AGING???

Recently, I spent some time cleaning out closets, old papers, and just generally getting myself reorganized. I guess it's one way of continuing to make way for new things in this exciting new year. Also, I did some visiting with old friends, reconnecting and catching up on what's happening out there.

After a big party I attended last week, which was well attended by some of those "oldies but goodies" friends, I came home depressed after hearing too many stories about their neck, leg and back pains, arthritis issues and all kinds of other issues.It bothered me that they seemed to have aged so much and that they were more focused on what's wrong with life than on living life to the fullest.

Once home, I went back to clearing out the papers and I came across something my mother had given me some years before she died. Mimi was what people used to call "a live wire", full of life and always ready for a good laugh, she packed her days with as much fun as she could, right to the end of her life!

We had talked several times about how she felt about aging and all that meant for her quality of life. During one conversation she pulled out a piece of paper that had been passed around her circle of friends, and she urged me to read it because she felt it captured the essence of how she felt.

That's the paper I just came across and in reading it again, I was struck by how amazing my mother was (and is), and how she is still giving me good advice. I don't know who wrote this piece but I wanted to pass it along to MY circle of friends, in the hope that the message will strike a chord with you too, no matter what your age is.

"I AM NOW...PROBABLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, THE PERSON I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE..OH, NOT MY BODY! I SOMETIMES DESPAIR OVER MY BODY...THE WRINKLES, THE BAGGY EYES, AND THE SAGGING BUTT. OFTEN I AM TAKEN ABACK BY THE OLD PERSON WHO LIVES IN MY MIRROR, BUT I DON'T AGONIZE OVER THOSE THINGS FOR LONG.
I WOULD NEVER TRADE MY AMAZING FRIENDS, MY WONDERFUL LIFE, AND MY LOVING FAMILY FOR LESS GRAY HAIR OR A FLATTER BELLY. AS I HAVE AGED, I'VE BECOME KINDER 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 SOMETHING SILLY THAT I DIDN'T NEED. I AM ENTITLED TO OVEREAT, TO BE MESSY OR EXTRAVAGANT. I HAVE SEEN 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 4AM, AND SLEEP TILL NOON? I WILL DANCE WITH MYSELF TO THOSE WONDERFUL TUNES OF THE 50'S AND 60'S AND IF I, AT THE SAME TIME WISH TO WEEP OVER A LOST LOVE...I WILL.
I WILL WALK ON THE BEACH IN A SWIM SUIT THAT IS STRETCHED OVER A BULGING BODY, AND WILL DIVE IN THE WAVE 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 A HEART NOT BREAK WHEN YOU LOSE A LOVED ONE, OR WHEN A CHILD SUFFERS, OR WHEN A CAR HITS YOUR BELOVED PET? BUT, BROKEN HEARTS ARE WHAT GIVES 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 LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO HAVE MY HAIR TURN ALL DIFFERENT SHADES, EVEN GRAY, AND TO HAVE NY 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. 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 WHATEVER PEOPLE THINK. I DON'T QUESTION MYSELF ANYMORE. I HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE WRONG.
SOOO...TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I LIKE GETTING 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...."


TODAY, I WISH YOU A DAY OF ORDINARY MIRACLES*