~ Getting Older ~

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 (who looks like my mother!), 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 a treat, 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 AM and sleep until noon?
I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70'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 jet 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
somebody's
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 turning
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.

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. (If I feel
like it)

       MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME       APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT  FROM THE HEART!
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART
FOREVER AND EVER!

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