Thoughts on Aging
Awhile ago on Instagram I discussed that Aging is hard. All over Social Media Influencers and other authors are telling us all that we need to believe in ourselves, have a positive outlook etc. And this is all true and good but pretending that Aging does not take some work on our part would be unfair. Throughout our lives we have learned that in general you get out of something what you put into it. This is also true about aging.
If you just drift along and put no effort into what you want your aging years to look like then it may not turn out to be your best-case scenario. I mentioned in my July 2, 2021 post that "Acceptance" is a huge part of living a happy life as you get older. We are all aware that we see ourselves Changing Physically and this is the "First Acceptance" I would like to discuss. In my opinion constantly trying to recapture your youth with procedures and facelifts is the opposite of acceptance. If you do it once you will have to do it again, it is not something that is one and done. You will have to keep chasing that fountain of youth. I would prefer to learn ways to work on my true self to be the best I can be at every age and that means that I will probably have to change my expectations at every age.
This leads me to my "Second Acceptance" which is Changing our Expectations of what we expect of ourselves and what we expect of others. There are people who stop doing things that they love because they cannot do it as well as they use to. That is self-defeating and sad. I know someone who stopped playing golf because she cannot accept that she is not as good as she use to be. How nice it would be if she could change her expectations of herself to instead be proud that at a certain age she is actively engaging in golf and doing as well as she can at that age. If you constantly wishing you were who you use to be you will miss seeing who you are today!
And finally, I would just like to expand on my "Third Acceptance" Accept That the World Around You is Changing. Instead of complaining about how things are now and wishing for the world to be the way it used to be. Get involved in today’s world, learn the new things, read the new books, learn new technology, see the new movies, travel and see new places, make new friends, you are still living and changing and growing so don't sell yourself short enjoy where you are now in your life. Rejoice at how lucky you are to be alive and have the chance to live in this exciting new time of your life.
As always, I welcome your comments and ideas.
Leslie B