Aging may be inevitable but…
I am fortunate.
I am surrounded by close family members who are living well into their 80s and 90s and who are still active, engaged, contributing, and inspiring. I still call my 98-year-old uncle when I have trouble identifying a bird, and he still plays tennis with his friends almost every day (See his photo above with my brother Bruce after playing tennis in the South Carolina sun). My 94-year-old aunt’s biggest complaint about a recent bout with pneumonia is how much harder it is to get around all 18 holes on the golf course these days.
I’m not naive about the issues of aging. There are challenges every step of the way that can include loss of health, loss of mental sharpness, personal tragedy, mobility impairments, aches, pains, and more. But there are also things to be gained: wisdom, insight, perspective, and the ability to let go of some things that have become extra baggage instead of helpful tools.
The anti-aging mindset
So I’m not afraid of getting old. I’ve adopted the mantra my father embraced until he slipped away last year at age 95:
“I’m going to live until I die.”
I want to inspire others while I’m living, and I hope someday (preferably not too soon) to inspire people while I’m dying. May God give me the grace and strength and courage to do so, especially when I encounter things that can cause discouragement and fear. I can’t control what happens to me, but I can control what I think and do about it.
But as I press on towards my own mid-sixties, here’s what I now realize is so important: as our ability to do some things decreases, it’s ever more important to identify those things you feel called to do—those dreams, passions, and deep interests that fuel your life and create the energy you need to accomplish them. They don’t have to be lofty, but they do have to be heartspoken…spoken to your heart from that source of all life, whatever name you give it.
This is why it’s so essential to connect with yourself…your truest self, your best self. That’s an ongoing journey, fraught with fears and doubts, but just ask any well-adjusted senior citizen, and they’ll likely echo the words of Helen Keller, who overcame more obstacles than most of us ever have to face:
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
I love the idea behind “Get Old movement” from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer as portrayed in this short video below. It’s a wonderful testament to the importance of taking care of ourselves and staying active and engaged as we get older.
How do you feel about getting old? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And before you go, be sure to add your email to our list in the sidebar to the right. You don’t want to miss the motivation and encouragement to strengthen life’s essential connections: with self, with others, with God, and with Nature.
Getting old is wonderful compared with the alternative, which isn’t getting younger. With so many amazing things in our world to learn and contemplate, who wouldn’t want to live a little longer, give a little more?
J.J., you are so right, and you’ve demonstrated the exactly kind of mindset I believe will sustain and motivate you throughout your life. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
I like this piece very much, Elizabeth. And I feel similarly to you about aging. I’m finding a greater focus. Since I’m a lot closer to the end than to the beginning, it feels more important than ever to spend my time doing the things I care most about and love the most. For me, that means enjoying my loved ones and nature and giving my best to addressing climate change so that our beloved young ones can live on a healthy planet, as my generation largely has.
Yes, yes, yes, April. You’ve really hit the nail on the head. And that fervor for savoring life and making the rest of your life count is what I see in all the most senior folks I admire so much.Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment!
How I feel about growing older came through loud and clear today. Somebody recently asked me to do something in the morning…was it Wednesday morning or Thursday morning…was it this week or next? Or am I imagining it? I already blew it yesterday, forgot to go do what I was scheduled to do. Am I going to blow it again? Did I make a commitment? Or did we just talk about it? And who was it? If I could remember who…or where…or when…I could pull up the whole thing. Hopeless. Then I got an email from a friend, “Here I sit in the dentist’s office and I remember today we were going to…” OH YEAH! Now I remember…
I used to have a brain. I think I remember when it worked. That’s the part I miss the most.
Esther, those moments are indeed trying…that’s one reason I’ve become a list maker, because far too often I just forget. Don’t mean to, but I just do! I’ve gotten so if someone comes up to me at church coffee hour to tell me something they want me to put in the church newsletter, I just tell them they have to email me. I don’t even want them to give it to me on a piece of paper. That goes in a pocket of my coat, the coat gets hung up, and I find the paper weeks later the next time I wear that jacket and put my hand in the pocket.
Sigh….
I have a great idea – instead of considering this a sign of age, let’s just think of it as a sign of higher intelligence. We just have so many lofty and important thoughts in our brain it can’t possibly hold one more thing! 🙂
Growing old sucks. But! I feel better about myself and my dreams now than I ever did. I realized about 10 years ago…what I was good at, what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be. I am still active…I can play about 30 minutes of soccer with my 6 and 8 year old grandsons before I need to ask for oxygen. I still play baseball, football, basketball (with the grands). I can walk 5 miles, no problem. I am realizing my dream of being an editor. I am realizing my dream of being published (in the works, but I’m getting closer!). I realize I’m happy being by myself, because I’m happy with ‘me.’ I realize family is the most important thing, always. I do need to exercise more, but here in the northern tundra (aka North Dakota) it’s hard to get out during the winter. I paint, I write, I edit, I read, I take classes for fun, just because I want to learn. Though if I’m on the floor playing games, I need a little help getting up. Wonderful, thought-provoking post, E!
Karen, it thrills me when something I’ve written resonates with you because you are such a marvelous writer yourself. I’ve loved watching you find your dreams and your voice and can’t wait to see what the next few years will bring.
I turned 50 this past October, and it was startling as I don’t feel 50–whatever that means. I’m not so much afraid of the aging process, as I’m sad that one day I won’t be here. That it will be time to leave the party that is life–even though I know this world is not my home and there is better and more beautiful to come. Still God made me (us) with this will to live. Sometimes I think that the thought of letting it go is sadder than the reality will be when the time comes. I, too, want to make a graceful exit–unlike the time I left a backyard party by turning sharply on a Trex deck coated with sand to say good-bye. Face-plant.
Oh Lisa, with that wonderful sense of humor — and your rare ability to laugh at yourself — I have no doubt that you will squeeze every bit of joy out of living and, in so doing, will spread joy far and wide. I’m so glad to know you!
And I am genuinely glad to know you. Feeling a kindredness with people sure makes life that much more wonderful.
Yes indeed it does!