Opsicocious: Late Blooming Courage – Expanded Thoughts

A Note to Readers – It might help to know that this post is an expansion of my thoughts from an article posted in May 2026 on Chip Conley’s wonderful website, The Modern Elder Academy in his Wisdom Well blog. If you have come from that post or have arrived here by intention or accident, “Welcome!”  You will find the “expanded content” in bold below.

One evening at “formal hall” at the University of Cambridge’s Homerton College, we witnessed the unexpected: a barn owl named ‘Minnie’ gliding silently through the Old Dining Room, then perching on a camera, and reminded us of a Hogwarts-like wonder.

“Opsicocious” – What in the World?

I’ll get to that shortly – First, that PHOTO! A special thank you to the Communications and Public Relations Department at Homerton College for the use of David Johnson’s stunning photo of Minnie the Owl.

In the attached photos (below), perfect synchronicity was at play. I was seated next to the Principal of Homerton College, Lord Simon Woolley. Lord Woolley was the main reason I selected Homerton College as my home college during the Cambridge Better Futures programme. Lord Woolley is a member of the House of Lords and has a captivating life story.  

I was drawn to his enthusiasm for life, his ability to articulate and his sense of mission and purpose to leave the world a better place.

Minnie moved through the evening air in near-complete silence, guided more by listening than by sight. Watching Minnie, I thought about how wisdom often grows quieter as it deepens—and how that quality of quiet attentiveness might be exactly what later life asks of us.

An Invitation to Explore Life

As I age I hope I’m speaking less and listening more. During yoga class, as I relay cue after cue moving us through our asana and pranayama kriya/sequence, I sometimes wonder… Do I talk too much ?

It also brought to mind a word I had recently encountered: opsicocious. First coined by author Catherine Hiller in HuffPost, it is defined as: attempting new things—showing vigor and initiative—at an age when such behavior is no longer expected. Marked by late-blooming boldness, it is, in a word, the opposite of precocious. Pronounced: ob-sih-KOH-shuhs

As modern elders, activating this quality can be both unsettling and liberating. To do and say the things that truly matter helps us feel fully alive. When we voice our deepest desires and step into that uncertain, liminal space, something opens. We become freer—freer to be ourselves and to serve others.

My husband, Richard and I had already taken one such step, spending a transformative year at Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute before choosing to continue that journey at the Cambridge Better Futures Programme. Each experience confirmed what we were beginning to understand: that curiosity, not youth, is what keeps a life expanding.

After spending an inspirational year, 2019-2020 at the Stanford DCI, we made the choice to continue our University based learning journey at the Cambridge Better Futures Programme in the UK. We also completed a similar six month program at the University of Oxford, Next Horizons, June 2024. Unfortunately after two years the Oxford programme in combination with the Rhodes Trust did not continue.

In Oxford I studied the history of the transnational yoga movement with Sanskrit scholar Professor James Mallinson. We discussed, among many subjects, how yoga migrated from the East to the West at the end of the 19th century. And in Cambridge I studied wisdom teachings and exploring how we might better embody wisdom through the practice of yoga.

Feeling Bold and Alive in Later Years

As a 75-year-old yoga teacher, I could easily become less opsicocious. However, our online yoga group with older bodies, still say yes—to the postures, to the breath, to the willingness to keep learning long after others expect us to stop. Each time we step onto the mat, regardless of how many years we have lived or how many times we have tried before, we practice the art of beginning again.

To live fully is to remain curious. Willing. Available. Quietly bold—especially in life’s third and fourth act.

One’s Evolution to “Modern Elder”

What does it mean to be curious? How many times have you been in a conversation and the other person doesn’t stop talking long enough to ask you a single question? Being curious is getting beyond yourself and demonstrating more interest in the other person. Being truly curious allows you to focus on the other person with genuine interest.

Willing.

What does it mean to be willing? It means extending yourself in the present moment. To feel the aliveness of where you are and to be willing to step into it.

How can you be more generous? Generous in thought, in giving space and being open to the encounter? This can be challenging when you engage with someone who is not fully present. It is an active practice.

Available. Quietly bold—especially in life’s third and fourth act.

Being fully present. Being open and inquisitive. Extending yourself even when you may not feel so inclined. Stay with the process.

What does quietly bold mean? Knowing who you are and not needing to prove anything to yourself or someone else. Quietly bold is to be quietly brave – feeling comfortable in your own skin. When we are quietly bold, we talk less and listen more. We are becoming modern elders.

The Grace and Wisdom of the Elder

The owl is a symbol of wisdom in many cultures, a nocturnal creature that crosses the liminal space between light and dark. Minnie, gliding through that candlelit dining hall, embodied exactly that: the grace of moving into uncertain spaces, undaunted, even late in the journey.

What new learning, new path, or new conversation is waiting for you now…
How might you activate your own opsicocious spirit?

Bonus Questions for You To Explore

If you are truly being BRAVE this year…

What is one thing you might ask for?
And what is one action you can take today toward that ask?

What is one thing you might do differently?
And what is one choice you can make today to begin that shift?

What is the one thing that won’t leave you alone?
And what one step can you take today to meet the invitation?

Simply pick one of these (or another, should it come to mind) and begin.

To be brave requires a step into the unknown, trusting the road will rise to meet you.

A special and very heart-felt note of appreciation to Chip Conley of The Modern Elder Academy for inviting me to share  an excerpt of this post on his Wisdom Well blog. Spending much of his time at MEA retreat center in Todo Santos, Mexico, Chip is an entrepreneur and advocate for the value of wisdom that comes with age. He is an American hotelier, foundation builder, grant maker, author and speaker, who is also on the board of Burning Man. 

Rocky Blumhagen, Modern Elder Academy (MEA) Alum 28 Degrees and Deep River. Oxford Next Horizons Scholar. Stanford DCI, Class of 2019 is a yoga and mindfulness practitioner. To read more about Rocky – Click Here

Read more of Rocky’s posts on Chip Conely’s Wisdom Well blog.

PHOTO CREDIT: Homerton College / David Johnson, Photographer