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 him 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, 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 overeat, 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 a.m, and
sleep until noon?
I will dance with myself to those
wonderful tunes of the 60'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 bikini 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 a 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 turn 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. I can say "no," and mean it. I can
say "yes." and mean it.
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.
Author
Unknown
Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles.