I’m coming up to 68, in a passionate, new relationship, developing several big business ideas, travelling around the world, moving home but not sure where or even which country. Life is certainly not slowing down, far from it. And as long as I have my health, physically and mentally, I am sure it never will.

Saying no to adventures has never been my style and since becoming single and selling my eponymous PR agency at the beginning of the nineties, I’ve pretty much said yes to all opportunities that have shown up, even reality TV, on the understanding that I will learn something from the experience. And indeed I have.

Unexpectedly becoming a single woman in my forties, my two children in their teens wanting to follow their own flow and having a parachute of money earned from selling my business, I went on retreats, workshops, spoke at conferences, travelled and lived in other countries and met wise and not so wise women and men from all over who taught me so much.

I am sure I’m not alone when I say that my regular refrain of ‘I will find happiness when I… sell my house, find a man, write my new book, teach this series of retreats, feel financially secure’ and so on was just my own inner destructive voice taking me away from the appreciation of the moment.

I began to understood that learning, listening and experiencing life introduced me to incredible riches of knowledge and wisdom. I appreciated that it truly was the journey not the destination that would allow me to join the tribe of wise woman I admired and that one of the advantages of age was indeed the years themselves.

I’ve learnt to trust my intuition rather than follow my head. I now recognise my patterns in time to pull back from another rash action and I listen to my body’s needs, including just sometimes choosing sleep over parties.

That doesn’t mean to say I don’t still screw up, making the wrong decisions far too quickly based on my basic needs and ego when I should know better. I am more intolerant of sitting round a table with people I don’t respect and am conscious that there are certain meetings where I should simply keep my mouth shut.

Conversely I find it extremely pleasurable to collaborate with bright women and men of all ages. I love new ideas and as always, find the future with all the possibilities that technology brings combined with sustainable communities a place where I intend to live and work.

I believe in people power and know that my life purpose now is to use my storytelling gifts with my ability to bring people, ideas and different aspects of society together to create a better world for my grandchildren and the seven generations to come.

And my six grandchildren and the wellbeing of my family are, cliché as it may sound, the joy of my life. Seeing my grandchildren blossom and grow into such beautiful little human beings, having my children happy and doing well and my 92 year old mother beautifully cared for in her own home as she happily fades into an alternative dimension allows me to continue to pursue my own role.

The role of the grandmothers and the return of the Wise Woman is, I believe, crucial to modern society and I for one am committed to doing my bit in enjoying my life to its fullest while collaborating in whatever way I can to bring sanity and peace to the future of our local and global communities.

Check out Lynne Franks TEDxTalk 2012 on The Return of the Wise Woman