As children, birthdays are generally filled with joy and excitement, but as time presses on, feelings of fear and anxiety can tend to creep in — at least, they did for Al Roker. Recently, while preparing for his 70th birthday on Aug. 20, the “Today” show anchor sat down with Oprah Winfrey, who shared her perspective on aging.
“There is a sense of knowing that there isn’t as much time left, and I am at peace with that knowing,” she said when asked about her mindset at 70. “There’s a sense of urgency for me about living well.”
For Winfrey, who celebrated her 70th birthday in January, reaching this milestone was not something she imagined as a child.
“I remember many, many years ago as a young girl, I had always thought that I would never make it to the 60s or 70s. I had this number in my head that I thought, OK, I will be out by then,” she said, explaining how growing up on welfare in Milwaukee shaped her perspective on aging. “[So,] I was excited to make the number.”
However, Winfrey also noted that taking care of her physical health helped shift her perspective; something she acknowledges she may not have been able to do had she stayed in her childhood circumstances. According to the media mogul, undergoing knee surgery in 2021 catapulted her journey.
“[It was] the best thing I’ve ever done,” she admitted reflecting on how debilitating her pain was before surgery. “I really felt like I’ve had a new opportunity to live inside my body in a way that I hadn’t been able to for years because [of] being overweight — and being overweight causing the knees to be even worse.”
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Having faced her fears head-on, Winfrey encouraged Roker not to be scared of his new milestone.
“Don’t be scared,” she said. “What is amazing is that your heart is pumping, pumping, pumping, pumping for you for 69 solid years, almost getting you there to 70. It has been doing that right on time, just for you!”
Despite some initial nerves about turning 70, Roker shared his belief that “age brings whoever you are into sharper relief,” which Winfrey echoed.
“I think I have just aged into a form of myself that is wiser, that is certainly stronger, that is more vibrant and aware and conscious than I’ve ever been,” she said.
Part of that growth has come from what she calls her “greatest gift”: the ability to live in the present moment.
“I’m not a worrier. I will worry about the thing when the thing shows up,” she explained. “Because no matter what’s going on in your life, you can compartmentalize and be just right here, right now.”
