch in state law cost him his housing subsidy.Ballantyne developed an interest in elder law after six years of caring for her mom, who had Alzheimer's disease. She knows firsthand what people are going through with their aging parents and spouses.But the seed of law school was planted long before. When she graduated from journalism school in 1974, her dad was willing to help with law school. She refused to meet his conditions, so Ballantyne went into telecommunications.Her youngest son, an attorney whose in-laws also are Gonzaga law grads, also encouraged her academic adventure. Ballantyne currently has an internship with local elder law attorney Lynn St. Louis, who moved from Seattle to care for her ailing parents and changed the focus of her practice from insurance to advocate for the elderly and their families. After graduation and passing the bar exam in July, Ballantyne will start working in elder law."It's not for a living," she said. "It's for a life."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) Visit The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.) at .spokesman.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉最平