chrisxp
New Member
....................
I love this and it is true, I used to care but I don't any more.
With age comes wisdom......and self confidence.
The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken
aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was
immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question,
and I would ponder it, and let her know.Old Age, I decided, is a gift.I am now,
probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.
Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes,
and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives
in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things
for long.I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving
family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more
kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't
chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for
buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on
my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.I have seen
too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the
great freedom that comes with aging.Whose business is it if I choose to read or
play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?I will dance with myself to
those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep
over a lost love ... I will.I will walk the beach in a swim suit 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 jet set.They, too, will get
old.I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as
well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.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 somebody's beloved pet gets hit
by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and
compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the
joy of being imperfect.I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair
turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves
on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair
could turn silver.As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less
about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned
the right to be wrong.So, to answer your question, I like 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 I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I
feel like it)
I love this and it is true, I used to care but I don't any more.
With age comes wisdom......and self confidence.
The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken
aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was
immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question,
and I would ponder it, and let her know.Old Age, I decided, is a gift.I am now,
probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.
Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes,
and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives
in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things
for long.I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving
family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more
kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't
chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for
buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on
my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.I have seen
too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the
great freedom that comes with aging.Whose business is it if I choose to read or
play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?I will dance with myself to
those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep
over a lost love ... I will.I will walk the beach in a swim suit 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 jet set.They, too, will get
old.I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as
well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.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 somebody's beloved pet gets hit
by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and
compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the
joy of being imperfect.I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair
turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves
on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair
could turn silver.As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less
about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned
the right to be wrong.So, to answer your question, I like 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 I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I
feel like it)