>
> 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, 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 f! orgetful. 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 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'v! e 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.
>
> A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy
> enough people to make it worth the effort | |
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Makes me proud to be one of the oldsters. Loved it. Thanks. 
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