My dad sent me this today.
OLD AGE
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, skin spots and bumps,
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 avant 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 until 4 AM, and sleep until noon? I
will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50'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 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 groove 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
OLD AGE
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, skin spots and bumps,
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 avant 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 until 4 AM, and sleep until noon? I
will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50'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 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 groove 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
