Aging, like wisdom, advances in stages. Like the changing of the seasons it has a springtime when we are born and begin forming that which we were meant to be; in the summer when we are at our peak, ripe and luscious, innocent and inquisitive; then comes fall with its fading away, little by little, of all that transpired before. \u00a0In the end we are cursed with winter where everything we valued begins to die.<\/p>\n
It is all so dreary, so difficult to face. We cope with it by ignoring it. Maybe it\u2019ll disappear. In the back of our minds we know that means the old cliche; \u201cit\u2019s better than the alternative\u201d. On an almost childlike level we think it won\u2019t happen to us. Being realistic about aging is beyond our comprehension. When we are younger we see an elderly lady walking with a cane, brown spots on her hands, her white hair wispy, and her body frail. We don\u2019t say it out loud, but we think it: \u201cI\u2019ll never be like that.\u201d We shove all of our negative thoughts about the elderly into a closet in our mind, repeating to ourselves, \u201cThat will never be me.\u201d We are ashamed of our thoughts. We don\u2019t mean disrespect but it\u2019s too glaring a reality.<\/p>\n
As we grow older we find that our body, which we have always taken for granted, is having health problems. How did our cholesterol get that high? We\u2019re only in our forties. And high blood pressure? We eat right, we think, so why should we have a problem with that? We even go to the gym and exercise. But reality, that ugly picture we didn\u2019t want to look at is starting to take over. Now we\u2019re on meds. We give up bacon and eggs, something we always thought was healthy; after all it was protein, something our body needed. We take a Nutrition course to find out what we should and shouldn\u2019t be eating. We\u2019re not happy about it but we see the good sense in it. Good Lord! What are those funny ripply things on our thighs? Cellulite? What the devil is that? We start wearing long pants even in hot weather. We begin with a vengeance looking through magazines to find articles on how to accept aging, how to keep wrinkles away, how to lose weight and still have the body of a \u201cstone fox\u201d. We think about a face lift. How vain! We look critically at friends who are the same age we are. We denigrate (in our thoughts) those who are aging faster than we are. Don\u2019t they know to keep their hands off their face? Don\u2019t they know that pulling at the skin on their neck will give them a chicken neck? We are torn between wanting to share all we\u2019ve learned and worrying that we will appear critical and judgmental.<\/p>\n
At some point we feel that the best part of our life is behind us. It\u2019s a depressing thought. What is left? Are we just to wait for death, giving up little by little, all that we took pride in for so many years? Our health problems increase. Angry at life, we sit and wait for death.<\/p>\n
Aging doesn\u2019t have to be like that. Many years ago I was at a wedding with my grandfather. A couple in their nineties entered the room where the reception was being held. The wife, dressed all in red, wearing a red hat with a scarlet feather had hair that was so white I wondered if she dyed it. Her face was serene and beautiful, her eyes so blue they reminded me of an Arizona sky. If she had wrinkles I didn\u2019t notice them. Her husband followed. He wore thick glasses and clasped the hand she held behind to guide him. Despite the bride being in the room I had eyes only for this woman who Grandpa introduced as Eve. Years later I could still recall in detail everything about her.<\/p>\n
A certain amount of common sense is required in order to look youthful as long as you can. And who doesn\u2019t want that? Not only that but looking your best makes you feel good so a bit of vanity is in order. Don\u2019t smoke, don\u2019t drink to excess, take advantage of preventive medicine, exercise regularly, watch your weight, get plenty of sleep, drink 8 glasses of water a day, exercise good skin care, don\u2019t sleep on your stomach, let go of bitterness, recover from childhood traumas and a few others that you can probably come up with on your own,<\/p>\n
Tell yourself the best years of your life are in front of you. Make lists of everything you ever wanted to do and start making them happen. Get a copy of It\u2019s Your Choice! Decisions That Will Change Your Life <\/em>and read it. Keep in place a spiritual concept of the afterlife.\u00a0\u00a0 Talk to God frequently. Then listen. After all, one day you\u2019ll meet Him. You might as well get acquainted now. Maintain a positive attitude. Make healthy choices, keep goal oriented, supportive people in your life, recognize and avoid toxic people and toxic situations. If you\u2019re in a healthy relationship enjoy a good sex life. Laugh a lot. Establish relationships with younger people.<\/p>\n With a few of these suggestions in place you\u2019ll make it through the process of aging. In time you may even find yourself cracking jokes about the weird wrinkles in yours arms and legs, about how forgetting names means early dementia, about sex being a faded memory. Enjoy life!<\/p>\n Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!!!!!!!! And many more, Margie<\/em><\/p>\n