Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Thoughts on Aging

We’ve all heard the many sayings about aging:

Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, yet the youngest you’ll ever be;

Getting older is a welcome challenge;

Age is just a number;

You become happier as you get older;

Getting older sets you free;

Over the hill has become a very long trek.

To me, all of these have the same core message: forget the number of candles on your birthday cake and embrace life.

It seems to me that in the past people worked until they reached the magic age of 65 and then spent their days rocking on the front porch looking at the world go by. Today, with 30 or more years ahead, it is a time to join the world instead of just looking at it. It’s a time to fully consider that’s it’s never too late to join the parade, even if you’ve been procrastinating.

When a family friend, notorious for putting things off, turned 60 a couple of years back, she finally realized that her free time could be better spent than in front of the TV, and decided to do something about it. Now, she exercises regularly rather than sporadically, and takes courses to learn Italian. She has lost weight and is planning a trip to Italy. “It’s about time I knew more about my ancestry,” she quips, “and I’ve started looking into writing a family history for my children and grandchildren.”  Small steps have led to her being happier. Good for her, I say.

It’s never too late to make the changes needed to improve our lives and make us happier and more fulfilled. The idea is to get involved in life and to persist in our quest to make it interesting. We have accumulated a lot of experience over the years along with wisdom. Two things that shouldn’t go to waste. You might even start you own business or learn to swim if you don’t know how.

The sky is the limit, not age. To me, judging ourselves by our age should be outlawed.