What It Means To Be Old

I've received this in an e-mail a few times and always nodded my head in agreement to it's message. It fits perfectly into my blog even if I'm not the original writer.

*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 kinder to myself and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie (well, maybe), 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 (or a t-shirt that says, "Mess with me, mess with the whole trailer park"). 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 A.M. and sleep till noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 40's and 50'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 abandom if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful but, then 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 someone's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what gives 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 to silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've earned the right to be wrong.

So, 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'm here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every day if I feel like it.*

As I wrote these words I once again nodded in agreement to the truth they speak. I'll be 70 years old in August and I am thankful for the wisdom I've gained over every single one of those years. In this 70th year of my life, I am happy and contented.