Since I don't seem to be coming up with much writing material of my own lately, I'll share something my sister sent to me today in an email message - the author is unknown, but it could be from any one of us over 50, don't you think? Words of wisdom, for sure. I have changed some punctuation. This person loved commas. And I've altered the wording a little to better reflect how I feel about aging.
As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself... and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.
As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself... and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.
I have seen friends leave this world too soon - before
they understood the great freedom that comes
with aging.
Whose business is it anyway if I
choose to read or play on the computer
until 4 AM - or sleep until noon? I will boldly dance by myself to the "oldies" of
the 50's, 60's and 70's - bringing back memories of times of my youth - and at the
same time if wish to weep over a lost love that these memories evoke, I
will.
I will walk the
beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a
bulging body and will dive into the
waves with abandon if I choose to - despite
the pitying glances from the younger crowd.
They too will get old.
I know I am sometimes
forgetful but don't you think that some things in life are just
as well forgotten? I eventually
remember the important things....most of the time.
Sure, over the years my
heart has been broken. How can your heart
not break when you lose a loved one .. or when
a child suffers .. or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken
hearts are what give us strength and
understanding... and compassion. They bring us closer to God. A heart
never broken is pristine and sterile... maybe hearts were meant to be broken.
If we are truly blessed, we will live long enough to have our hair
turn gray and to have our youthful
laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on our
faces. So many have seldom laughed, and so
many have passed away before their hair could
turn silver.
As we get older, it's sometimes hard to find the positive, but we learn to care less about
what other people think and we question ourselves less often. We can even be "wrong" and live through it. It's called Wisdom.
I think I am ok with being old - it has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not
going to live forever, but while I am still
here I will not waste time lamenting what
could have been, or worrying about what
will be. And if I feel like it, I will have dessert with my dinner.
How do you feel about growing older?
How do you feel about growing older?
Hi Glenda,
ReplyDeleteI like this post. Especially this part:
Whose business is it anyway if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM - or sleep until noon?
I do this..I do have to try to get my schedule turned around a little though. lol
When I think about 'old' I see that my fingers look a little arthritic and feel A LOT arthritic. My pinkies are bent like my grandpa's and I can't make a closed fist. :)
I am starting to get a fat chin and my grandma's little wrinkled neck.
And when I saw my face in the magnified side of a mirror a while back it shocked me. At least all those wrinkles are not showing up on the normal side of the mirror. lol So I have some time before they start showing themselves to the public.
And I love the music of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. My goodness after that things got scary. I will stay with the oldies. And oldie programs on tv too. :)
Great post. Good to see you. :)
Have a great day. Take care, Janet W
I have read quite a few blogs this week about 'Living Like A Grown-Up' and this post almost fits that bill.
ReplyDeleteIt's taken me 54 years to realise that I don't mind if people don't like the way I live my life - providing it has no direct impact on them (ie blaring music at 4 am) it is no business of theirs; just as how they choose to live their lives - providing it has no impact on me - is no concern of mine.
Life is too short to worry about the curtain twitchers!
Of course real life is full of heart-breaking moments, but there is great joy too and to fully appreciate the joy we have to have had bad times.
I'm missing your regular posts - but understand that it is sometimes difficult to work up the energy for a post!
Take care and enjoy your summer
I like the general sentiment of this piece, and in someways I agree with the specifics and in other ways my approach to aging is very different. I was careless of my health and well being for much of my life, focuses on career and work, and on pleasures that were sedentary and non-productive as an escape from all that career and work pressure. It reached a point where I could barely do anything or enjoy anything - it hurt to sit too long, and hurt even more to get up. And serious consequences started popping up in medical tests. So now, after 60 + years of having dessert not only with dinner, but for breakfast if I damn well wanted, I'm not going to have dessert at all ever again if I want to enjoy my life, do things and see things, be with the people I want to be with for some years to come, and stop being in pain all the time. And I'm getting systematic about exercise, even if it is boring and annoying (although a month into it its more fun than I expected); and I'm going to go to bed early enough to actually get restful sleep instead of browsing Facebook half the night or watching all those TV series that I just felt I couldn't miss.
ReplyDelete