Never too late This is a series of people who decided to pursue their dreams with their own thoughts.
Nancy Cardwell has made two major changes in her life. First, she quit her job as her prestigious newspaper editor in New York and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. The second was a little more dramatic. After she fell in love with tango, she moved to Buenos Aires at the age of 62. She is a tango dancer named Luis Gajardo.
Cardwell, now 75, started working for The Wall Street Journal in 1969, moved up the ranks to become Assistant Editor-in-Chief, and became the number one must-head woman at the time.But in the late 80’s she was dropped from the masthead as part of Major remodeling of top editors I’m frustrated.
She returned from a fishing trip in Montana in 1991. She got off the plane at LaGuardia Airport. “That’s it,” she told herself. “I’m out of here.”
She sold her New York apartment and moved to Americas, Georgia (population 15,000) to work at Habitat for Humanity. “You have reached the pinnacle of your profession,” she recalled telling herself. “You don’t have to prove anything else. If you don’t want to do it anymore, don’t do it.”
She eventually returned to the East Coast, settled in Arlington, Virginia, and began her career as a freelance book editor. When she was 58, her friend invited her tango event. She reluctantly advanced. Within six months she was taking five tango classes a week. She celebrated her 60th birthday on a trip to Buenos Aires, where she danced tango and practiced Spanish. She came back again and again, each trip was a little longer. She hired a “taxi dancer” (a protango dancer who took her to a milonga (literally “ballroom”, now synonymous with tango hall)) and she continued to dance until 3 am.
One night she approached from Lewis, who had already noticed on the dance floor. They met and danced in various milongas until the end of her trip. He asked her to write her letter (he had signed up for her email address just to respond to her), and one day she asked when she would return to Argentina. I received a message asking. She came back in November, but they were in the middle of a dance when he said to her, “I think you’ll be one of the great loves of my life.” The following year she moved to Argentina. They got married in 2014 and are now spending time between Arlington and Buenos Aires.
They still dance tango at least three times a week.
The following interview has been edited and summarized.
What is the special attraction of tango?
Tango is a lead-and-follow dance — it’s like a conversation. It’s more intimate than sexy. Long before she met Lewis, she began telling people, “She gets 90% of what she wants from men on the dance floor.” Tango taught me that intimacy doesn’t require a duration. A tango length of 3 minutes is sufficient. Later, I learned that Argentines call tango “el amor de tres minutos” (3 minutes of love).
How did you feel about being single before you met Lewis?
You grew up thinking you would be a couple or get married, but I refused to accept that being single wasn’t okay. My mother basically told me that happiness is an option and you have to choose it. If you don’t like the situation, you need to change it or change it. Experienced a miserable life does not improve the situation.
Did you spend a lot of time considering your decision to move to Argentina?
It wasn’t a big deal, so I don’t think this move was scary to me. I had already taken the time to visit and was thinking of staying there longer. But Lewis made Buenos Aires my hometown. He gave me an understanding of my friends, family, position in the tango community, and what it’s like to be Argentine. Most importantly, he loved me and made me understand support and partnership in a way I’ve never experienced.
What is the key to finding love?
When we met each other, we were both in a very good place. I always tell people that I’ve never been happier than the day before I met him. I’m not very happy now, but I wasn’t looking for anything. I don’t think romance and relationships always bring happiness, but happiness allows them to happen.
Wouldn’t the situation be different if this had happened to you 10 or 10 years later???
I don’t think it made a difference. However, the older you get, the more confident you will be. It’s not because you’re good at what you were doing, but because you don’t really care about what others think. For example, I’m fluent in Spanish, but I make all sorts of mistakes. Now I know that my value, my value in the world, is not brought about by how well I speak Spanish. And that feeling gives you some freedom to reach out and do what you may not want as a young person.
A friend came and said, “I picked up the tango and went to Buenos Aires. I met this guy. He thinks he is the best dancer in the world. Moved to Argentina and with him?” You she What did you say to
I would probably tell her to go for it. There are drawbacks to her being single. You miss having her family and partner. That’s a good thing. I wish I had them, but it wasn’t. However, being single has its advantages. In other words, you can do whatever you want. You don’t have to buy a Reebok for someone. You don’t have to send anyone to Harvard. If there is a downside, it’s a good idea to take the upside.