Gladys Knight is slowing down-finally!!

When the Empress of Soul Slows Down, We Should All Pay Attention

Gladys Knight is slowing down.

And somehow, that makes me think about all of us.

The legendary Empress of Soul recently announced that she will begin performing less frequently as she moves into what she calls the “next stage” of her career and life.

Gladys Knight is 82 years old.

I plan to see her perform Friday at Dallas’ Riverfront Jazz fest and I suspect I will be watching her differently than I might have years ago.

Of course, I want to hear the songs. I want “Midnight Train to Georgia.” I want that unmistakable voice that has provided the soundtrack for love, heartbreak, joy and perseverance for generations.

But I will also be watching an older woman navigating one of the hardest questions aging eventually asks all of us:

When is it time to do less?

That question may be particularly difficult for Gladys Knight because performing isn't simply something she does. It is something she has done almost her entire life.

She began singing publicly as a little girl in church in Atlanta. Before she was five, she was already performing. At seven, she gained national attention by winning Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour. Soon afterward, the family group that became The Pips was formed.

Think about that.

Gladys Knight has essentially been working since childhood.

For more than seven decades, people have applauded when she walked into a room. They bought tickets to see her. They called her name. They waited for her voice.

How does someone simply walk away from that?

Most of us will never have to retire from being the Empress of Soul, but many of us will face our own version of that question.

Who am I when I am no longer the pastor?

The teacher?

The executive?

The physician?

The business owner?

The person everybody calls when something needs to be done?

One of the great myths about healthy aging is that the goal is to keep doing everything we did when we were 40, 50 or 60.

It isn't.

Healthy aging requires something much more difficult: discernment.

There comes a time when wisdom may mean doing fewer concerts, accepting fewer invitations, relinquishing some responsibilities, traveling less or allowing somebody else to take the lead.

That is not failure.

That is adaptation.

Recent performances by Knight have generated concern among some fans and people around her. There have been reports of moments when she appeared confused or physically challenged onstage. Knight and her representatives have pushed back against speculation about her health, and none of us watching from the outside should attempt to diagnose her.

But we can acknowledge something larger.

Aging changes us.

Our stamina can change. Our balance can change. Our memory can change. Our recovery time can change. And sometimes the people who love us can see changes before we are ready to acknowledge them ourselves.

That is why healthy aging requires more than exercise, nutritious food and regular medical appointments. It requires the courage to continually ask:

Is the way I am living still serving me well?

Gladys Knight's decision also challenges another idea that I believe hurts older adults—the notion that slowing down means life is over.

It doesn't.

She says she wants to spend more time on projects with her husband and visiting her grandchildren.

That isn't retreating from life.

That is choosing how she wants to spend the life she has.

There is a profound difference.

For decades, Gladys Knight gave the world her voice.

Perhaps this season is about listening to another voice—her own.

And maybe those of us who are aging alongside her should listen too.

I will applaud when Gladys Knight walks onto that Dallas stage Friday.

I will applaud the songs.

I will applaud the extraordinary career.

But I may applaud something else even louder.

I will applaud an 82-year-old woman beginning to recognize that there can be another chapter after the chapter that made you famous.

Because healthy aging is not about proving that we can still do everything.

Sometimes healthy aging is having enough wisdom to decide that we don't have to.