How Active Agers spend their Leap Day could say a lot about them

by Jeff Weiss

It’s 2020 and that means that we are about to celebrate Leap Day, which you may know, is the the result of the Earth’s period of orbital revolution around the Sun taking approximately six hours longer than 365 whole days. A Leap Day compensates for this extra time, realigning the calendar with the Earth’s actual position in the Solar System.

People born on February 29^th are often called “leaplings” or “leapers”. I think that it would have been cool to have been born on a Leap Day, but I’ve never actually spoken to anyone who was, so I’m not sure if the cool factor outweighs the hassles. In any event, notable individuals born on February 29^th include:

Tony Robbins who will turn 60 (or is it 15?) this year;
Dinah Shore who would have turned 104 (or 26) if she was still alive;
Pope Paul III who was born in 1468 and would have turned 138 (in Leap Day terms) this year;
And, of course, Superman, who was brought to life by DC comics on Leap Day, 1938.

As certain annual occurrences, beyond holidays, like the summer and winter solstice are often observed with special activities and celebrations, I thought it would be fitting to pull together a top 5 list of activities Active Agers might do to celebrate (or at least spend time doing on) Leap Day, 2020. I think the exercise also helps shed some light on the things older generations enjoy or value the most.

#5. Take a day trip – visit someplace that you have never been to before (and will likely never go to again). Travel and experiences are huge with Active Agers and what better way to make Leap Day extra memorable.

#4. Watch the romantic comedy Leap Year – if you are into romcoms, Amy Adams and British hottie Matthew Goode travel across Ireland in search of Amy’s boyfriend who she plans to propose to. Research shows that romantic comedies are most popular with people over 45.

#3. Purchase Summer Olympics gear – Leap Years coincide with the Summer Olympics, so get your gear and start cheering on your country! Studies show that people over 55 tend to watch the Olympics more than younger groups, so why not get a head start!

#2. Write a letter to your future self – describe how you would like to see yourself in four years and don’t open it until February 29, 2024. Our insights about Active Agers suggest many would like to look back on themselves as having enjoyed a lot of continuing education, new hobbies and better health and wellness.

#1. Try something new – Leap Day is a perfect reason to take a leap of faith and do something that you have always wanted to do. With travel, new experiences and hobbies a big part of the Active Ager lifestyle, Leap Day is an appropriately named day to venture into the unknown!

Happy birthday to all Active Aging leapers out there!