Those were great Oesy..Regarding remembering these songs & the RELATED IDEA of we, the aged & aging in general.. I came across this EMail this AM.. thought it had some good thoughts. I have a "significant" birthday upcoming soon & I would be fibbin' to say it is NOT on my mind bigtime. /d
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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 sometimes despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy
eyes, and the sagging bottom.
And often I am taken aback by the 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 pig that I didn't need, but looks so cute on
my porch.
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 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 swimsuit 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 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 !
As I've posted many times on The Finest, I have reached that lofty, nonapologetic plateau in life where I have earned the Chinese respected designation as a Venerable One!
Kinda gets me off the hook of the hafta have "good looks" department - LOL - takes me beyond to wise(?), sometimes profound (okay, occasionally?), and can shift to throwing in humor to balance that lofty stuff - -
Here's to aging gracefully, and enjoying it!
A story in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago quoted some old lady as saying. "old-age sucks."
Everything is aching today, and I have have to agree with her.
A story in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago quoted some old lady as saying. "old-age sucks."
Everything is aching today, and I have have to agree with her. lol