I've interviewed a couple of neat older women this week. One of them, Dorinda Clifton, just wrote a book of memoirs about growing up in Hollywood. She was a lead in a couple of movies back in the 1940s -- "Girl of the Limberlost" and "Marauders" with Hopalong Cassidy -- as well as a chorus girl in lots and lots of others. She lived in Europe in her 60s, teaching theater to university students in Prague. Now she is 76 and getting ready to launch a one-woman book tour out of the back of her van, traveling around the country on her own to promote her book, "Woman in the Water." I'm amazed and hope I will have done have as many interesting things as she has when I am 76.

The other lady has not had as many colorful adventures as Dorinda--she is getting in the paper because she makes pine needle baskets by hand. But I liked what she had to say. She is 85 and says she has never been bored a day in her life. She makes these intricate baskets, paints oil paintings, plays the piano, has traveled to Portugal and England, has more grandchildren than she can count, even some great-great grandchildren--and just seems very happy.

It's inspiring to me, as a younger woman, to see older women who are still active and loving life. In our culture there is such a glorification of youth, as though the years before you turn 30 are the only years that are worthwhile, the only times you can do anything meaningful. It was refreshing to chat with women who aren't letting life pass them by just because they are past some arbitrary age.

Here's to Dorinda Clifton and Catherine Muir. I hope that 50 years from now I am as accomplished as these two ladies.