Getting Old is Not for Sissies
‘Getting old isn’t for sissies’ is a saying that my mom and dad had framed on the wall in their home. When I was young it was a just a joke we laughed about. But now at age 75 I have come to know the true meaning of that phrase as I see it from my parents point of view. There are so many intricacies of aging with so many layers to peel back and examine.
So many things change with age; our minds, bodies, outlooks, relationships, and even our hopes and dreams. Sometimes it even feels like some things have been stolen from us which can cause resentment to set in. This is where the work begins to choose how you want to live the rest of your life. Some people become bitter when they realize they cannot have the same life they have always had and can not do the things they have always done. Some people just give up and lose interest in life all together.
No one wants to look ahead to aging. But if you just sail along ignoring the future until one day it hits you that things are changing and you are aging, it can be a very rude awakening. It can feel like everything has been taken out of your control. Looking ahead and planning options, finding ways that you will adapt and continue doing your favorite things, having long term health goals and being willing to accept that life changes for everyone as they get older will go a long way to helping you accept the change.
Acceptance is key to happiness in life at every age. Aging gracefully seems to present a picture of someone taking life as it comes and making a smooth transition in every phase along the way. The term “Aging Gracefully” sounds like it should be a simple thing that you just flow into. Unfortunately, like most things in life you get out of it what you put into it. I have always advocated planning ahead from one decade to the next and reinventing yourself along the way.
How do you accept that some of your goals may never come true?
You find new more achievable ones that are based on the reality of where you are in your life.
How do you accept that you can no longer do some things as well as you use to?
You take pride that you can still do them even though you may have to do them in a different way.
This is not the time to give up on living, it is the time to live your fullest version of yourself. I have said to myself many times “If not now, when?” referring to my overcoming my own limitations. I now understand that part of the challenge of aging well is learning to live with and accept our limitations. Our limitations do not make us less they just make us uniquely ourselves, and that is something to celebrate at anytime in our lives!