Getting older anybody? This is cute so I thought I'd share. (the best, buying)

[gracie07]

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 (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, or my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've 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 that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, 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&70'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 jet 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 somebody's 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 turning 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.

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. (If I feel like it)

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN
YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

[SIZE=3]'Life may not be the party we hoped for... But while we are here we might as well dance![/SIZE]

[RuralCoastalGuy]

Originally Posted by gracie07

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 (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, or my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've 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 that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, 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&70'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 jet 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 somebody's 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 turning 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.

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. (If I feel like it)

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN
YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

[SIZE=3]'Life may not be the party we hoped for... But while we are here we might as well dance![/SIZE]

All I can say to this is...W-O-W !!...and I agree with this post 100%.

the only real difference is that I can also recall the music of the 50s and I have the best of that on CD.

Young people don't think they will ever get old...and older people wonder where the time went. Well my Wife and I have had a wonderful life with, we hope, more to come now that we are pretty much retired from the day to problems of earning a living, raising a family and wondering when we will have the chance to just drive to and walk on the beach.

Yes...let's dance...Shake, Rattle and Roll!

Excellent thread...hope it stays alive for a long time so all can share in it.

[jeannie216]

Beautiful piece that brought a tear to my eye. Thank you.

[fuzzymystic]

Well, I remember and dance to the songs of the sixties and seventies, but I didn't know that made me old. No, let me rephrase that, I'm not old.

[tulegirl]

Originally Posted by gracie07

[color=black][font=Verdana]Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

Amen!

But appreciation is not just for the older generations. Some of the younger set recognize all stages of our life is a gift and we are trying to keep it that way.

[Blueberry]

I'm encouraged by tulegirl's comment. When my daughter was born, some wise soul advised dh and me to always enjoy whichever stage in life we were experiencing with her. He said not to listen to negative people who would warn us of the terrible twos or out of control teenage years. We have a choice to enjoy each day as it comes and put the negative yesterdays behind us. It's truly much more enjoyable to eagerly anticipate each stage of life rather than live in dread of the next awful stage (which, by the way, may never come and will most likely be filled will pleasure rather than doom)!

While I bemoan that my eyesight isn't what it used to be, and I recognize myself in the sagging butt comment , I'm thankful that I have a mostly sound mind and body and can still contribute LOTS to make the world a brighter, better place!