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2022-08-26
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u
OLD AGE
from the Web
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 sometimes 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 grey 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 or play on the computer until 4
a.m. and sleep until noon?
I will dance with myself to those
wonderful tunes of the 60'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 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 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 grey, 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.
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'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.
but will continue to rejoice in what
was.
Author Unknown