Aging, I decided, is a gift As I get older I am at peace with myself and proud of the person I now am. Oh, not physically! I sometime moan about my body, the wrinkles and the sagging butt. And often I wonder about the person in my mirror I hardly recognize, but not for long.          I would never trade my amazing family, my wonderful friends, my tranquil life for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I have seen too many leave this world too soon -- before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.          I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of my youth, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will. I will walk the beach in a swimsuit stretched over a less-than-perfect body if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.          They, too, will get old before they know it.          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 your beloved pet dies? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being compassionate.           I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning grey, and to see my youthful laughs 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 we get older it is easier to be positive. We care a lot less about what other people think. We have even earned the right to be wrong on occasion.        I like my age. 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.