OLD AGE IS A GIFT...I HAVE
DECIDED
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, 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 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 am, 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 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 dies? 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.
Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles.
(Author
Unknown)