Upon getting old...

[Ten Packs]

I don't THINK that I haven't posted this here; If so, chalk it up to "OldTimers Syndrome". My apologies if someone else already has, but a reminder wouldn't hurt, anyway...

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 at 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 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 avante 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 far 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 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. I can say "no", and mean it. I can say "yes", and mean it.



As you get older, it is much 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.


Author unknown.

 

[mrmom2]

Oh quit braggin ya old Goat Dare to dream the dream eh Ten :wink:

 

[Ten Packs]

On October 13, at 4:30 pm, it will be FIVE YEARS since I put in a day of work.....


As Don Cherry would say: "YA GOTTA LUV IT!"

 

[Billy_B]

Age is measured in time, and time is only relevant in it's entirety

 

[mrmom2]

8) 8) 8)

 

[Ten Packs]

Age is measured in time, and time is only relevant in it's entirety

Well, I am ENTIRELY satisfied with getting up in the morning, whenever I FEEL like getting up.... having a cup of coffee - and deciding WTF I want to do that day.... if anything.

:wink:

 

[missile]

Likewise,my friend 6 years and counting,for me

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

Thanks for posting this, Ten Packs. Normally I don't like that sort of thing (don't really know what I mean by 'that sort of thing', but basically, those types of articles) but I really liked this one... no doubt because it rings so true to someone as old as dirt and twice as gritty. :lol:

 

[missile]

Just remember that there is great value in antiques

 

[Haggis McBagpipe]

Just remember that there is great value in antiques

Old and rare.

 

[galianomama]

i hate getting old. i hate the fact that i can't see anything without these stupid glasses. i hate it when i don't work. i hate staying home and pretending i like it. i get bored, and do dumb things. like laundry, cutting lawns, stripping and waxing floors, all sorts of tom foolery. retiring is stupid. what thehell do you do? sit and read your naval fluff? i could never retire, because i would probably end up killing everyone in my sight. there, i feel much better now. venting is wonderful. sigh. thank you all.

 

[JomZ]

This is a poem I read at my Grandfather's funeral, it helped me undestand the value of my life and what matters most of all in life. I always take heart in it when I read it, for it helps me in the times when I feel I am wasting my life.

How do you live your dash?
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of his friend.
He referred to the dates on his tombstone from the beginning.. to the end.
He noted that first came his date of birth and spoke the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time that he spent alive on earth..
And now only those who loved him know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own; the cars...the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...are there things you'd like to change:
For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough and always try to understand the way other people feel.
Be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect, and more often wear a smile...
Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent your dash?

-Author Unknown

 

[Ten Packs]

i hate staying home and pretending i like it. i get bored, and do dumb things. like laundry, cutting lawns, stripping and waxing floors, all sorts of tom foolery. retiring is stupid. what thehell do you do? sit and read your naval fluff?

Quite often, I talk to folks like YOU... who don't get it.

Your job is your life? More's the pity. :roll:

 

[manda]

Stop rubbing the retirement thing in already!! :wink:..I'd just like to finish up with school so that i can start a carreer that I can actually retire from!

 

[Reverend Blair]

Stop rubbing the retirement thing in already!! Wink..I'd just like to finish up with school so that i can start a carreer that I can actually retire from!

Ah, I remember when I used to think like that. Then I figured out that there had to be a better way to live. It took some doing, but I managed to create it.

 

[galianomama]

Then I figured out that there had to be a better way to live. It took some doing, but I managed to create it.

that's my point. there has to be a better way to live, but i don't know if staying home all day is the answer either. not for everyone - just for me. i can't stand it. i have a lot of interests, and i do volunteer work for two organizations. it isn't as if i am just waiting for the ticking of the clock. part of it maybe societies idea of what we should do at appropriate times in our lives. maybe that's the other side. when you don't want to conform and 'retire' (whatever that means), but you enjoy working or meeting people or sleeping til noon, or playing games on the computer all day, there is bound to be people with a different opinion. part of it sometimes is to learn how to relax....and that is probably the hardest thing to learn how to do. yoga and meditation help, but it seems to be a chip inside my head that feels compelled to keep going.

 

[Cosmo]

Ten Packs ... Lovely article! It's so damn true! I remember when the most important thing in the world was my waist measurement and what kind of career I wanted. Seems so inconsequential now, doesn't it?

Got to agree with you Galianomama ... I seem to have that same chip in my head but have been forced into unemployment for the past year. I do enjoy the freedom in many ways but miss working even more. I'm not quite ready to hang up my lunch pail yet either!